KARACHI: Sindh’s renowned Sufi singer Manjhi Faqeer has requested the provincial government to provide the town of Barhun (21km from Sanghar) with basic facilities, such as construction of roads and schools. The artist and his companions gathered outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday afternoon to put their demands before the authorities.

Talking to Dawn, Manjhi Faqeer said, “Our city doesn’t have basic amenities. It’s in district Sanghar, taluka Shahdadpur. It is rich in oil and minerals. And yet we don’t have roads, schools, gas, clean water… nothing. It feels as if we belong to another world. No one thinks about us.”

The artist said prior to Wednesday, demands had been made at places such as Shahdadpur but to no avail. The demands, he said, are being made to the Sindh government, its MNAs and MPAs.

When asked how he would prioritise the needs of the region, he replied, “Everything … it feels as if we are living in a backward zone (pasmandah ilaqa). The rest of the world has reached other planets and here no one is paying attention to our needs.”

The singer argued that when those who run the state fall asleep, it’s members of the artist community who rise to the occasion.

Last year in November, an extremist mob had vandalised the shrine of Manjhi Faqeer’s father.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2020