KARACHI, Pakistan (The News -International), January 16, 2008: Located in the lush green lawns of Nariyal Park, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, the Union Council (UC) 5 of the town has established the Pakistan Senior Citizen’s Club. This is a facility for senior citizens to meet, greet and provide a ‘think tank’ for their UC.
The club was founded with the initiative of UC 5 Nazim, Nadeem Yaqeen, when he was introduced to the idea by the retired editor of an Urdu newspaper, Nasim Durrani.
Durrani, who is now the general secretary of the club, while talking to The News said, “I met with the UC Nazim on one my strolls to Nariyal Park where he invited me to a party and I found him very receptive to the ideas of other people. At the end of our meeting, I, emboldened by the nazim’s encouragement, gave him three plans.”
Out of these three plans, the nazim was intrigued by the idea for a Senior Citizens Club which was soon established under the patronage of the UC Nazim and Town Nazim, Wasay Jalil.
With the establishment of the club, the members immediately set out a list of aims and objectives which comprised plans to facilitate the needs of senior citizens in the town and bridge the gap between the different age groups of society and the administration of the town.
With the fulfilment of these aims, recently a reading room was established in the club, where members can avail the benefits of quality reading time.
Durrani when talking about the reading room proudly announced that the project has been very successful in terms of facilitating the needs of educated seniors. He said that “we have people from different fields coming in who have years of professional experience.” The reading room has about 400 books donated by Naqsh Kazmi and the poet Gulnaar Afreen.
While highlighting the significance of seniors, Durrain elaborated on the different ideas that the club had so far come up with to aid the city government, which includes health and education related projects. “We are here to impart all that we have learnt in our lives. We do not impose anything we just offer suggestions for improving what ever the local government has to offer,” he added.
While talking about the different problems faced by the elderly, Durrani explained that it is unfair to consider the seniors of a society as useless and encourage them to step away from all responsibility. In particular, he complained about the long queues that seniors have to suffer while paying their bills. “The club has itself urged the State Bank governor to exempt all senior citizens from waiting in line but so far we have not received any response,” he pointed out.
In response to a query about the expenses, rent and funding of the club, Durrani explained that “we have been given this space completely free of charge by the town union council and we have to pay no rent or utility bills. Soon we will also be given a one phone line.”
As far as other plans are concerned the club aims first aims to provide better health care facilities to the elderly, already underway with the help of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) which has laid out plans for a 400-bed hospital in the town to facilitate residents. He added that “the club in cooperation with Dr Farhan Essa of the Essa Laboratoies have also established monthly check ups for club members.”
The town is also planning to inaugurate another library in Gulshan as soon as other more pressing issues have been resolved. “With the 60th anniversary of Pakistan, we realised that even our country has become a senior citizen,” said Durrani with a smile, “it is high time now that we the senior citizens are taken seriously.”
By Shaza Nishat
