India landing on moon, while children die in Karachi gutters: Pak leader

National Assembly member Syed Mustafa Kamal brought attention to the lack of educational facilities for children in the country, comparing it to India's achievements

Syed Mustafa Kamal, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly, has said the country is falling behind while archrival India is conducting moon missions.

"While the world celebrates achievements like India's Chandrayaan-3 mission landing on the moon, we witness heartbreaking incidents like children dying after falling into open gutters in Karachi. This has become a recurring tragedy every third day," Kamal said in the assembly.

His remarks were widely circulated on social media, shedding light on the two countries' development trajectories. Kamal, who is the leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan party, emphasised Karachi's pivotal role in generating revenue for the nation. "Despite being the main revenue contributor, Karachi faces acute shortages of essentials like fresh water. Rampant corruption, exemplified by the tanker mafias, exacerbates the situation, depriving residents of their rightful resources."

Kamal highlighted the education crisis in Sindh, revealing shocking statistics of "ghost" schools and millions of children out of school. He urged the authorities to address these fundamental issues plaguing Karachi and the broader region of Sindh to foster genuine progress and prosperity.

"In Sindh alone, there are 48,000 schools, but out of those, 11,000 are 'ghost schools'," Kamal said, adding that seven million children in the province did not go to schools.

Amid these challenges, Pakistan is also facing economic hurdles, including high inflation and mounting debt. Delays in implementing vital economic reform programmes, such as the International Monetary Fund Extended Fund Facility, have also exacerbated the country's economic woes, leading to dwindling foreign reserves and currency depreciation.