Karachi and Lahore are often pitted against each other as major urban cities with drastically different levels of development, be it in infrastructure, healthcare or security. While Karachi suffers from an ordained fate of broken roads and broken administrative promises, Lahore seems to be progressing full speed ahead. Although, there is at least one grave negligence tragically shared by both cities – open manholes that have swallowed one too many innocent children.
After the spine-chilling case of three-year-old Ibrahim who lost his life by falling in an open manhole in Karachi, another five-year-old child named Hassan Amir has succumbed to his injuries from a similar case in Lahore. To imagine a parent having to bear through the news of losing their child from such cruel negligence is almost unbearable. Yet, it happens over and over. In Lahore, at least one child fell victim to open manholes each month between December and February.
Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz has, in preceding months, outlined a plan of action to prevent fatalities caused by open manholes as well as the incessant theft of their covers. A project that commenced from Gujranwala planned to cover 30,000 manholes with safety nets and covers stamped with the Punjab Government logo to impede theft. But it has been months since this order was imparted and the speed of progress has now cost another young life.
This case of criminal civic negligence must be given adequate coverage in both courts and the news cycle. Currently, the parents of Hassan Amir deserve some form of justice. And longitudinally, the rest of the parents in this country deserve the mental peace of knowing that their children are safe even if they’re out playing in the street away from their watchful eyes.
Editorial Published in Express Tribune on June 19th, 2026.
