When I went to AJK in 1999, Public Call Offices (PCOs) were everywhere. It was a booming business in an area which has sent emigrants to Europe and the Middle East. In my visit this year, I couldn’t find a single PCO, all having been supplanted by the mobile phone. It is a sign of progress that mobile phone ownership has penetrated all sections of society.
In the Sufi Shrine at Khurrie, I came across a beggar with a mobile phone in one hand. Back in Chattroh, a poor day labourer from Mardaan was negotiating a pay rate for his next job over the phone. Wide phone ownership is also reflected in the rise in the number of service providers in Pakistan. However, it is probably unfair to use Mirpur as a yardstick for progress in Pakistan as a whole. Mirpur’s deep link with the UK make it a special case.
No comments:
Post a Comment