New Delhi: Pakistani lawmaker Syed Mustafa Kamal underscored the stark disparity between India's progress and the dire conditions in Karachi by referencing India's moon landing mission. The Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader noted that while India is making remarkable strides in space exploration, exemplified by its moon landing, Karachi is struggling with grave problems, such as children losing their lives after falling into open gutters.

"Today, the condition in Karachi is that, while the world is going to the moon, children are dying by falling into the gutter in Karachi. On the same screen, there is news that India landed on the moon, and just after two seconds, the news is that a child died in an open gutter in Karachi," Kamal said in his address to the Parliament on Wednesday.

He further highlighted the lack of fresh water in Karachi. The MQM-P leader also said citing a report said that there are 70 lakh children in Karachi and over 2.6 crore children in Pakistan, who are not able to go to schools.

"Karachi is the revenue engine of Pakistan. The two seaports operational in Pakistan since its inception, are both in Karachi. We (Karachi) are the gateway to the entire Pakistan, Central Asia to Afghanistan...For 15 years, Karachi was not given even a bit of fresh water. Even the water that came, the tanker mafia hoarded it and sold it to the people of Karachi," Kamal said.

"We have a total of 48,000 schools, but a new report says that out of that 11,000 are 'ghost schools'. 70 lakh children in Sindh don't go to school and a total of 2,62,00,000 children in the country don't go to school...if we just focus on this, the leaders of the country shouldn't even get proper sleep," the Pakistani Parliamentarian added.

In August last year, India's Chandrayaan-3 lander became the first spacecraft from the country to safely reach the lunar surface in August 2023. India also became the first country in the world to land on the South Pole of the moon.

Pakistan Grappling With Economic Distress

Pakistan, currently facing significant economic challenges including high inflation and mounting debt, is seeking a new loan program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). An IMF team is in Pakistan for discussions on the matter. The IMF has called for "strong cost-side reforms" to restore the viability of Pakistan's energy sector and recommended a comprehensive overhaul of its tax system, according to ARY News.

Last month, Pakistan concluded a short-term USD 3 billion program that helped avert a sovereign default. However, the government has emphasized the need for a new, longer-term program to address ongoing economic issues, as reported by Dawn.