| The modern Japanese complete their houses from the roof downwards. Having erected the columns and other supports, they finish the roof firs to provide shelter to those who will be working within the building itself. In Pakistan, we prefer to start by building walls. |
| Take any construction site, and the first activity you will notice is of an outer boundary being built. Property, it is argued, must be defined before it can be protected. Such a demarcation though is not simply a necessary legal precaution. It goes beyond that. In public sector projects, for example, it stems from a sense of urgency on the part of project management to show that something has been accomplished on site, for nothing can be erected faster nor looks as impressive to visitors than a continuous boundary wall. Similarly, the money disbursed on its construction, expressed as a percentage of the cost of the project, helps to reinforce a pretence of frenetic activity. |
Published in THE NATION 23 May 1993, and reprinted in THE ARMLESS QUEEN (1994). |
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