ALMOST ever since Islamabad came into existence as the country`s capital, it has been called `Islamabad, the beautiful`.

And it is beautiful. It is the city of the elite. Adjacent to it is the old historical city of Rawalpindi, which is not as beautiful,but doeshave patches of elegance, like, for instance, the Rawalpindi Cantonment area where everything moves like clockwork.

However, there are some parts of the cantonment, inhabited mostly by civilians, war veterans and retired armed forces officers, where the condition of roads and streets is deplorable, where garbage can be seen everywhere, where beggars remain a perpetual nuisance, and where parking areas are encroached upon by shopkeepers and vendors.

Unlike other such areas in the country, the Rawalpindi Cantonment is the only one where such step-motherly treatment is meted out. There are hardly any proper sewerage system. Residents build septic tanks that add to the already polluted environment. There was a time when it was the pride of the gentry to be a resident of Rawalpindi Cantonment. Today, it is no less than a shame.

We are regular taxpayers. We also pay water tax even though we don`t get much.

We pay massive electricity bills, but power outages last for hours. We pay the gas bills, but low pressure remains a routine affair in winters. We wonder what becomes of our taxes. Where are they consumed ... and by whom? Prof(Dr) Shazra Munnawer Rawalpindi