A man walks past the closed Wall of Kindness set up by the Rawalpindi Development Authority. PHOTO: AGHA MEHROZ/EXPRESS

RAWALPINDI: The needy of Rawalpindi are waiting for the first-ever government-built ‘Wall of Kindness’ in Rawalpindi to be kind to them.



The wall, built by the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), remains concealed behind a grill gate even though it was completed four months ago.



The underprivileged are still waiting for its locks to open.



The concept is believed to have originated in neighbouring Iran and it works by the motto: “leave what you do not need”. People can leave items on the wall, including clothes and other items which they may not need but can still be of help to someone else who may need it more.



Those who wish to make donations can simply place or hang the items there. It is not just limited to clothes and people can also leave eatables hanging in shopping bags. Anyone who needs the placed items can take them off the wall and use them free of cost.



When asked, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Arif Ali Abbasi told The Express Tribune that they were making arrangements for the virtuous practice to commence in earnest.



He said that they wanted the underprivileged to receive items of their need with the help of philanthropists.



Abbasi encouraged people to come forward to help those in need. When pressed about when the locks on the wall are supposed to come off, he assured that it would become operational within two-three weeks.



After it was first set up, the practice has spread across the world, particularly in Pakistan with a number of such walls being set up across the country.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2019.