Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Good decision
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has made it mandatory for all to wear masks while stepping out of home as the active corona cases have crossed 11000 figure. It is a good decision for the health and safety of citizens. The government should simultaneously make appropriate arrangements for provision of medicated and low-price masks to all. It would be in the fitness of things that the employers should make available quality masks for their employees.
Similarly, government offices should be provided with medicated masks to all government servants. This will help the masses to follow the suite. A crackdown is required to be made against substandard and low-quality, fake masks which are totally harmful for health. Moving step by step forward will help us to overcome the present special circumstances. Collective efforts are required to overcome the pandemic.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
Terrorism threats
The people of Pakistan have been exposed to terrorism with fatalities and permanent physical disabilities in hundreds of thousands, ever since the 80s. There is nothing more important than security of citizens of Pakistan and guarding geographical boundaries from enemy designs. Our economic prosperity, on which hinges national security, requires that Pakistan is free from foreign militant organizations operating within our territory.
A powerful explosion at Madrasah Zubairiyyah in Peshawar’s Dir Colony has caused loss of life and injuries, exposing security loopholes which these terrorists managed to exploit. On 16 December 2014, terrorists managed to enter Army Public School located within the cantonment area and killed 149 innocent citizens, including 132 children ranging between 8 to 18 years and 9 staff members. This should have woken us up and we should have understood that security lapses exist and those responsible punished and loopholes plugged. Those responsible were none other than six gunmen affiliated with TTP who, by default, are by-product of our follies.
It is time that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency ISI, which has been widely acclaimed as amongst the best, devote all its energies to monitor the movement of foreign hostile elements within the country and their entry into Pakistan and completely disband their political wing. While pursuing ill-advised policies like Strategic Depth, we have compromised security within our own borders. There are numerous other agencies which can perform the task of monitoring political adversaries.
ALI MALIK TARIQ
Lahore
Strongly condemnable indeed
Maulana Mufti Mehmood and Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani were among the makers and signatories among others of the 1973 Constitution which continues to survive with the blessings of Almighty Allah despite number of attacks on it. But their sons Maunla Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Ovais Noorani are out there to indulge in anti-state hostile activities to destabilize Pakistan.
Opposition undoubtedly has the democratic right to criticize the government but nobody including the opposition parties and their leaders are allowed to indulge any sort of anti-state hostile activities thus strengthening the hands of anti-Pakistan foreign elements to continue harming and destabilizing Pakistan one way or the other.
What is all the more condemnable, deplorable and regrettable is the bitter fact that when Ovais Noorani was raising anti-state slogans in the stage of the opposition public meeting in Quetta the other, neither Maulana Fazlur Rehman nor anyone else sitting on the staged stopped or snubbed him. They all should themselves be ashamed if at all they are sensible, reasonable and patriotic lot and extend apologies to the people of the country at large.
It is a matter of record that the federal and provincial governments had provided all facilities and security to the opposition leaders for the public meeting. This was the most absolute misuse and abuse of the democratic right of the opposition to criticize the government, free expression and association to say the least.
M Z RIFAT
Lahore
Zimbabwe MDC alliance fight corruption
It is astonishing that Henretta Rushwaya the former Zimbabwe Football Association chief executive was arrested at Harare international airport on 26th of October 2020 when she was trying to smuggle 6 kgs of gold to Dubai barely 4 months when former Health Minister was Obadiah Moyo was exposed for corruption scandal in the tenders for Covid 19 equipment. Henretta Rushwaya, a ZANU PF ally has learnt nothing from the scandal that cost the former Health Minister.
This shows that President Mnangagwa is failing to fight and root out corruption in Zimbabwe. If Mnangagwa wanted to eradicate corruption he should have locked former Health Minister in prison and this could have deterred Henretta Rushwaya from attempting to smuggle gold to Dubai. Beleaguered ZANU PF government led by Emerson Mnangagwa has failed Zimbabwe and should be ousted before they milk dry whole of Zimbabwe’s resources.
TAPIWA MUSKWE
United Kingdom
