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.
Injustices galore
Numerous countries have suffered internal unrest and even disintegrated when powerful groups, including those affiliated with the state, get involved in institutionalized corruption, land grabbing, profiteering, extra judicial killings and citizens missing without judicial process.
It is precisely for this reason that they say “It Is Not the Business of The Government to Do Business” and this includes commercial ventures by state institutions funded by the exchequer to perform their constitutional functions. A state must perform the role of an adjudicator, regulator and protector of the rights of its citizens, including their right to dissent.
It should never be seen as an abettor of criminals involved in land grabbing or facilitating criminals.
Unfortunately, we have witnessed powerful individuals, such as Musharraf aiding and abetting criminals affiliated with Altaf Hussain making kidnapping for ransom an industry, because of political exigencies.
A state that cannot protect its forests, public amenity plots from illegal takeover by land mafia is a state on the verge of chaos and unrest from within. The manner in which Kidney Hill was allowed to be taken over by criminals in Karachi was shameful.
Recently social media showed video clips of thousands of acres of land belonging to poor Harris of Sindh being forcibly occupied in the presence of police and armed guards during holy month of Ramadan Kareem.
We can understand such forcible occupation of land belonging to Palestinians who have lived there for centuries by Zionist’s occupation force.
Thousands of citizens of Pakistan who have paid all instalments for plots in DHA Valley Islamabad have been waiting for over a decade to get justice.
Such injustices perpetrated with tacit complicity of state institutions whose hesitation to protect citizens does not bode well for the country, because it weakens the bonds of trust and credibility between the state and citizens.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Are we thankful to them?
The Coronavirus pandemic is turning out to be a terror monster not just in India, but all over the world.
But are we thankful to the nurse who cleans, maintains and takes care of thousands of patients every day? She puts her life at risk every time she enters the Covid-19 ward. She does it for a living.
But are we thankful to her for that?
The ward boy: He cleans the body, packs it, seals it and moves it up and down the corridors. He does it for a living.
But are we thankful to him for that? The ambulance driver: He waits patiently for hours at the hospital gate or at the crematorium grounds. He has not gone home and seen his family for over a week.
Day and night he only eats, sleeps and drives the ambulance to take patients and dead bodies alike. He does it for a living. But are we thankful to him for that?
The manager of the crematorium: He sees hundreds of dead bodies daily. He does it for a living.
But are we thankful to him for that? The body handler at the crematorium: He is overworked, exhausted and underpaid. He helps in burying/burning hundreds of dead bodies every day and night.
He does it for a living. But are we thankful to him for that?
The police constable at traffic signals: He guides the traffic for a smoother flow, also ensuring us that we all wear masks to stop the virus killing us more.
The food delivery boys: They ferry around town in the hot sun or the rain from one place to another delivering food packets for us everyday.
They do it for a living. But are we thankful to them for that? The local vegetable vendors: They buy fresh vegetables and fruits for us daily and brings them to our doorstep. They do it for a living. But are we thankful to them for that?
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Importance
of self-care
In the present age where everyone is in a rush to achieve their goals in life, people have forgotten to take care of themselves and in the race to be successful they have neglected the fact that in doing so they are losing their health, which is vital in leading a prosperous life.
The famous saying “Health is Wealth” is not just a saying but has deep meanings to it. If one is not healthy, one cannot enjoy his life to the fullest.
Health is what makes a man most joyful and that is what makes a person satisfied in life but people don’t realize this and in the hustle of attaining material things they don’t realize what they are missing out.
So the first and foremost thing that a person should focus on in his life is one’s health and self-care.
In such busy schedule one should make sure he takes out time for things that make them feel at peace, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Many people do different activities to relax such as going for an outing which may include shopping, going for a lunch or dinner, visiting a park or going for a movie, while others may prefer doing yoga, meditating, going for a workout, dancing or listening some music.
For me the best relaxation therapy is curling up on my bean bag and fading away into a mystical world of my favourite novel. Self-care is very essential so do not let anyone or anything mess with that.
Life may be tough but make sure you do your best to take care of yourself because life is one-time offer and is all about enjoying and being happy.
ALIZEY NAQVI
Karachi
Children’s mental health
The stress, fear, grief, isolation and uncertainty created by COVID-19 pandemic can wear anyone down, but many children and teens have had tough times.
As more people get COVID-19 vaccines, there is growing hope that pressure of the pandemic will ease.
But the losses of the past year are likely to continue to affect families for some time to come.
Children, adolescents, and families that experienced the loss of a loved family member or friend to COVID-19 are at increased risk for mental health challenges and may need special attention and professional counselling to manage their loss and grief.
With the objective of universal prevention and mental health promotion, the international organizations and advisory bodies have issued various guidelines taking into account the mental health needs of children during the COVID-19.
They have suggested parents interact constructively with the children by communicating with them about the current pandemic, according to their maturity level and their ability to comprehend the crisis.
Parents should plan their children’s tasks one at a time, involve them in various home activities, educate them about following hygiene habits and social distancing, and engage in indoor play and creative activities.
In addition to these activities, adolescents are advised to be involved in household chores and understand their social responsibilities.
Interventions supervised by adults can help them in understanding their concerns.
HUBA SHAIKH
Karachi
