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A good sign from Pakistan
On 14 January, the Imran government of Pakistan presented Pakistan’s first National Security Policy. This is a very positive step by Pakistan. The policy seeks to maintain peace with India for the next 100 years. According to a report, the policy discusses the priorities for the next five years. It covers foreign policy as well as internal security. It also includes converting Pakistan’s “geo-strategic approach into a geo-economic approach” that emphasizes achieving economic security.
The national security policy of any country is a serious subject. It cannot be prepared or applied lightly. There should be a comprehensive approach. Security cannot be defined only in the military term, but it also deals with human security, economic security and the protection of peaceful living.
Pakistan has to balance its relations. It has to reshape its policies and make it relevant by strengthening its economic position. Bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have cooled down since 2019. In 2021, the armies of the two countries resolved to uphold the 2003 ceasefire treaty. This led to the possibility of peace on the border area. But tensions on the LoC and the international border have caused a lot of bitterness in the relations between the two nations. We have to build our relationships amicably.
I hope there are some people who have the right vision. I believe former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji had such a vision. The Lahore Declaration was the last opportunity. If the results were good, South Asia would have had a different situation today. He believed that we needed to leave history behind and move on. We need to think again and create a new vision and mutual understanding.
SANTOSH PATEL
UP, India
Lahore terrorist attack
A high explosive bomb blast in Anarkali, the most crowded part of Lahore, has killed at least three including a child and injured many. We are reaping the harvest of the flirtations with extremist organizations by Zia junta, who got us involved in a proxy war, exploiting religion and a so-called Jihad funded by CIA. Political issues and problems within Pakistan need to be resolved politically, or through judicial process, instead of disproportionate use of force.
For a country created through a constitutional political struggle, led by politicians of integrity like Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal and scores of other pioneers, it was criminal and suicidal to disrupt the political process. Violence begets violence and innocent citizens suffer because of the myopic vision of those at helm.
How many more lives have to be lost before those responsible realize that extremists, terrorists and fundamentalists, whatever their professed ideology or faith and ethnicity may be. As if this was not enough, another ambitious dictator, embarked on attaining strategic depth beyond our geographical boundaries, instead of securing our own inner depth within our geographical boundaries. There are no good or bad Taliban, nor can extremists and fundamentalists like TLP etc., be relied upon. They have no role in Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan to be a modern democratic welfare state, with no political role for paid servants of the state, as elaborated by him on 14 June 1948 at Quetta.
We have lost half the country because of wavering from Jinnah’s vision and cannot afford any more transgressions or experimentation by the mediocrity. Personal greed for power, land allotments and dream of going from Rags to Riches have to be abandoned for the sake of Pakistan and the future of 220 million citizens.
MALIK T ALI
Lahore
Lahore blast
The Lahore blast is an unforgettable incident for the nation because in this incident many people’s loved ones left them. Such cowardly attacks cannot demoralize our nation because every coming threat unites our nation and because of this national unity, our nation has dusted off such enemies of peace many times.
All the TV channels should also play a positive role in this situation and should not spread chaos. Such incidents hurt our country and humanity as many people died in this incident and many were injured. The government should investigate it properly to take control or overcome such incidents in future. For this the concerned authorities should find out all the culprits behind the incident and they should be severely punished. Moreover, I offer my condolences to the families of all the victims.
MUHAMMAD ALI KHAN
Mianwali
Early marriage
It hurts me to say that early marriage remains a major issue in Pakistan these days. According to a report, approximately half of the Pakistani women are married before 18 years and nine per cent of the girls begin childbearing between 15 and 19 years. On the other hand, the female shoulders the responsibilities of being a wife, a sister, a daughter-in-law, and very soon a mother.
She faces ill-health, the danger of losing her own life or her children’s as well as derision and abuse – mental and physical. And early marriage also affects their education which leaves them illiterate. Thus, it is my humble request to the concerned authorities: please take serious action against this issue and save the lives of these children.
HAMMAL NASEER
Balnigwar
