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.
Corruption index
Shahzad Akbar has been removed from his office due to inefficient performance. Prime Minister was not satisfied with his performance. Mr Shahzad was always trumpeting the pressers on the accountability against main leadership of main two top opposition leaders but failed to provide enough proof for their indictment.
In 2018, he was tasked with heading the accountability drive against the corrupt and bringing back laundered money worth billions of rupees, but so far couldn’t collect enough evidence against the corrupt leadership while he also failed to bring back looted wealth.
In fact, these were the basics of the PTI movement that it would not spare any corrupt but so far the PTI has failed on this front too like other promises, which were made by the prime minister before coming into power. Not only corrupt from opposition yet to be booked, but also probes have not been completed against those cabinet members who were found involved in various mega scandals. So PTI government has to face corruption index.
KANWAR DILSHAD
Islamabad
Daylight robberies
Through your newspaper, I want to draw attention of police authorities towards daylight road robberies in my locality. Because of lack of basic facilities such as hospitals, colleges, markets etc in the village, people have to travel to city daily to buy different items. Robberies are common on the road that connects the village (jalal balaggan) to Gujranwala even at daytime. Because of this situation there is fear and panic among the people.
The robbers often hide in the bushes. As soon as a car or motorcycle approaches, they rush out and grab people by arms. They also threaten to kill people. Police must take notice of it so that lives of people can be saved.
FARHAN SAMEER
Gujranwala
Water scarcity
Pakistan ranks third in the world among countries facing acute water shortage. Reports state that Pakistan will reach absolute water scarcity by 2025. No person in Pakistan, whether from the north with its more than 5,000 glaciers, or from the south with its hyper deserts, will be immune to this scarcity. Researchers predict that Pakistan is on its way to becoming the most water-stressed country in the region by the year 2040.
It is not the first time that development and research organizations have alerted Pakistani authorities about an impending crisis. In 2016, PCRWR reported that Pakistan touched the water stress line in 1990 and crossed the water scarcity line in 2005. If this situation persists, Pakistan is likely to face an acute water shortage or a drought-like situation in the near future.
Pakistan has the world’s fourth-highest rate of water use. This suggests that no country’s economy is more water-intensive than Pakistan’s. Pakistan’s per capita annual water availability is 1,017 cubic meters perilously close to the scarcity threshold of 1,000 cubic meters. Back in 2009, Pakistan’s water availability was about 1,500 cubic meters. The bulk of Pakistan’s farmland is irrigated through a canal system. Canal water is vastly under priced, recovering only a quarter of annual operating and maintenance costs. Meanwhile, agriculture, which consumes almost all surface water, is largely untaxed. Population growth and urbanisation are the main reasons behind the crisis. The issue has also been exacerbated by climate change, poor water management and a lack of political will to deal with the crisis.
Water scarcity in Pakistan has been accompanied by rising temperatures. In May, at least 65 people died from heatstroke in the southern city of Karachi. In 2015, at least 1,200 people died during a spate of extremely hot weather. The monsoon season has become erratic in the past few years. The winter season has shrunk from four to two months in many parts of the country. On top of it, Pakistan cannot save floodwater due to a scarcity of dams. At the time of Independence in 1947, forests accounted for about 5 percent of the nation’s area, but they have now dropped to only 3 percent. Pakistan must invest in building water reservoirs and plant more trees.
HAMZA SHAHBAZ
Lahore
Rampant inflation
Pakistan is witnessing an unprecedented economic turmoil, with inflation rate rising exponentially. Inflation in 2015 was 4.5%, which has almost doubled to 8.9% in 2021.
In May 2019, PTI government reached an agreement with the IMF after months of difficult negotiations on a $6-billion bailout package. The 39-month bailout program is subject to regular IMF reviews of Pakistan’s economic policy and growth. In January 2020, the program was put on hold after Prime Minister Khan did not follow IMF recommendations to increase electricity prices and impose additional taxes.
Opposition parties are blaming government for the economic mismanagement, but authorities say instability in global market due to Covid pandemic is the main reason behind rising inflation in Pakistan. Prices have increased in global market, and this has had an impact on Pakistan as well, the government has offered subsidies to mitigate financial hardship for citizens. Amid the economic turmoil, the poor are relying on charity organisations to avail basic food items. More people are seeking food items and financial assistance than ever before.
SAMEER KHALID
Burewala, Punjab
Religious intolerance
Rise in number of human rights abuse cases in Pakistan happen due to intolerance, particularly religious intolerance. In recent case of Sialkot lynching intolerance ashamed the whole nation. One major reason behind this could be ignorance about law.
Blasphemy, for instance, is a sensitive issue that is often misunderstood by people due to ignorance and is often manipulated by people for personal gains. As per speculations regarding Sialkot lynching case, one reason behind the murder was personal grudge of some workers against the manager.
Concerned authorities should make arrangements to spread awareness regarding laws on religious matters among people. They should also make sure to take steps for screening media contents and sermons delivered by illiterate maulvis to put an end to rising religious intolerance. Efforts should also be made, primarily through media and educational institutions, to ensure interfaith harmony.
FASEEH AHMED
Islamabad
