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.
Changed behaviour
University is a place where students can be reformed or putrefied. Parents allow us to go to universities in order to get higher education. Students should also try to meet expectations of their parents. I have noticed a lot of students who have changed their attitude after entering universities.
Firstly, those girls who use to wear ‘Abaya’ in their routine life suddenly change to western dresses. I m not saying that’s wrong and should not be done but one should not forget norms and values that one often practices. Mostly parents don’t know what their children are doing in universities because they think their children are mature enough to understand everything. But girls don’t know that they are actually creating problems for themselves in order to neglect their norms.
Secondly, students start comparing themselves with others in terms of dressing, life style etc. They demand all such stuffs, which their rich fellows have. And at the end their parents borrow money in order to fulfil their demands, which actually create financial and other issues. Students actually forget that in which conditions their parents have send them in university they don’t know how their parents are paying heavy fees.
In nutshell, students should not forget their real identity after joining universities. They must think about their parents who have sacrificed everything just for their bright future. Girls should not cross their limits. It’s good to work with boys in groups but at the same time girls must protect their self-respect and dignity.
AIRAF LIAQUAT
Via email
Drug addiction
The information given by Indus hospital and health network says that many children (aged between 6-15) are using drugs in Pakistan. This is an alarming indicator that Pakistan will have more drug addict youngsters in future. How these children start to use these drugs is not a hidden story from anyone. Initially they start with smoking tobacco, which contains nicotine, that release dopamine in the brain giving temporarily feeling of pleasure.
These children get addict to nicotine because they may have family problems or their parents are using these substances at home in front of their children. Continuous failure in academics, problem in making friends and mental health issues may be the reasons for these children to become depress, aggressive and anxious. In order to reduce that depression and anxiety they start smoking leading to other drugs. After getting addicted it is very difficult to control it and if a person want to quit he/she cannot because addiction gets strong with the passage of time. And addiction becomes more important than the need of food and sleep as a result addicted person can commit crimes to cater to their need of addiction.
These drugs cause many mental as well as physical health problems like if someone is taking marijuana they forget things, trouble in focusing on work that ultimately becomes reason of many failures. Besides a person using cocaine or methamphetamine can become violent, and have panic attacks or heart attack.
RAFIA ABDUL RAZZAQUE
Sukkur, Sindh
Depression
When it comes to expressing our thoughts the very first sense that comes to our mind is how we feel about certain things in certain ways. If we have scenes where we achieve something or make our family proud of something we feel happy and overjoyed. But have you ever felt that even if you’re achieving your dreams, your passions yet still feel something is missing getting yourself into a void of uselessness and emptiness! This could mean you might be facing depression.
Depression plays tricks on you during your highs and lows. It’s a void we think we may cure but often can’t get out of our heads. It’s your negative emotions that impact your neuron for an aggressive and panic response, making you incompatible to follow your daily routine, you feel confused. You are scared to do things that you love to do the most.
Depression is clinically defined as a sense of illness that impacts your physical motions and psychological thinking you may be able to move on with your daily routine but you are not energetic about going to places. Beware of such situation and talk to someone you trust. Let the past be left behind that’s how we deal with the depression that’s how we survive to be the will to change our own path before it changes yours.
TABINDA SABAH
Karachi
Honour killings
Almost every day, newspapers carry reports about heinous crimes against women, including acid throwing, domestic abuse, child marriages, bride burning, rape, human trafficking and honour killings.
Myopic norms and traditions, which are core of our patriarchal society, play an important role in this whole situation. As a result, majority of crimes against women have been committed in the name of traditions. Honour killing is a cultural reality in Pakistan, where women are killed for damaging family’s honour. Countless women have been murdered when they exercised their right to select and marry against their families’ desires. Not only that, but women are brutally murdered by their family members for reasons such as pursuing an education or separating from an abusive partner.
Now question is how can such shameful and heinous deeds be eliminated from our society? Women also want freedom and the right to live their lives respectfully. To eliminate honour killings, we need a multi-dimensional approach. On one hand we should work on changing attitudes, while on the other hand government should bring a separate law to prevent honour killings and to declare honour killing as crime punished by death penalty. We should pressurise politicians to withdraw their support to honour killings. And criminals should be punished in front of public so that everyone should know consequences of such deeds.
AIRAF LIAQUAT
Noshehro Feroz, Sindh
