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.
Political disputes in courts
Political parties retard the growth of democratic culture and institutions by taking political disputes to courts instead of resolving them through talks inside and outside Parliament. Despite being victim of the bad practice during last four years and more, major parties in the ruling alliance would have added to their prestige if they had defeated PTI fair and square in next election rather than proceeding to get IK out of the ring.
The federal government has decided to take legal action against IK over the ‘cipher’ audios. The cipher story was prepared by a team led by Imran Khan himself as proved in audios. As the audio reveals, Imran Khan and his Principal Secretary, Azam Khan, strategized their moves on the cipher. They were joined in the next meeting by other federal ministers as well.
The team of four decided to play with and make use of a classified diplomatic cable for political purposes. They blamed the US and local collaborators for the removal of IK’s government. Imran Khan was sacrificing key national interests for political gains by sexing up a diplomatic cipher. This act of PTI’s leader is also a violation of official Secret Act. Despite prolonging this critical issue of national interest, it must be immediately resolved through proper constitutional way.
MUNAWAR SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Foreign policy challenges
Pakistan has always been facing many challenges since its birth, like economic crisis, domestic political instability, frail governance structure etc. But on external front, foreign policy has also been flawed.
Foreign policy plays significant role in the development of the country and displays a positive image of the country on international front. Our neighbouring country – India – is making efforts on international front to have cordial relations with other countries and tarnish the image of Pakistan internationally. India is now the world’s fifth largest economy and is determined to become a developed country.
Both countries have fought many wars and struggled to dominate each other on many fronts, like economic, diplomatic etc. But now Pakistan is engrossed in its internal conflicts and India is advancing on international front.
This ongoing year, India will get presidency of the United Nations Security Council and has also presided Shanghai cooperation organization. It is speculation that India will also be included in the list of world’s most powerful economies – G-8 group.
Economic development is directly linked with diplomatic achievements. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s diplomatic success is all about securing foreign aid. No doubt, Pakistan is confronting with internal conflicts but it also needs to have strong diplomatic relations (somewhat soared during the PTI regime) with other countries, so that it might get economic prosperity.
MUHAMMAD SUFYAN
Bhimber Azad Kashmir
Food security challenges
The consequences of the 2022 floods that caused havoc across parts of Pakistan are longstanding. Satellite images of the flooded regions show that the floodwaters have caused damage to thousands of acres of standing crops.
This destruction of crops can have a long-term impact on the entire country’s food supply and if pre-emptive policies are not enacted urgently, the destruction of the crops can pose a major threat to food security. We cannot let an already terrible situation get worse.
The inflation rate has also gone above 30%, making it impossible for people to afford basic needs. Some strategies must be devised urgently for the short term to ensure that food remains readily available, at least enough to cover the country’s basic needs. In the long-term, the government must also look into the transformation of the agriculture sector into a technology-based sector that cannot only meet food security challenges but also compete in the domestic and international markets.
QAZI JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Climate change in Pakistan
I want to draw the attention of the high-ups towards climate change in Pakistan and how it is affecting millions of poor people. Climate change has put a lot of countries at hazard, and the risk is significantly larger for developing countries. Because of this serious problem, which is having a severe impact on the area, South Asia has grown more disaster-prone. In general, climate change is accelerating and having severe consequences for Pakistan.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority, around 2 million acres of crops and orchards have been affected with at least 304,000 acres in Balochistan, 178,000 acres in Punjab and 1.54 million acres in Sindh. Damage to infrastructure has exacerbated the humanitarian situation, as the partial or complete destruction of over 3,000 km of roads and 145 bridges impede people’s ability to move to safer areas or travel to markets, healthcare or other vital services, and limits aid delivery to those in need.
Depending on the severity, flood victims have lost everything they have: their homes, their jobs and even their loved ones. Whether it’s donating a rupee or volunteering to rebuild damaged houses, there are several ways to lend a helping hand to those in need. Be sure that you are donating to reputable organizations like Edhi, Youth Club Foundation, Ashraful AID and many more.
Unfortunately, some shameful organizations can crop up in the aftermath of disasters as ploys to steal well-intentioned donations. A recent trend among aid organizations is to provide a phone number and keyword for people to make a donation. The amount you give will show up on your next mobile phone bill. All donations to this fund will support recovery and relief efforts for flooding and monsoons in Pakistan.
ABDULLAH SHAKIR
Lahore
Respect animals
We celebrated World Animal Day on October 4. I am sure, some of us were not even aware of this day. It is a reminder for us to treat pets and stray animals with respect. But that’s not the case.
If we look around on our highways and streets, we find plenty of stray cattle and dogs. That’s no way to show respect to these animals. It’s like we have disowned them. Animals enrich us in ways we don’t even know.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
