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.
Gas crisis
The ongoing gas crisis continues to create trouble for citizens across the country. According to details, the situation in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and other cities of Pakistan has intensified as the gas shortage or low pressure of supply continues to surge. The citizens have complained that they are facing immense difficulties in cooking and performing other related house chores because of low supply or shortage of gas.
One of the major reasons of gas crisis is wastage and unnecessary usage of gas. This is tragic considering the gas load-shedding across Pakistan and our expensive LNG imports. There are no current estimates of the ratio of gas leakages on the consumer side. Leakage and efficiency improvements are usually consumer-owned decisions to reduce utility bills. But those who have the resources to pay bill don’t consider these things.
I would like to urge government to consider suggestions to tackle the situation like: aware consumers about the gas leakage and quick solution to overcome leakage, reduced overuse of gas by some consumers and take some measures to ensure the gas delivery to all parts of the country with good pressure and timetable.
QAISAR ANSAR
Rawalpindi
Time for US forces to leave ME region
It is good to hear that the Iraq’s Parliament has urged the government to oust thousands of American troops (5200 actually) from the country because of the killing of a top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. These 5200 US soldiers are stationed across Iraqi bases to support local troops prevent a resurgence of the militant Islamic State group, which incidentally arose in consequence of Saddam Hussein’s removal by the Americans. They are deployed as part of the broader international coalition, invited by the Iraqi government in 2014 to help fight IS. Now, instead of doing their job in Iraq, if these forces indulge in pursuing their own hateful agenda against Iran and go to the extreme of killing an Iranian General – which George Bush and Barack Obama had rejected – on Iraqi soil, just how could they be allowed to continue staying there.
Elsewhere, it has been reported that the US soldiers have now stopped their activity against Islamic State terrorists and are concentrating on their own safety and that of other Americans in view of attacks on their sites in Iraq. Now, if the US soldiers stop doing what they were brought in to do – to help eliminate IS terrorists – then it is definitely another justification for their ouster from Iraq. Moreover, they will be much safer back home.
It is clear now that instead of ensuring the security of their hosts, they pursue their own agenda in a way that threatens their hosts’ security instead of enhancing it. Like for example, Iran would be justified on attacking US bases which were used to plan, assist and execute the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. And in the process, surely the hosts could also get bruised. In view of the above, it is definitely time for other states in the region hosting US military, to ask the Americans to leave their soil soonest possible.
S R H HASHMI
Karachi
Where should the poor go?
Imran Khan’s government has imposed and continues to impose many taxes due to which inflation has risen and everything becomes expensive. The inflation has affected the poor people the most. Petrol price has also increased by a good amount due to which transportation fares have upped manifold. The one of the major transportation used by the masses is metro bus service .Metro fares have also increased by a good amount.
According to the government this initiative will increase country development and generate revenues. But so far there has been no significant progress. In fact the poor segments have been badly affected by taxes. A large number of people due to high fares have reduced the use of metro service .The amount of people that use the metro service have dropped significantly. Higher authorities should take an initiative to control Inflation through strategic planning.
FAHAD MANSOOR
Rawalpindi
Dangerous US ambitions in ME
US started New Year {2020} with bloodshed and escalating tension in the ME by killing Iranian General Soleimani in an air strike near Baghdad. He was the Head of Quds Force in Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and covert operations. Soleimani helped Syrian government during Syrian Civil War and assisted the Syrian government against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and he conducted operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with the help of combined Iraqi government and Shia militias. He was very active in spreading the Iranian influence in the ME. That’s why in the past he received many life-threats and assassination attempts by US and Israel. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that “a harsh retaliation is waiting” for the US. He also said, “All enemies should know that jihad will continue with a doubled motivation and a definite victory awaits the fighters in the holy war.
General Soleimani was the most powerful General and famous personality in Iran. His murder has ignited the tension between US and Iran. Iran will retaliate strongly against Israel and theUS. Assassination of Soleimani will start a new wave of violence in ME, especially in Iraq. Iraq is also not stable and centre of violent protests for the last many days. Iraqi Parliament passed a resolution against the US and Foreign troops and also end the defence agreement with US.
Since President Trump came in power, he has bad relations with Iran even he cancelled the ‘Iran Nuclear Deal’. UN and world’s major powers especially the permanent members of UNSC need to play their due role to reduce tension between US and Iran. Escalation in tension between both countries is not in favour of region and this will create more chaos in the region.
CH ASAD ALI
Islamabad
BISP data
The government has removed 820,165 undeserving beneficiaries from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), including 140,000 government employees. It is a laudable effort by the federal government.
The government should mobilise the social welfare officers across the country to conduct surveys of families of children involved in labour to distribute the amount among them through the BISP. This will also help in decreasing the ratio of out-of-school children
ZIA UL HAQ
Islamabad
Lack of Muslim federation
A targeted US drone strike on 3rd January in Baghdad, Iraq, 156 days lockdown of Indian occupied Kashmir viewed as world’s largest jail ever, protests against CAA Bill in secular India and US invasions of Syria and Afghanistan are not only the violation of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Afghanistan or other Muslim states’ sovereignty but that is the violation of Muslim sovereignty.
So, it is the time for Muslims across the world to unite and then turn that unity into action against these violations from superpower America, second largest market of goods and items India and Israel.
SIRAJ AHMED NAREJO
Naudero
