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.
PTA charges
Rules and regulations are framed to facilitate common people of the country world over but unfortunately some rules and regulations here in Pakistan are not facilitating common people such as PTA approval charges of cell phones which are brought from any foreign country to make them useable as SIM does not support such cell phones and PTA approval charges to unlock these cell phones are very high. In some cases, PTA approval charges of cell phones, especially of iPhones are higher than the actual price of the phones, thus people are deprived to pay PTA charges to unlock these phones and compelled to opt other ways such as call patch approve to avoid to pay official duty to make the phones useable.
PTA should revisit their decision to charge huge amount of money for approval charges instead reasonable charges should be introduced so that people could pay easily to make their cell phones useable and do not take other unorthodox ways. By that way, PTA would receive reasonable tax duty from general people of the country.
FAISAL ANSAR
Karachi
Egoistic nationalistic sentiment
In a world drenched in squabbles and replete with antagonism, the leaders apparently pursuing hawkish idiosyncrasies are increasing incredibly in numbers and the world has pre-comprehended the forthcoming Pandora Box of problems they can open due to their outrageous policies. We, the Sapiens, are now having weapons of mass destruction in our hands with the same mindset of our ancient ancestors — foragers. We have developed technically, scientifically, militarily, economically, industrially, but not politically.
We, the Sapiens, in the 21st century, in the age of globalization and interdependence, still believe that war is the only way to spread socio-economic tiers across the globe and is the trade with less loss and more gain, although, it was the case of early 90s and now in the age of weapons of mass destruction, war is no more a profitable business, it’s the trade with high input and no output and possibly the annihilation of both the countries waving war against each other with also the long lasting disastrous effects on the rest of the world.
Today, the dirty mindset in some countries like Delhi still thinks that war is somewhat a beneficial business and a way of addressing their superiority over the rest of the world. In this race of becoming more powerful, forceful, undefeatable, many of the countries have acquired the weapons of mass destruction.
M MUBASIR KHAN
Lahore
Elections
in India
In India the state assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and for the Municipal Council of Delhi are over, and the results are awaited. Soon thereafter preparations will begin for the state assembly elections in 2023 in Tripura (due in March), Karnataka (due in May), Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (due in November) and Rajasthan (due in Dec) and, of course, the parliamentary elections due in 2024.
India has 28 states and 8 union territories, apart from the hundreds of local bodies like Municipal Corporations, Zila Panchayats, Block Panchayats, gram panchayats, etc for which elections are held regularly. The country is perpetually in an election mode and the public participate in them enthusiastically.
What our simpleton people do not realise is that they are being taken for a ride. Will change in the ruling parties or their representatives make any substantial difference in their lives? Will it reduce or eliminate poverty, hunger, unemployment, price rise, lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses? Not at all! It is change in the system which is required for this, but no one talks of that.
The system of parliamentary elections (which we blindly borrowed from the British) further entrenches casteism and communalism in India, which are the main feudal forces holding up our progress, for parliamentary elections largely run on caste and communal vote banks. And so it has to be replaced by an alternate system which unleashes our potential, and enables our country to march rapidly towards a high level of industrialisation and modernisation, which alone can give prosperity and a high standard of living to our people. But no one talks of that, not even our so-called ‘intellectuals’ and our supposedly ‘free’ media.
It is time that the patriotic thinkers in India realise this, awaken our gullible masses from their slumber and using their creativity think out and devise such an alternative to the present system. Otherwise we will remain in the mess we are in today indefinitely
JUSTICE KATJU
India
Horseback riding and archery
Our Prophet (Peace be upon Him) always encouraged horseback riding and archery as sports. Muslims have adopted Western sports, leaving behind Islamic tradition or sports. Polo, the only common horseback riding sport, has declined due to a lack of government support and funding.
Horseback riding is an exciting sport with many health benefits and a great activity to help exercise your mind. The calories burned by a one-hour ride are similar to a 30-minute jog (10 km/hr) or cycle ride (14 km/h). Health benefits include improved balance, muscle strength, motor planning, coordination, respiration and many more. Also, it may enhance judgement and critical thinking skills. Another forgotten Sunnah is archery. Archery makes you set aside time to do nothing but focus on a target. Doctors in France prescribe archery to some patients. By practising at least 30 minutes daily, archers calm their minds and engage their bodies to boost their overall well-being. People of all abilities can enjoy archery.
It is social, challenging and competitive. It also helps develop patience, focus and self-confidence. In short, taking both, archery and horseback riding is rewarding for this life and the next. The govt must promote these sports in extracurricular activities for young adults to ensure their perseverance in our customs.
AISHA USMAN
Karachi
