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.
Earthquake in Turkey, Syria
The recent earthquake that struck the border region of Turkey and Syria has left a trail of destruction and death. The earthquake has caused widespread damage to homes, buildings and other structures, leaving many families homeless and without basic necessities. The death toll is increasing as the rescue operations continue, and the number of injured people is also high. This earthquake has brought an immense humanitarian crisis that needs immediate attention.
In times of crisis, it is the duty of the international community to help those in need. The situation in Turkey-Syria demands immediate and effective relief efforts. As a brotherly country, Pakistan must take the lead in providing help to the people of Turkey-Syria. Our country has the resources, manpower and the infrastructure to help the victims of this earthquake, and we must use these resources to best of our ability.
The government of Pakistan must mobilize its resources and provide immediate relief to the affected people. The citizens of Pakistan are also encouraged to contribute in any way they can, whether it is through donations, volunteering or any other means. By doing so, we can show the world that we stand with countries in their time of trial.
Moreover, it is also the responsibility of Pakistan to motivate the international community to help the people of Turkey-Syria. We must use our diplomatic channels to reach out to other countries and international organizations to get them involved in the relief effort. The scale of the disaster demands a coordinated and comprehensive response, and this can only be achieved if we all work together.
AMIR HUSSAIN
Talagang
Not a banana republic
It can only happen in a banana republic, or a failed state, that a Parliamentary Committee, would insist and intervene to rehabilitate over 840 PIA employees who submitted fake degrees at the time of recruitment. All members of this Parliamentary Committee headed by MNA Mandokhel pledged on oath to protect the constitution and uphold rule of laws and cannot be party to protect criminals who committed forgery, a criminal offence.
Parliament has only one role which is to legislate laws and ensure that rights of other citizens who are more qualified are not violated by those who do not meet merit criteria and do not possess even basic minimum qualifications for a job in an organization owned and funded by taxpayers. Parliament should serve as a watchdog as per the oath they have pledged to the Constitution and not be seen protecting 840 criminals, who committed forgery and crime by submitting fake degrees at the time of recruitment in this already overstaffed organization.
These illegalities in PIA and CAA occurred during period 2008-2009 and continued thereafter. Pakistan’s aviation industry faces a ban from operation into Europe because of its failure to comply with international safety standards. Poor human resources, nepotism and cronyism destroy an organization.
Countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have developed because they invested in human resource development, utilizing and patronizing qualified individuals, instead of cronies. What more jolts does Pakistan need to awaken the ruling elite and powerful stakeholders that such abuse of power and irregularities have damaged it and despite its vast numbers of qualified talent, who are forced to abandon and the resultant brain drain, it is today on the brink of economic collapse. Time to Wake Up.
SALMAN MALIK
Malaysia
Child labour
There are a lot of troubles in our society. Different problems and issues are alive in it. Some are very old but some are growing speedily. One of our society’s issues is child-labour. It has raised for many years but recently it has been increased quickly. Due to exorbitance in inflation, people became hand-to-mouth. So they sent their children to do work and to earn to meet domestic expenses, because in this era one person’s earning can’t meet domestic expenditure of a family.
Children are seen, working in small restaurants, home servants/helpers, automobile-shops etc. They work in the age of their period of education, which is a very disappointing thing. Children should be sent to educational institutes, but their parents send them to work in search of money. To solve this issue ellite-class should follow Islamic teachings (zakat) to circulate money in the society for equal distribution among society, the main objective of Zakaat. The Almight has beautifully suggested us to resolve financial problems by means of Zakaat.
Child protection bureau should take act against child-labour issue. They should take their responsibility. They should save their precious time and should save them from this curse.
MARIYAM-JUNAID
Lahore
Box letter Poverty
Through the column of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities toward the matter of poverty in our country. Poverty is scarcity, death or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possession or money. It includes low income and the ability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty involves a number of distinct but interrelated issues. They include economic, social, policy and institutional dimensions. The literacy rate of Pakistan is very low. Most people do not have any concept about modern earning sources. In our society social bonding is gradually becoming thinner and thinner. A race of material objects has been started even though no one tried to understand the problems of others. The imports of Pakistan are greater than exports. If we decrease imports and establish our own supply chains from our country’s natural resources the people will have better opportunities to earn. Diseases are more widely spread because poor people cannot afford hygienic food and pure drinking water which puts much more stress on middle class families. Besides financial uncertainty, these families are more likely to be exposed to a series of negative events and bad luck including illness, depression, job loss etc. The planning process for poverty alleviation programmes should be done at the local level with utmost participation of local level stakeholders. The vulnerable sections of society should be identified and augmented in the programmes. Panchayat receipts and expenditure statements should boldly be displayed by the gram panchayats on banners.
TUBA WAKIL
Lahore