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.
Soul of humanity
In these times of civilizational crisis around the globe, what a refreshing piece of news arriving from the Himalayan foothills amidst tension, death, hunger and lockdown! In the Indian villages located in Datgiri and Hatisar areas of Assam near the Indo-Bhutan border, The Bhutan-India Friendship Association of Bhutan has extended Covid-19 relief packages to 610 poor families severely affected by lockdown!
What a selfless humanitarian gesture on the part of our Bhutanese cousins possessed of wide compassionate heart and all-embracing mindset! However perhaps it is not very surprising, given Bhutan’s unique humanitarian concept of Gross National Happiness which ensures well-being of its citizens through nurture of all norms of human rights and dignity! And when the concept itself is based on pure humanitarianism, how can the woes of the poor villagers across man-made international border also be ignored! After all at the end of day, our main identity remains with the ultimate truth of humanity, not mere “Indian” or “Bhutanese” as stamped upon non-emotional passports!
Bengal sage-poet-philosopher and the epitome of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood Lalan Fakir sang — “If only my neighbour stood by me, I would be able to stave off Death itself”! Bhutan might not be enlightened of his sayings; but on spiritual grounds, Bhutan and Lalan immersed in one soul — SOUL OF HUMANITY — in the Assam villages near the border! Let this spirit of humanitarian compassionate all-embracing call of Lalan and action of Bhutan enjoy the last laugh and save this global society from mass destruction both in terms of physical as well as moral.
KAJAL CHATTERJEE
Kolkata, India
Spread of COVID-19
The number of confirmed cases from the COVID-19 has risen to nearly 35,000 in Pakistan. Punjab is affected very badly with 8,133 confirmed cases and still increasing on a daily basis. The reason behind the fast spread of COVID-19 in Punjab is the un-seriousness of the public. They are still taking it lightly and not following the precautionary measures like washing of hands, using sanitizer, wearing masks and social distancing. The Provincial Minister for Health has declared a complete lockdown and appealed the masses to confine themselves at homes. But still, people can be seen roaming about in streets and markets and crowds can be spotted everywhere in the province despite a prohibition.
Lastly, I salute the doctors and nurses of my country. They are spending sleepless nights serving the patients and curbing the worldly pandemic putting their own lives on stake. But due to low allocation of budget on health and unavailability of medical equipment, they are disappointed. I urge the government to take serious measures to eradicate COVID-19 outbreak because the long existence of COVID-19 can badly damage our economy which is already under ebb.
NOSHEEN KHAYYAM
Rawalpindi
Zimbabwean mothers
in crisis
Mothers in Zimbabwe should be highly remembered for the pain that the circumstances in Zimbabwe have inflicted on them ranging from poverty, unequal opportunities and discrimination. It is sad and shame that the situations of Zimbabwean mothers have not changed after Mugabe was ousted from power.
Mothers in Zimbabwe suffer the most as they cannot migrate to other countries’ easily because of their responsibilities of looking after the family and children in particular. Pressure should be piled on President Mnangagwa to create a conducive environment in Zimbabwe that mothers will cherish and flourish in their motherhood roles.
TAPIWA MUSKWE
United Kingdom
Mumbai is all set to become another Wuhan
With 700 new cases of Covid-19 in Mumbai on Saturday, the city is all set to become another Wuhan in just seven to ten days time. If this continues, then after seven to ten days, Mumbai will have 2700 to 3000 cases per day and will become the most dangerous city in the world. Most people are taking this very lightly and are inviting the biggest trouble of their life.
The saddest thing is that people in Mumbai are thinking that they will die of starvation if they will not eat vegetable, meat, fish and eggs. Most of the Mumbaikars are also thinking of going out for 5-10 minutes everyday for buying essentials. This mentality will make Mumbai worse than Wuhan. If we will not understand this today, then there wont be anything left tomorrow in our hands — no humans, no money, no future will be left. Hence, it is better to take precautions at the earliest, then to suffer later on.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Prisoners’ dilemma
Fundamental rights of prisoners cannot be denied under any circumstances. Reports suggest that cases of Covid-19 are increasing like a wildfire. Iran and India like every other country are also taking drastic measures to reduce risk of pandemic and have subsequently released prisoners on a temporary basis keeping in view the pandemic. It is an open secret that prisoner population in Pakistan has overwhelmed its capacity and has to face additional challenges owing to institutional negligence and resultantly behind the bars are more prone to any ailments.
Federal and provincial governments are incarcerating significant number of prisoners on a daily basis. As a consequence, it further deteriorates already problematic situation. The authorities are urged to consider releasing prisoners who do not pose direct or imminent threat and imperil public security. The move will serve the purpose and reduce the considerable burden on courts. Such measures will hopefully yield positive results.
M SHAHJAHAN MEMON
Islamabad
