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.
Qateel Shifai
Born as Muhammad Aurangzeb on 24 December 1919, the legendary poet used the pseudonym Qateel Shifai. Qateel penned more than 25,000 songs for films and most of these songs were hit. A contemporary of Tanveer Naqvi, another super-famous song-writer, Qateel battled for the rights of poets; enhancement of their remuneration, announcement of poet’s name while playing songs on radio.
His ghazal “dard se meraa daaman bhar de yaa allaah phir chaahe diivaanaa kar de yaa allaah” sung by Lata Mangashkar earned him accolades around the world. Qateel Shifai was friend of Sahir Ludhianvi, Ibn-e-Insha and A.Hameed.
All the three had huge contribution to Urdu prose & poetry. Qateel remained a low-profile person throughout his life. In his autobiography, he admitted that he was going to marry Iqbal Bano whom he had attributed one of his poetry books, but at the eleventh hour the marriage could not be solemnized.
He earned a lot and spent a lot. Mentored number of poets who rose to fame including Riaz-ur-Rehman Saghir. Ahmed Nadeem Qasmir were also his friend and neighbour in Samanabad. Qateel supplied lifeblood to movies in the form of beautiful songs which became evergreen. A lyricist par-excellence Qateel’s name will shine in the history of poetry as a big star. He breathed his last on 11 July 2001.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
Rao Anwar
There is no secret that justice system in Pakistan is rotten to the core to such an extent that a generation of the victims’ families die seeking justice. Same is the case with the late Muhammad Khan, the father of deceased Naqeebullah Mehsud, who recently lost his battle of life while he was in the hope of seeing his son’s killer behind the bar.
State’s failure to prosecute accused Rao Anwar, who is famously known for his fake encounters in Karachi, is a big slap on incompetence of state institutions. I fail to understand why and how long such lethargy will continue to reign Pakistani institutions? If precedents likes this are not changed, then it can give birth to unimaginable crimes.
Failure to prosecute Rao Anwar is severe human rights violation and in contravention of court orders. And it is testimony to the fact that some people are certainly above the law. The PTI government is strongly urged to enforce law equally without being selective and the case be considered as a litmus test and the accused be persecuted under the law of the land. Let the law takes its course and set a precedent that all are equal in the eyes of law.
M SHAHJAHAN MEMON
Islamabad
Why do we give gifts at Christmas?
The tradition of giving gifts during Christmas has its roots that goes back as far as the Nativity story, whereupon the three wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus. The Romans had their own tradition of giving gifts during Saturnalia, which was a festival that began on the 17th of December and lasted until the 23rd.
St. Nicholas was perhaps one of the most famous gift givers in Christmas history, as he delighted children and adults alike in the surprise presents he left behind in the shoes that were left outside their homes. In the 13th century, many French nuns made and gave gifts to the needy on the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas which is celebrated on December 6th.
But it was in the 18th Century that gift-giving became a central tradition of the Christmas festivities. The gifts that were given were to remind those of the wise men’s journey and of God’s selfless gift to humanity, and to help those who were unfortunate.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Pakistan’s Youth
The youth are an asset of every nation and they play a significant role in the development in the country.
Through their dedication and contribution, youth is important to keep the nation upfront at the international level. Nevertheless, the situation is not that optimistic in Pakistan, a country where 60% of the population comprises people who are between 16-30 years of age. However, this enormous majority of total population, the country is still trailing far behind as compared to other super nations of the world.
The problem behind this dilemma is that our youth has lost their national pride and do not even think about the prosperity of this country because of huge percentage of young people do not want to live in this country. However, not all blame goes to the youth of Pakistan because they always find difficult to grow and nurture in this country as compared to others. They face lack of facilities regarding quality studies and career opportunities.
The main issue behind less productivity from the youth is because of misuse of technology. The technology and social media has badly took over our young people as they mostly want to spend their time in indecent activities and their interest is just limited to the movies, songs and video games. Parents are also spending less quality time with their children; the reason they are not only disobeying the teaching of Islam but also not following the norms and tradition of our society.
This is the fact that a country could not produce renowned scientists, engineers and political leaders if their youth is always busy in such vain activities. Pakistan will grow if the youngsters realize their responsibilities, work accordingly by leaving their vain activities behind and act for the progress of our country.
HADIA AZIZ
Islamabad
Consequences of climatic change
Through the column of your esteemed newspaper, I want to express my deep concern and anxiety on the climatic change due to various man-made reasons. Man is responsible for all the degradation of the environment. It started with the indiscriminate felling of trees.
The deforestation has led to a great harm to the environment and ecology.
Trees provide oxygen and absorb C02 from the atmosphere. The clearing of forests led to droughts and dry spells. This has resulted in global warming and sudden climatic changes.
Pollution of air, water and land is making our living quite miserable. Our seas, rivers and lakes are also polluted. They have become dumping grounds for human and industrial wastes. Glaciers are melting and so are the ice volumes of the poles. Man’s unlimited needs and limited natural resources are further aggravating the problem. Unplanned urbanization and industrialization have adversely affected the landscape and climate. Let us check the degradation of the environment and make this planet a pleasant place for human habitation.
AYESHA REHAN
Islamabad
