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.
Issues of ANF credibility
Quaid-i-Azam while addressing officers at Staff College Quetta stated “The Defence Forces are the most vital of all Pakistan Services and correspondingly a very heavy responsibility and burden lies on your shoulders”. He told them that “executive authority flows from Head of Government of Pakistan, and any command or orders that may come to you cannot come without the sanction of the Executive Head”, whose powers are derived from the Constitution, which is supreme.
In the words of Edmund Burke: “It is the love of the people; it is their attachment to their government, from the sense of the deep stake they have in such a glorious institution, which gives you your army and your navy—“. It is unfortunate that this trust and confidence received a blow in a recent incident involving ANF and controversy that followed after allegation that an opposition politician was arrested with 15 kg of heroine. The officers of our armed forces must abstain themselves from getting involved in such assignments like ANF, given nature of the job and its sensitivity when in words of Lahore High Court “political victimization is an open secret of our country”.
It is not just ANF but also ASF which has been deeply rooted in controversies like their use of fake bomb detector Khoji, derived from banned ADE-651, whose founder James McCormick was sentenced to 10 years in jail by London High Court, after proven guilty of manufacturing and selling fake bomb detectors to countries like Iraq etc. There is also another controversy involving DHA Valley in Islamabad which advertised allotment of plots in 2008 to general public measuring 5/8 Marlas and even after all instalments were paid, yet unfortunate beneficiaries have not received the land.
M T ALI
Lahore
5G: Future of telecommunication
5G millimetre wave is the fastest, with actual speed often of a gigabit or two. Verizon’s 28 GHz network is the largest. Enhanced mobile broadband, massive internet of things and forward compatibility—the ability to flexibly support future services that are unknown today. It is expected to deliver peak data rates up to 20 Gbps.
There are several differences between 4G vs 5G. 5G is a unified platform that is more capable than 4g, 5G uses spectrum better than 4G, 5G is faster and efficient than 4G, 5G has more capacity than 4G, 5G has lower latency than 4G. The new 5G wireless devices also have 4G LTE capability. 5G can support up to a million devices per square km while 4G supports only up to 100,000 devices per square km.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority hopes 5G will be available in Pakistan by 2021. This awareness now extends to 5G, especially with the new government hinting at a possible 5G launch in Pakistan by next year. Technology should take all the necessary steps to pave the way for bringing 5G to Pakistan. 5G will also drastically change fields of healthcare and education. No doubt, it is the good technology but it has some health issue, human skin is extremely affected of 5G’s EMF radiation.
HAFSA NADEEM
Islamabad
Appointment of new CEC
The appointment of a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is proving more difficult for the PTI government than it had perhaps hoped. After all, it requires a two-thirds majority in the Lower House meaning that consultations and negotiations with the Opposition are necessary. There is a deadlock over the PTI government’s nomination, Secretary ECP Babar Yaqoob, who the PML-N maintains facilitated delivering the 2018 general election result that they feel was severely compromised.
Amid the stalemate, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal has been arrested by NAB for alleged corruption in the Narowal Sports City Project. Mr Iqbal, who has remained a vocal critic of the PTI government’s policies and performance so far, joins a long list of prominent PML-N leaders who are behind bars, awaiting trial, on the basis of allegations that are yet to be proven. The timing and disproportionate tilt of these arrests towards the opposition leaves little room to argue against the impression that NAB is being used by the government to get its way, substituting consensus building in Parliament with fear and coercion.
It seems now that the higher judiciary has taken notice of certain unnecessary incarcerations, considering how Miftah Ismail, who had been arrested in the LNG case, secured bail through the Islamabad High Court where the Chief Justice commented that there was no need to keep an accused behind bars until the crime is proved. Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda calling for Ahsan Iqbal to be hung for at least three days suggests that there is an element of personal vengeance fuelled by a sadistic mindset that exists at the very top and trickles downwards.
QAZI JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Unemployment
There are different causes of unemployment around the world. The main reasons are population growth, rapid technological change, lack of education or skills and rising costs. The consequences of unemployment are economic, social and psychological problems. Unemployment has become a major issue in our lives, our health, our economy and our community. Therefore, countries should build more businesses and factories to provide more opportunities and jobs to meet the needs of the larger population. In addition, unemployment insurance should be available until the unemployed find work to help them with their financial problems. It is also important to use vocational training in conjunction with other skills courses in order to meet the education and skills of staff to meet the needs of the labour market. Unemployment also affects a person psychologically. Numerous studies have shown that unemployment and lack of self-esteem and confidence cause depression. In addition, there are high levels of anxiety and stress, psychosomatic illness, useless self-worth and empowerment. Unemployed people have family pressures as well as societal pressures.
Government can remove unemployment by skill development. In our country unemployment is the major issue. It is due to lack of required skills. People can get employed just after their graduation if they had developed required skills for the specific job or post. Government should open such educational institutes which not only work on formal education but also on skill development.
Nimra Shakeel
Islamabad
Modi’s CAB?
The vision of Mohandas Gandhi (who was murdered by a Hindu nationalist) and Jawaharlal Nehru was to build India – secular state. But after partition; it proved (totally) fraud up-till-now (!). Since terrorist-Modi took office of PM in 2014, he is actively working to rewrite history – like Hitler – even; to exclude Muslim rulers’ names who built – Taj Mahal and Babri Mosque. On these grounds; Amnesty International was compelled to declare Modi as global-terrorist!Terrorist-Modi abruptly stripped autonomy of Kashmir; and dropped bomb of CAB on two-million-Muslims of Assam. Reportedly more than 27 people have been killed till now. This contentious law offered citizenship to religious minorities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians from neighbouring countries. Opposition parties have already indicated serious ramifications of this ‘draconian amendment’ which would erode fabric of so-called-secular-state. They fear that this would subsequently create rift and fragmentation in nation on ethno-religious basis. Even then; guardian: UN; UNSC; UNHRC; UNICJ are sitting idle! Reason? Because: CAB; Article-370-and-35A are actually against Muslims and UN is a non-Muslim representative body. Most serious is that: leadership of Ummah is dead/deaf/blind – except a-few!
Think-tanks around the globe are compelled to say – CAB is in fact acceptance of Jinnah’s two-nation theory. If, Bengali nationalism was valid, as perceived and pursued by “Shaikh Mujeeb & Co.” then, why BJP cult has abolished nationality of the Muslims of Assam and, progeny of Mujeeb is sleeping/dead now? If it continues; may Hindutva try to fly (her) flag on Dhaka? Why Indian Bengal is not ready to accept Muslim immigrants on the basis of language, culture and race? Two-nation theory, once claimed to be sunken in Bay of Bengal by Indira-Gandhi, has returned in Indian Parliament as a bitter reality so, permitted terrorist-Modi for implementation of CAB and kick on: Gandhi & Nehru’s secularism into Bay of Bengal!
M AZAM MINHAS
Tatrinote, AK