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.
Babusur accident
The gory accident at Babusur that took nearly 30 lives sent shock waves down the spine. The tragedy of casualties in road accidents in Pakistan is increasing due to lack of safety measures adopted by transporters. Untrained and unqualified drivers plying on long routes without any fear or fright play havoc with the lives of innocent passengers who silently enter the Death Valley. Countless families lose their bread earners and thousands of travellers are crippled for life owing to negligence of drivers. Absence of strict laws awarding death plenty to drivers causing death to commuters is another enigma of this society.
Another factor contributing to fatal accidents is road worthiness of vehicles. Similarly, drivers are not given proper rest by transporters and fatigue leads to low efficiency and high risk of accidents. There is a dire need for formulating an appropriate transport policy encompassing all areas of transport and entailing complete code of service for drivers. There regular periodical medical check-up will ensure their health and reduce accident ratio which is indeed very high in our country. Unfortunately, there is no relief for deceased’s heirs. In the words of Faiz Ahmed Faiz Yeh khoon e khaak nasheena tha rizq e khaq hua… Nah muddai nah shahadat hisab paak hua.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
Safety measures & rescue efforts
“Safety measures are getting neglected every now and then” has again been proved with this sad tourist boat tragedy in the Godavari. People should understand that safety efforts should start with them rather than from others. Furthermore, ruling regimes and other parties like officials concerned should take extra care of such difficult situations, implementing all the possible safety methods.
Located on the peripheries of water bodies like river, canal, sea, my native areas such as Tiruchendur, Korkai in Tamil Nadu have so far come across many tragic incidents like boat tragedies and those locals, fitted to stand up to such situations have come to the rescue of tragedy victims on various occasions. Similarly, immediate help, safety measures and emergency services all will go a long way in the matter of saving the people in distress.
P SENTHIL S DURAI
Mumbai
Media tribunals
The worrying announcement by the PTI government of setting up media tribunals in a bid to taking up complaints against the media is a worrying indicator of dwindling freedom of speech and press in the country. The main principle behind having an independent media is to provide a means of checks and balances on the state; the criticism the government is facing is simply due to the media fulfilling its fundamental responsibility to the public. If the state chooses to turn this equation on its head and instead look to monitor perceived transgressions by these platforms, then who is left to ensure that the government is doing its job?
The government wants the media and members of the opposition to be held accountable, but does it believe itself to be above such concerns? Dissent is quickly becoming unacceptable in PTI’s Naya Pakistan and for a democratic government to attempt gagging the press is a direct attack on the democratic norms the ruling party claims to stand for. The government, through its accountability drive, has already locked up a significant portion of opposition behind bars. Any move to clamp down on media will make others in society, academics and civil society works primarily, also fearful that they might be next in line.
The only silver lining here is that, in the past year, the government has had a difficult time in getting any major legislation passed through parliament. At this critical time when government is agitating and criticising Modi’s Regime for curbs and control on media in Kashmir we should think at our end also. The government must remember that the people who voted for it believe in a democratic system, not a police state, and an independent press, free from fetters by the government, is a key component in the whole exercise. Every attempt by the government to repress freedom of press will be resisted by society.
QAZI JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Kech teaching hospital
District Kech is the divisional headquarters of Mekran Division and Kech Teaching Hospital is the second biggest hospital of Balochistan province which is very much crowded where people of Gwadar and Panjgur come for treatment as well and it is pertinent here to mention that District Kech, population-wise, is the second biggest district of Balochistan.
It is hurting to mention that the basics such as bandages, drips, pyodine, gauze, syringes and even oxygen gas are not available there. I was shocked to learn about this as most of these things barely cost Rs.20 and there is an acute shortage of qualified doctors, particularly lady doctors. In today’s world when specialization has become common and essential, there is not doctor in the hospital with an FCPS/MCPS or its equivalent international qualification. The doctors and supporting staff do absentees regularly and come late owing to negligence of Medical Superintendent. Recently the Additional Deputy Commissioner visited the DHQ hospital Turbat where most of the doctors were absent, the people are infected by dengue virus and ten have passed away.
Furthermore, the district Administration has failed to spray in district Kech as a reason dengue is spreading in entire district Kech and the District Hospital Turbat lacks health facilities, the patients do not treated properly and they are compelled to travel to Karachi for proper treatment and the destitute people cannot afford to go to Karachi for further treatment and it is fundamental right of the citizens to get their basic rights bestowed in constitution of Pakistan 1973.
NAWAZ ELLAHI
Turbat, Kech
Clean up PNCA
A couple of days back, I had requested through these columns the Prime Minister to order some sort of inquiry into the affairs of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). As a matter of fact cleansing of PNCA of all mess is primarily the responsibility of Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood who is also holding additional charge of the National History and Literary Heritage Division.
Accordingly, I am now requesting him to visit the PNCA headquarters and acquaint himself about what is going there and how many of its employees, both former and present, are facing a host of inquiries which are all shelved. The Minister can find out much more messy files if he visits the PNCA for purposes of cleansing the house of all dirt.
OSAMA BIN ASIM
Rawalpindi
Suicide prevention
Suicide is one of the major challenges for the world. Studies have revealed that every 40 second a person dies globally because of suicide. Additionally, around 800, 000 people lose their precious lives annually due to suicide. Another report of World Bank exposed that 1000 people in Pakistan have lost their lives in 2016 for the same reason.
It hurts me to pen down that no action towards the prevention of suicide has been adopted. 10 September is observed as World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) globally. This Day is highly valued in all other countries to spread awareness among the people for the prevention of suicide but unfortunately it has not been observed as a special day in Pakistan.
Suicide prevention deserves serious attention. The concerned authorities need to develop awareness campaign with an aim at spreading awareness among the people about suicide.
MAHIRA HAKEEM
Turbat
