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.
Pak nuclear programme is impregnable
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif couldn’t be more forthright in venting his views on the vital issue of the country’s impregnable nuclear programme.
That the detractors of Pakistan’s nuclear program are hell bent on pressurising Pakistan to abandon its nuclear missiles programme, is truly a matter of grave concern. The nation has the right to know who are those, who are persistently denigrating Pakistan’s inviolable nuclear program, and blatantly demanding it’s abandonment?
The powers that be should appreciate that Pakistan has no hegemonic ambitions like its neighbour India. The basic objective of Pakistan’s nuclear program is deterrence. This objective remains the guiding principle of its nuclear program.
The world must stand cautioned, the Pakistani nation will stand like a rock against all odds to safeguard the country’s peaceful nuclear program. It must clearly understand, Pakistan’s National security is indivisible. Under non circumstances shall Pakistan allow a compromise on its nuclear programme.
FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad
Inflation and Ramazan
As the blessed month of Ramadan approaches in Pakistan, the devil knows where his abode will be. While Muslims all over the world enjoy the benefits of this holy month with discounts on various products, it is the complete opposite in Pakistan where merchants and vendors in turn will be taking full advantage of the citizens. Suffering from inflation already, the essential items needed for Ramadan are being sold double the amount according to the moods of the sellers.
There is no relief in sight as the prices of vegetables and fruits, a basic commodity in this special month, are sky rocketing every passing day. As the Muslims worldwide joyously look forward to this blessed month, it becomes a burden for those who cannot afford one-time meal in this country. Inflation or not, discounts on products have never been in sight in Pakistan during the month of Ramadan.
IFRAH SHAHBAZ
Islamabad
Environmental degradation
Lahore in Pakistan has jumped more than 10 places to become the city with the worst air in the world in 2022. According to an annual global survey, Lahore’s air quality worsened to 97.4 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic metre from 86.5 in 2021, making it the most polluted city globally.
Fossil fuel consumption, trade openness and population growth rate are the leading factors affecting environmental quality in Pakistan. And the findings suggest that fossil fuel consumption and population growth significantly increase the ecological footprint and degrade the environment.
An estimated 12.6 million people died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment in 2012 – nearly 1 in 4 of total global deaths, according to new estimates from World Health Organization. About 200 deaths per 100 000 population are attributable to environmental factors in Pakistan. Environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change and ultraviolet radiation contribute to more than 100 diseases.
As citizens of Pakistan, it is our duty to keep our environment clean, by controlling the increasing pollution level through various factors and also control the proportion of our growing population. Thousands of NGOs and welfare organizations are working hard to keep Pakistan’s environment clean and reduce the increasing number of diseases caused by pollution in Pakistan.
The Government of Pakistan should also work on it by starting Clean Green Champion Program, Billion Tree Tsunami and National Conservation Strategy. It would save Pakistan from environmental factors which take life of thousands of people every year.
AMNA KALEEM
Mian Channu
Acrimonious speeches, statements
This tit for tat allegations and acrimonious press briefings and statements only poisons an already volatile situation, where laws and writ of state have become hostage to egoistic individuals, who consider themselves above law. Restraint should be exercised by all political parties.
Theodore Roosevelt stated “No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it”. Hazrat Ali Rahmatullah, stated that a system of disbelief (kufr) can work, but a nation without justice cannot survive. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, laws seem to bend to appease individuals, the Constitution suspended, and the very basis for its creation, based on Jinnah’s vision of self-rule in a modern democratic welfare state mutilated so often that it has almost become a norm and accepted as such.
Although the superior judiciary alone has sole jurisdiction of interpreting the Constitution, without distorting its basic structure and spirit, individual politicians, their spokespersons, and paid elite have assumed unto themselves power to misinterpret the Constitution. Even political parties maintain private militias armed with batons, catapults etc., and justify this. Blinded by their game of thrones, the Constitution is misinterpreted to suit political agendas and appease party leaders whilst the judiciary has chosen to look the other way.
Pakistan may perhaps be the sole country in recent times where this power to interpret the Constitution was given by SCP to a usurper and dictator, who having pledged on oath to uphold and protect it, distorted it. Today we as a nation face economic bankruptcy, yet the political stability which can be ensured if we all submit to the Constitution, seems to be the least of priority.
There is no rocket science to understand that a non-bailable warrant of arrest requires the individual concerned to surrender to law enforcement, without any pre-conditions. This mockery of justice has been indulged in the past also, but never so violently as has been witnessed in Lahore recently.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
