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.
Restore train services
Built during the British colonial period, the province of Sindh with a special mention of the upper region has been left at the mercy of transport mafia. The main train line that runs for passengers from Kotri to Sukkur-Rohri that connects Sindh cities, towns and villages with other federating units have been deprived of all the trains such as Bola Mail Train, Khushhal Khan Khattak Express and Mohenjo-Daro passenger train.
Railway has remained a principal mode of transport for the people of Sindh, even today a vast majority of passengers aspire to travel by train, but no train in sight nowadays. The southern region in Sindh has a narrow-gauge, single track, but viable for all categories of trains – be it express or ordinary trains. What is a plausible reason to keep the train services suspended in the upper region of Sindh?
However, the Minister for Railways is requested to direct the Secretary/Chairman of Pakistan Railways to restore train services in its full strength to facilitate the people of upper region of Sindh and to meet the ends of justice.
HASHIM ABRO
Islamabad
Downsizing
Please allow me to bring to light a problem that has been brewing in this country for a long time. It is an issue that affects us all on a daily basis. It has left the common man helpless. It has taken the joy out of our lives.
I am talking about shrinkflation, the evil cousin of inflation. Shrinkflation, or commonly known as downsizing, is the art of true deception. Simply put, it is when companies downgrade the quality of the product, to cut its cost, but unbeknownst to the consumer that pays the same price for a cheaper quality product. Shrinkflation happens all time. We just don’t notice it enough because companies employ clever methods to hide fact. Almost all things can be downsized.
The most common ones are grocery products such as cereals, chips, snacks, chocolate bars, juices etc. This creates a number of problems for the consumers of the products. Firstly, they are deceived by the clever packaging that is marketed as ‘large’ only in its size, not the portion of food in it.
Secondly, the consumer, after eating this product, keeps coming back for more because the serving size wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger/craving. Thus, the consumer keeps paying more and more and the company makes a handsome amount of profit.
This breach of trust is unacceptable. In such severe times the pressure is high on both the companies and their customers, but I would like to know what justifies getting just three jellies in a pack for ten rupees? Or just four cocomos in a ten-rupees pack or a three-inch chocolate bar for twenty rupees? Can a common person no longer enjoy a chocolate bar, or any food for that matter, without having to worry about being in financial ruin?
NARMEEN FATIMA
Lahore
Academic stress
I am writing to express my concern about the increasing level of academic stress among students in Pakistan. The pressure to perform well in exams, secure good grades and get admission in prestigious universities has taken a toll on the mental health of students.
The education system in Pakistan is highly competitive and students are expected to excel in every subject from an early age. This puts a lot of pressure on them which leads to anxiety, depression and other mental health problems. According to a recent study, more than 50% of students in Pakistan suffer from anxiety and depression due to academic stress.
Furthermore, the current COVID-19 pandemic has added to the academic stress of students. With the shift to online learning, students have to deal with technological issues, lack of social interaction and difficulty in understanding course material. This has made learning even more challenging and stressful.
It is imperative that we address this issue and take steps to reduce academic stress among students. Schools and universities should focus on creating a healthy learning environment where students can learn without feeling the burden of competition. Parents should also play a supportive role in helping their children manage stress and anxiety. Additionally, mental health support services should be made available to students to help them cope with stress and anxiety.
In conclusion, we need to recognize the negative impact of academic stress on the mental health of students in Pakistan and take action to reduce it. By creating a supportive and healthy learning environment, we can help students achieve their full potential without compromising their well-being.
MARYAM KHALID
Lahore
Pak drama industry, poor script
I want to highlight the ongoing trend of poor scripts in Pakistani dramas which affects the minds of common people as it affects cultural and moral values. In the society we are living in, people learn a lot from the dramas. What our new generation will learn from these plays is that in every other play, the male character is shown as toxic and female character is shown as the oppressed one who silently tolerates it.
Why the bitter reality and truth of the society are not shown in our plays. Adnan Siddiqui (Pakistani Actor) once said in an interview that “Of course we can’t make films like India, but they can’t make dramas like ours” and I used to agree on this, but now our dramas show Indian-like stories.
I hope this letter of mine will reach someone or the writers who will think about this topic and try to improve the Pakistani drama industry and once again show similar stories in Pakistan which will provide entertainment for the people as well as something good.
FIZA SIKANDAR
Karachi
Box letter
Street crimes
Street crime is a loose term for criminal offences taking place in public places. Nowadays street crimes are commonplace in Pakistan. Usually this occurs in busy business areas and highways. Pick pocketing, mobile snatching, wallet snatching, cars and auto snatching at gunpoint, target killing, purse snatching from women are street crimes. These crimes are contributing to the destruction of our society, our cities and our streets. Nowadays every individual has its own story of mobile and wallet snatching. Most of the people have experienced street crimes one type or the other. But police take no action against these thieves and it has become a monster for the citizens. None’s life and their property is safe nowadays. The major causes are unemployment, illiteracy, poverty but there are some other factors like lawlessness, fundamentalism, backwardness and double standard prevailing in the society. Government should take tangible steps to control these street crimes. For example; sincere steps must be taken to solve the unemployment issue, provide free education to poor people and police authorities need to be more alert in safeguarding citizen’s life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to make Pakistan a peaceful country.
SAWERA IMRAN
Karachi
