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.
A killer road
Gilgit-Baltistan is 16 hours far from Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Karakoram Highway (KKH) passes through highly dangerous terrains. As if this was not enough, the GB Transport has always been pathetic while constant indifference is shown by concerned authorities in ensuring a safe and sound public transport system. Numerous accidents were caused by usage of dilapidated buses with no check-and-balance on their maintenance and fitness expiry certificates.
Few days ago, a bus plunged into a ravine in Kohistan and 20 passengers lost their lives. GB, being a prominent tourism destination, entitles a furnished, upgraded and well-maintained public transport system.
Concerned authorities like NHA and Excise and Taxation Department of GB have shown apathy and lethargy in ensuring well-maintained vehicles to travel on KKH despite many past accidents. The local government has also left GB public transport on the mercy of private companies who never stop accident-prone miserable buses to drive until they face accident eventually.
This is time GB’s concerned authorities and local government ensured a safe travelling to residents of GB through proper regulations and maintenance of buses as well as a modern up-gradation of public transport. Who will wake them up from their deep slumber to take action?
ZAHID ALI Z
Gilgit-Baltistan
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a rapidly growing problem that is devastating our society. As we know that growth rate in Pakistan is rapidly increasing, people suffer from hunger and starvation.
This problem is mainly caused due to dwindling amount of food as well as resources in our country.
Hundreds of thousands of people are striving and struggling from this threat today.
Malnutrition is not only one problem as it is a root of many other problems such as stunted growth, eye problem, heart disease, diabetes, rickets in children, disability and dysfunction of different organs and damage of body parts etc. A survey estimated that 250 million pre-school children do not get enough vitamin A. Some 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin A deficient children face eye diseases every year. One in every four children under the age of 5 or 155 million children around the world are stunted.
MUZEEBA SHAHZAD
Lahore
Violence against women
Violence against women has been on the rise in Pakistan, a country of over 200 million people. It ranks sixth on list of world’s most dangerous countries for women.
According to statistics collected by White Ribbon Pakistan, an NGO working for women’s rights, 4,734 women faced sexual violence between 2004 and 2016. Over 15,000 cases of honour crimes were registered. There were more than 1,800 cases of domestic violence and over 5,500 kidnappings of women during this period.
According to media reports, more than 51,241 cases of violence against women were reported between January 2011 and June 2017. Conviction rate, meanwhile, remains low, with the accused in just 2.5% of all reported cases ending up being convicted by the courts. The Chief Justice of Pakistan has recently announced that 1,000 courts would be set up to deal with the cases of violence against women.
I request Government of Pakistan to take serious action against this monster, which is rising in Pakistan with each passing day.
HAMMAL NASEER
Balnigwar, Balochistan
Drug addiction
I’m a citizen as well as student. In my student life I saw that students face a lots of problem. In our local community people have lots of issue in daily life. People as well as students wants to get rid of this. Our generations wants shortcut to meet the expense of life.
When their shortcuts fail they go under stress. Students are bullied. They are also depressed. They all want mental peace. So they go for drugs to attain comfort. In this report, I will shed light on the issue of drugs addiction.
It is no doubt that drug addiction affects all aspects of life. In villages and modern cities, among rich and poor, employed and unemployed and as well students, it is found that use of drugs is common .It is the most common practice among boys and girls in all educational institutes. The drugs are supplied through drug mafias, which are linked with smugglers.
More than 100 areas of Lahore are hubs of drug addiction. The range of drug addicted lies between 16 to 40 years old. Their families out of frustration expel these drug addicts. They start begging. Many of them die daily. It is true that age of 16 is often childish. The students of this age don’t know what is better for them.
The consumption of drugs by upper class in the form of crystal ice, cocaine, heroine and LSD pills are increasing every year. There were many cases of addicts committing robberies to buy drugs but also attacking their parents, family members or even killing them.
During past year, 4747 cases were registered against drug dealers. The annual report 2021 of an anti-narcotics campaign that an addict spent an average Rs450 to Rs1000 per day on drugs. 460 homeless found dead. The expert lamented that health profile of about 80% of the students in the city had not bee completed.
AFSHEEN SABIR
Lahore
