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.
Youth unemployment
Youth unemployment is a pressing issue in Pakistan. Almost every year out of hundreds of students most of them remain in search of jobs. This is a significant concern that unemployment can have negative effects on individuals, communities and economy of Pakistan.
Pakistan youth unemployment rate is increasing day by day due to number of causes but important ones are, lack of job opportunities, economic instability, corruption and inadequate infrastructure. Another reason for youth unemployment is that many companies prefer to hire experienced workers, leaving young people because of their lack of experience.
The negative effects of youth unemployment in Pakistan are that it is a financial burden on individuals and their families and also leads to poverty, which is continuously increasing in Pakistan. So government should support entrepreneurship programmes and small businesses including provision of loans, text benefits and training programmes.
ZAKIA ALI RAHAT
Lahore
Recycling
Recycling is a process that converts waste materials into new useful items. It is one of the important 5R strategies to overcome pollution. Recycling has become important considering today’s environmental consequences especially in Pakistan. These consequences include air pollution, greenhouse effect and global warming.
There are many waste materials that can be recycled. Paper including newspaper, magazines and mixed papers, glass bottles, jars, rigid plastic products and metal containers. Among all these, aluminium cans are most important product to be recycled. Materials for recycling may be delivered to household recycling centres or may be picked from roadside bins. These materials can be sorted, cleaned and reprocessed into new materials. Recycling helps to conserve energy, reduce pollution and save our environment. Recycling can reduce drastic climate changes occurring worldwide. In Pakistan, flood occurred in 2020 and 2022. It affected two third of our country badly. It destroyed buildings and agricultural lands. It also caused loss of many precious lives. Still Pakistan is at risk of flood. So in Pakistan authorities of recycling such as Pakistan Waste Management Authority and Lahore Waste Management Authority should be stimulated to do possible steps to overcome these problems.
KIRAN MALIK
Khushab, Punjab
Increase direct taxes
Pakistan is suffering from high rate of inflation around 27.6 percent, it is all because of high indirect taxes. However, there is huge difference between direct and indirect taxes, direct taxes around 38.2 per cent and indirect taxes with 62.8 per cent. Know inflation has been reached in a stage where it became unbearable for middle class. It is true that indirect taxes would be bear by anyone who consumes. Besides, middle class couldn’t get their three times food and capital class is being richer and wealthier because of our system.
A RAZZAQ
Kech, Balochistan
Heavy school bags
When school bags are too heavy, not lifted properly or carried on one shoulder it leads to straining of soft tissues in the back. Daily repetition of these activities promotes incorrect posture, damage to spine, permanent structural deformities and muscular tension throughout the body. Marham an educational forum hosted a live online event on September 18, 2017, about school bag syndrome awareness and education at their headquarters. Dr Farrukh Ali Chaudhary consultant neurologist in USA and Pakistan joined Marham to share knowledgeable insights on this neglected issue crucial to the health of growing kids. School bag syndrome refers to physical and emotional impacts kids experience because of the weight of their school bag. How can you find out whether your child is suffering from school bag syndrome or not? I urge educational authorities to save children from these heavy bags.
HAMMAL NASEER
Balnigwar, Balochistan
Turns and
U-turns
If there were one statement or narrative that could win an award for the number of about-turns and U-turns, the PTI’s ‘foreign conspiracy’ would surely be a winner. Imran Khan has now taken yet another U-turn on his ‘US conspiracy behind regime change operation’ narrative, an idea that was blindly followed by his supporters. In a recent interview with Voice of America (VOA) he said he ‘now’ believed that it wasn’t the US that asked Pakistan [to oust him] but in fact former COAS Gen Bajwa who had told the Americans that Imran was anti-US.
This may just be the most blatant change in rhetoric yet from the PTI, which had used Imran’s ‘Absolutely Not’ phrase to whip up unprecedented frenzy against alleged American plot to oust him. His previous narrative had also led to tension between the two countries besides excitement in his supporters. Naysayers can continue to point at the very glaring loopholes and about-turns in the PTI’s changing conspiracy narrative but the one thing the party has honed to perfection is the art of repeating something so often that it becomes a near absolute truth, at least for its workers. Now that the PTI Chairman has decided it is time to move on from the anti-US narrative, one may be sure that this is what his supporters will do as well. However, much of the foreign policy damage has had to be cleaned up by the present government.
QAZI JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
