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.
Open letter to Prime Minister
Professionals, artistes and others associated with Radio Pakistan are thankful to you for paying a visit to Peshawar on 25 May after miscreants burnt the historic building of the state broadcaster to ashes along with invaluable archives. Your anguish over this irreparable loss and remarks, “nations protect their identity with their lives so that the coming generations can benefit from it. But here the archives were burned down”, were widely appreciated.
You announced two months salaries for Radio Pakistan employees, when your attention was drawn to their financial miseries. Since no pensioner was present at the ceremony, your attention could not be drawn to their plight due to non-payment of pensions for the past two months and commutation for over past three years.
When the elderly and ailing pensioners got news of the release of funds by Ministry of Finance, scores of them reached PBC Headquarters and requested the management to pay their pension as well, because they were equally, rather more equally, deserve payment.
However, the PBC management told them that Prime Minister announced payment of only salaries, therefore, pensions cannot be paid. It is an irony that pensioners of Radio Pakistan have been discriminated against in payment of salaries and pensions (two sides of the same coin), perhaps for the first time in its 75 year history.
The pensioners, many of them on wheel-chairs, have been protesting in different cities ever since. The role of these senior citizens has been tremendous in making Radio Pakistan a prestigious organization, building the narrative of the state, forging harmony and unity at national level and countering hostile propaganda. These pensioners request you to intervene and order payment of pension and commutation to them as you did in case of the payment of salaries.
—Pensioners of Radio Pakistan
Hate speeches on social media
Hate speech has now become an integral part of social media and all voices raised against it are usually ignored. Now the Islamabad police have decided to launch a ‘crackdown’ on social media accounts guilty of spreading religious, linguistic and sectarian hate and propaganda through its Violent Extremism Prevention Unit (VEPU). So far, the authorities have identified at least 203 accounts and asked the cyber crime wing of the FIA to block them; 106 accounts have been blocked.
This sounds good enough, given the fact that Pakistan has already seen the dire consequences of the unbridled spread of hate speech on social media. However, authorities need to be extra careful with this approach. The law should not be used capriciously to silence voices it disagreed with and leave alone those it favoured or wanted to appease. This is why the VEPU personnel should be trained enough to distinguish between dissenting views and hate speech to avoid the misuse of the existing laws.
Those who intentionally provoke people to carry out activities that harm people must face justice. During the last few years our deeply-polarized society, access to hateful content created a detestable division in public. The undivided attention of law-enforcement agencies is a crack down on hate speeches on political or religious issues.
Though independence of writing and speech is guaranteed in our Constitution but not at the cost of division of society. It also requires for the state to accept that dissent is part of a democratic system, but hate speech and cyber crimes are not. The only way to ensure rule of law is by clamping down on hate speech and cyber crime but at the same time giving full-throated support to the rights of the people to openly express their views without fear of reprisal.
MUNAWAR SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Need for another CoD
Nowadays the conundrum in the political sphere of Pakistan is a hard issue. It has been in the limelight not only on a national platform but on an international level too. It has had a devastating impact on Pakistani‘s reputation. The country has become a laughing stock in neighbouring country’s media. It perturbs not only its citizens but also the close friends of Pakistan. Another dilemma is that no effort has been made by political leadership regarding the matter.
The burning question is what led to these circumstances? The simple answer is ‘undemocratic attitude’. Whether it is the ruling coalition or the opposition party, both of them lingered words unconstitutional means. The megalomaniac demeanour, revengeful aptitude and the urge to solidify the rule by ruling parties leads toward fascist authoritarianism. On the other hand, opposition leader’s reluctance to attend parliament session, abiding by the law of the land and showing leniency towards political dialogue is hurling democracy further in the dark pit. The politics has taken the shape of animosity.
Democracy is all about freedom, coalition, equality, social justice and cohabitation. The opposition is the jewel of parliament and pillar of democracy. The curbing of opposition by force, illicit methods and the use of institutions has been entrenched in Pakistan. However, these undemocratic steps opened the gates for undemocratic forces to jump on the stage. The military coups were the result of inefficient political leadership to solve the matters in parliament. It strengthened the establishment and debilitated the roots of democracy. However, there is still hope to save the flickering lamp of democracy.
GHULAM FAREED WATTOO
Lahore
Box letter
Lack of libraries
Libraries play a crucial role in any community by providing access to knowledge, fostering love for reading and learning as well as promoting a culture of intellectual curiosity. Unfortunately, this fundamental resource is severely lacking in Lahore. It is not uncommon for many educational institutions in Lahore to not have a library at all, leaving students without access to essential resources to help in their studies. Furthermore, the few public libraries that do exist are often under-resourced, under-staffed and lack proper maintenance. The absence of libraries in Lahore is a significant concern, particularly for students, who are often unable to afford expensive textbooks or have access to online resources. Libraries can provide a cost-effective solution to this problem and give students the chance to broaden their knowledge and perspectives. I urge the government and relevant authorities to prioritize the establishment and maintenance of public libraries in Lahore. It is essential that we invest in the education and intellectual development of our citizens and provide them with the resources they need to succeed.
KHANSHA NAVEED
Lahore, Pakistan
