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.
Russian oil
The first shipment of discounted Russian crude oil secured under a new agreement between Islamabad and Moscow landed in Karachi, beginning a new chapter in the two nations’ cooperative commercial relations. Russia delivered the first crude oil vessel which had just arrived at the port of Omani carrying 100,000 metric tonnes of crude oil.
The government decided that smaller ships would be used to bring crude oil to Pakistan because the country’s ports are unable to handle large ships carrying liquid cargo weighing more than 50,000 tonnes. The Russian crude will first be refined by Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) in a trial run. Following refinement, PRL will provide the government with a test report on the quality, yields and marketability of the Russian crude. This crude oil agreement is seen with a complete celebration inside Pakistan as the country has badly been going through economic predicaments. It is a commendable step taken by the PDM government in an effort to cut back on their reliance on the West and strengthen their ties with Russia.
Despite hardships, Pakistan is in dire need of economic rehabilitation by any means. This Russian crude oil deal may be a first step towards self-sustainability and survival. Just to appease America, Pakistan can no longer isolate itself from world politics. Pakistan is fully aware that Western powers prefer Indian hegemony as a model of stability rather than a balance of power and resolution of the complex nature of the India-Pakistan conflict. But there is good news for Pakistan, China and Russia have very broad strategic interests in South Asia.
Over the past ten years, Pakistan and Russia have made an effort to develop a trusting relationship and a long-term strategic partnership. The Government has made an effort to cut back on their reliance on the West and strengthen their ties with Russia. It will, however, take some time for the two countries to establish a friendship that will persist despite outside influences. Worth to add that this current crude oil deal would definitely pay the way for the bilateral benefit for both sides, especially for Pakistan.
JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Bagger becoming King
The on-going struggle to retain power among the different pillars of state is affecting the daily life of people who are given a lollipop that they are the fountain of power in a democratically led fascist state.
Newspapers have printed extracts of Chairman NADRA resignation letter saying “I find it increasingly difficult to work in a charged and polarized political environment,” Tariq Mailk was appointed by Imran Khan in July 2021 and I am appalled to see that even after his name started appearing in misusing Nadra Data for defaming institutions and he was still continuing to serve as National Data organisation’s head.
In a nutshell, this reminds us of a king’s death and decision to select a new king entering the kingdoms gate first in the morning, a beggar was thus made the king who only knew to face every challenge by ordering to prepare “Halwa” sweetmeat and enjoy his own life leading to losing national sovereignty finally. A similar scenario can be seen “as the writings on the walls” PDM has disappointed the masses more than PTI having made tall claims of past experience of running the government without crutches. Political expediency and musical chairs must change before the Lull turns into a Tsunami.
ALI ASHRAF KHAN
Karachi
Growth and development
Human growth and development are critical aspects of a person’s life that encompass physical, cognitive and social-emotional changes. While physical growth is an important part of development, mental growth and development are equally significant for an individual’s success and wellbeing.
In particular, the ability to learn new skills is essential in breaking barriers to learning and succeeding in future endeavours. This article will explore the importance of mental growth and development regarding learning new skills and breaking barriers to learning future skills that are in demand, including addressing negative behaviour.
Learning new skills is crucial for personal and professional growth. As the world continues to evolve rapidly, individuals need to develop new competencies to stay relevant and competitive in the job market. However, the process of learning new skills can be challenging, and people often face various barriers that hinder their progress. These barriers can be internal or external and can include lack of motivation, lack of access to resources and negative attitudes and beliefs.
One common barrier to learning new skills is self-behaviour and social behaviour. For example, people may believe that they cannot do something, such as learning a new language, programming, or public speaking, leading to self-doubt and low self-esteem.
These negative beliefs can be a result of past experiences or societal messages which can discourage individuals from taking risks and trying new things. Also because of the initial discouragement of the society diverts us from the path of prosperity and success in the field of learning and development. We should positively react to healthy criticism and should ignore people’s hate and negative commentary or opinions.
MOHSIN IMTIAZ
Karachi
Box letter
Unemployment
In Pakistan we know that all the organizations want to hire experienced employees in that case the fresh graduates are now facing lack of opportunities at the start of their career, as per the reports over 100,000 engineers are jobless in our country. Many engineers who have just completed their degrees are now applying for the jobs in other countries, because they know that the value of their respective degrees cannot be recognized here. We see many posts on social media that a bunch of engineers have now started their career in the food chain system because they are not getting any job opportunity in their respective fields. Another issue with the engineers is that they are getting low salaries and sadly, they have to accept these salaries because every year thousands of engineers pass out and the opportunities are very less for them. In this background, now students are afraid to take the decision that choosing engineering is a good choice or a mistake. In Pakistan there is no research department for engineers, the students who are passionate about their field and want to do something; they have to create their own opportunities to achieve their goals in life.
WARISHA SAFEER
Karachi
