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Take a Pat Cummins!
No kudos is enough for the Pat Cummins – led Australian team for winning the World Cup final by displaying impeccable character and professionalism at its best. What an extraordinary comeback despite languishing at the bottom half of the table during early stages of the tournament!
Apart from excellent piece of batting by Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne despite losing 3 wickets with the total being mere 47; the gentle behaviour, innocent smiles, humility and grace as displayed by the Aussies even after taking stupendous catches, crucial wickets or cracking flawless centuries need to act as an eye-opener for all students of the gentleman’s game.
Probably Captain Cummins deserve greatest credit for such exhibition of civility who is not only leading from front as mainline bowler, superb late order batsman (courageous batting against Afghanistan and South Africans in vulnerable stages) and shrewd leadership; but also with impeccable behaviour!
However, the attitude of Cummins is hardly surprising, given his background of a warrior with a thing named heart. With Australia winning the Ashes following the final Test in Hobart in January 2022, the cricketers were posing with the Ashes ‘urn’ in front of the camera amidst a champagne shower. As captain Cummins noticed the absence of Usman Khawaja in the frame as the latter harboured reservations about alcohol due to religious sentiments, the former instructed others to put the bottle away and invited him to join the whole team in the celebrations!
Can there be any better picture of divinity, humanity and brotherhood in these communally-vitiated times where feelings of hatred with dominant mindset have been turned into a synonym of “masculinity” and “nationalism”! Lot of thanks to Pat Cummins and the Aussies for providing nice educative entertainment which every genuine cricket lover, irrespective of national affiliation, would not hesitate to acknowledge.
KAJAL CHATTERJEE
Kolkata, India
Empowering Balochistan
Balochistan, being the largest province of Pakistan, unfortunately, lacks essential facilities such as cleanliness, educational institutions, roads, and more. Regrettably, the government has yet to address these pressing issues, causing significant hardships for Balochistan’s residents. It is indeed surprising that the largest province is deprived of basic necessities. Residents of Balochistan commonly face incredible challenges regarding fundamental facilities. The Federal Government, led by Premier Kakar, a native of the province himself, along with the provincial government and relevant authorities, should take serious action against these critical deficiencies and strive to resolve them as soon as possible.
SAMEER RIND
Lahore
Power politics
Nowadays, political activities are occurring among all political stakeholders, following the recent announcement by the ECP of the polling day on 8 February. This announcement has sparked numerous discussions among the public. In its true essence, politics is meant to be a way out for people from problems and difficulties through a democratic process. By electing our representatives without any pressure, we can secure our rights.
Unfortunately, in our country, political and democratic practices are not geared towards addressing the rights and basic needs of the public. Instead, politics has become a business for many landlords and business-class individuals. They invest large sums of money initially to secure tickets from mainstream political parties. Once in power, rather than focusing on development work and public welfare schemes, their priority is often to recoup their invested amounts. After their tenure, they return to the public, having enjoyed luxurious life.
This model of politics, which has been prevalent in our country for many years, is harmful to the common individual in society. In this context, the youth of the country should actively participate in the political system to counteract this business-oriented politics.
Regrettably, our politicians, instead of engaging with their voters to gain public support in upcoming elections, seem to be relying on undemocratic sources to gain power. As a result, innocent people agree to vote for them with the belief that they will work for the public’s benefit. Unfortunately, after elections, these expectations are shattered by our representatives in the most disappointing manner.
AFTAB SULEMAN
Tando Allahyar
Box letter
Water scarcity
I am writing to draw attention to the critical issue of water scarcity that continues to pose significant challenges to the well-being and development of Pakistan. Water scarcity has become a pressing concern, with far-reaching implications for agriculture, public health and overall economic stability in the country. Pakistan’s reliance on agriculture as a significant contributor to its economy makes the issue of water scarcity particularly crucial. Inadequate water management, coupled with the adverse impacts of climate change, has led to a rapid depletion of water resources, jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions of farmers and the food security of the nation.
MUHAMMAD WAQAS
Karachi
