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.
Doha deal
Attacks by Taliban that took place recently in the aftermath of Doha deal followed by US air strikes seems would jeopardise long-sought peace, which was dreamt following Doha deal. The respite in attacks before Doha deal between Taliban and US was welcomed in Afghanistan as well as in the region. What made Taliban insurgents furious was statement of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, that Taliban must not expect Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners — a crucial Taliban demand for talks with US and which the US accepted
The Afghan government must realise that peace in Afghanistan could not be achieved until and unless Taliban are not pacified and brought to table. The future of Afghanistan is bright but Afghan government must work diligently keeping in view long-term goals for peace in Afghanistan. The US will not be here forever so it would be regional countries and Afghans who would inevitably suffer if peace were not given any chance and place in Afghanistan. All regional countries, Afghan government and Taliban must work together for better future of Afghanistan.
MUHAMMAD WAQAS KHAN
Dera Ismail Khan
Women in poor countries
As we celebrate social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women in general, it is also important to talk of women’s equality particularly in developing countries. The systems and structures that nurture and promote gender inequalities in poor countries should be vigorously exposed, challenged and changed. Women in poor countries should be empowered to participate effectively in sports.
Workplaces should be inclusive for women to thrive and mechanism to support women to earn on their own terms should be implemented. We should all be united and challenge gender norms, empower women, celebrate diversity, break stereotypes and take action to make positive differences to women in poor countries.
HANDSEN CHIKOWORE
London
Organ trade
According to reports, FIA arrested an illegal organ trade gang from Lahore. Unfortunately, educated people like doctors are involved in this trade fuelled by greed. Kidnapping individuals and then forcefully removing their kidneys, other organs and selling them is a crime. Moreover, greatest misfortune, concerned departments are not fulfilling their duties properly, which is the reason why people are still involved in this cruel act.
Individuals who are victimised by this brutal act are seeking justice. Organ trafficking should be considered as an unforgivable crime. Moreover, government should establish laws that can help people who suffer by this cruel act and also provide help to protect them. Only this way we can eradicate this sinful crime.
HADIA AZIZ
Islamabad
Online classes
Recently government has announced 10-day closure of all educational institutions due to Corona virus, which is a worrying situation for students as board exams are just around the corner. Whatever happens in the country educational institutions are shutdown? As they are done for the safety of students but there should be an alternative to tackle problems like this. Online classes, is an alternative which can be helpful during these phases. It is time when students need their teachers the most and teachers can deliver their lectures through online conferences and virtual classrooms.
Students can take classes from home with comfort, which will be time saving. This can help many students and teachers at various phases. Educational institutions should carry out online classes, which can be helpful for students
JAFRI ABBAS
Karachi
An opportunity to earn
Have you ever wondered why famous YouTube personalities treat their channels as a full-time job? It’s because they earn handsome amount of money from their YouTube Channels. Many Pakistani social media celebrities and even common people put their videos online on YouTube because it has turned into an earning hub and people are taking it as a career. These YouTubers make money when people watch their videos.
This serves as a nice revenue stream for them. YouTube provides opportunity for content producers to make money and to do that all you have to do is appeal to the viewers. Make videos that may perform better. Content creators make videos that are interesting and engaging. YouTube has also become an important news platform for both individuals and news organizations. The website has also facilitated engagement between institutions and students. The producers of content on Youtube are used to advertise brand deals often. Now individuals have partnered with advertisers and have grown their own audiences, so it a great opportunity to earn livelihoods directly from posting content.
MARYAM NOOR
Wah Cant
Mahatma Gandhi dies again
The Indian Citizenship law has been challenged in the streets as discriminating against Muslims by allowing immigrants of every major South Asian religion but Islam to seek asylum in the country. In defence of secularism, millions have waved copies of the Indian Constitution, raised posters of Mahatma Gandhi, and held up other symbols of country’s successful struggle against colonial oppression. RSS and likeminded groups have longed for a Hindu nation since India’s independence and critics say that the current ruling party works toward that goal.
After its landslide re-election in 2019, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crushed the rights of Kashmir — the Muslim-majority region isolated since the abrogation of its autonomy last August — and championed a court order allowing a Hindu temple to be built on the site of a centuries-old mosque that was demolished in 1992 by a mob reportedly led by RSS-BJP and their associates. A civil rights advocate and founder of the first mass struggle by peaceful means in the world’s history, Gandhi was also a strong supporter of global religious pluralism. He rejected the partition of the subcontinent led by the ambition of Indian Muslims eager to create their own nation: Pakistan. “What’s there to celebrate?
This vivisection of the Mother,” he wrote as India proclaimed its independence. But his opposition to the notion of statehood on the grounds of faith also gained him the animosity of Hindu nationalists. “Modi invokes everything about Gandhi except Hindu-Muslim harmony, and this was the most crucial element of his work,” says renowned Indian historian Ramachandra Guha, who published a biography of Gandhi, and was arrested at a protest against the citizenship law.
ENGR OMAR SHAHKAR
Islamabad
