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.
Shuffling team
The abrupt change of ministers and advisors is very disturbing for everybody. Undoubtedly, the Prime Minister has not yet settled with his team and the team too is also all at sea to handle the present emergent situation. The captain should have a definite game plan to proceed. Alternatively, only mess is created on the playground. It has been irony of fate for Imran Khan that no one could cross the bar raised by PM, the element of governance experience missing in his team has done collateral damage to the government and public as scam after scam surfaced exposing the weak grip of government on national affairs.
The recent wheat and sugar crises have broken the back of majority of masses; mostly living around the poverty line. In such dire circumstances sacrificing the pawns is the only option for PM in the hope of getting good results from new duo. Long-term planning is not seen in the present set-up and only make-shift arrangements are made; a very precarious situation for the country. Opposition should have extended a helping hand to government and a unified approach to combat the pandemic would have bore some fruit. Alas! It is not so.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
New media team
Premier Imran Khan has got a new media team in Senator Shibli Faraz as the Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister and Lt Gen ® Asim Saleem Bajwa as SAPM on Information and Broadcasting in an honorary capacity. This apparently seems to be a good move in the right direction after the PM had tried Fawwad Chaudhry as the Federal Minister and Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as SAPM and both of them had somehow failed to come up to his expectations.
While welcoming the new media team sincerely, it is hoped and wished that both of them will try in their respective capacities to improve the federal government and the prime minister’s relations with print and electronic media ensuring healthy balance. The print media has its own importance and impact and it has somehow been ignored and the electronic media given more than its due importance which has not produced good results. Lately, it was noticed that TV Channels anchorpersons and analysts were seen at the PM’s talk with the media and not senior newspapers journalists.
The new team should ensure that the PM develops personal friendly relations, though he knows many of them already, with the newspapers editors and senior journalists and this will certainly do a lot of good in promoting the PM and his government image in the minds of the people at large more lasting and durable manner than the electronic media. The new media team should also try to avail the services of freelance journalists and columnists in projecting government and PM’s image and point of view on policies and measures and also tell half a dozen media advisors to ensure what they speak out in one or other TV talk show or programme is also essentially fed to print media for the information of people at larger and lasting manner.
M Z RIFAT
Lahore
Honour of Police somewhat revived
With this havoc of the Covid-19 outbreak, where the whole world is facing a lot of health and financial issues, Pakistan is also suffering largely. In this time of lockdown, we are restricted to our homes for the sake of our own well-being. But there are some of us for whom staying at home is more likely a punishment. They often neglect all the precautionary measures to escape this temporary lockdown.
To tackle the silliness of such people, police is handling the situation at the cost of their lives. In many areas where Rangers are not functioning, Police is serving the purpose. In the past, Police was not given due respect because of the overall impression that had been associated with this department, but I think this time Police should be equally appreciated with other healthcare heroes. One cannot deny that the way Police is acting responsibly and skilfully will surely elevate the status of Police in the eyes of a common man.
SHAHBAZ HAYAT
Rawalpindi
West’s double standard
Look at the way how the Western world adopts double standards when it really comes to the question of talking and protecting human rights across the world? On the one hand, the whole Western world proudly professes and preaches upholding the human rights wherever they are violated; and on the other hand it maintains silence over the human rights violations that the Indian Army has been committing for the last seven decades in the India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) against the innocent Kashmiri Muslims.
This completely shows that the Western world does not care for the violation of human rights in those countries with whom it has strong economic interests/ties. Actually, the Western world does not want to lose the 1.2 billion people India market by criticising the human rights violations in the IoK by India. Hence, economic interests of the Western world take precedence over moral values against India on its gross human rights violations in the valley. Let’s see when and how conscience of the Western world is awakened?
ABDUL SAMAD SAMO
Via email
Virtue through online education
Due to Coronavirus with all reservations, students are compelled to study online through different study platforms. Teachers are trying their best to deliver lectures in the best possible way. But there are a number of hurdles including non-availability of internet in far flung areas creating discomfort for students as well as teachers. Educational institutions are providing the alternatives in the form of recorded lectures. Teachers are asked to formulate the grading criteria which will focus on the projects, presentations and tasks assigned to the students. To replace the final-term exams most of the universities are going for the open book quizzes which are in reality of no use.
Students are getting comparatively more burdensome than they were in normal routine. In this critical situation, when we need to help others in their survival by providing them with eatables and other necessities, our youth is not being able to cope with the pressure of online assessments. Teachers, especially those who teach subjects related to ethics and morality, should think out of-the-box and should grading criteria with social welfare tasks. They should assign students a task to look for the needy people in their surroundings and to be a helping hand for them.
Students should be asked to prepare a report about their services to the humanity and then they should be evaluated on strength of their individual reports. This will not only encourage students to do small acts of virtue but they will also be pleased by this kind of activity that is not directly related to their course. This will associate virtuous deeds with educational purposes which is the best in this testing time.
SYED TOUSEEF SABIR
Islamabad
Modi cares fund
India’s PM Shri Narendra Modi has collected more than Rs 20 thousand crore rupees in his Modi Cares Fund through donations from people of India as of date for the cure of Coronavirus victims.
But not a single rupee of it has been spent in curing the people affected by virus, that is why the disease is spreading at a rapid pace in country with so many deaths taking place every day. He is saving money to build statues and temples and to buy MLAs in order to make India a total Hindu nation.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
