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.
Let Parliament function
There is a systematic campaign by section of media and powerful lobbies against parliament and its functioning in a country created through a political struggle led by politicians like Quaid-i-Azam. What we forget is, that it was majority vote cast by all federating state assemblies which legitimized their amalgamation in Pakistan on 14 August 1947.
PM Imran, like his predecessors, derives his legitimacy from NA under 1973 Constitution and so does federal budget which sustains and pays for creation of judiciary, executive, civil bureaucracy, law-enforcement, security services, foreign service, municipalities etc., and all state organs. It is Parliament where all state policies must be debated and adopted. Pakistan avoided being involved in Iraq War because of Parliament vote. Political engineering must cease.
Pakistan is perhaps the only country which was geographically carved out of existing sub-continent on the basis of democratic political struggle. When we wavered from democratic process and betrayed Quaid’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state, this country has ever since been in a perpetual crisis, from its breakup in 1971 to its becoming hostage to terrorism under Zia, to political ethnic violence under Musharraf.
There was no armed struggle but persistence and commitment of political leadership, which in words of Stanley Wolpert “Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be created with creating a nation-state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah did all three”. Yet on 7 Oct 1958, a dictator destroyed political order, abolishing existing political parties, targeting East Pakistani politicians under martial law regulations in total violation of directive of MAJ which he gave while addressing officers at Staff College Quetta in 1949. He forgot that in 1906 foundations of All India Muslim League were laid at Dhaka.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Lockdown is not a solution
Lockdown is extended on every deadline. Economic conditions of the country are very bad, businesses are closed, peoples are suffering from serious financial issues. People who earn on a daily basis and meet their financial expenditure are now hand to mouth. Govt and other alms givers are helping them, but for how long?…. A day will come nobody will be able to support needy people.
Instead of locking people inside their houses and appealing for funds, there should be proper channels through which an awareness and safety precautions should be spread because if this lockdown is extended then this can cause serious problems for poor and needy people. Instead of dying with COVID they will die of hunger. Government should spread awareness because most of the people still are unaware of actual safety precautions and the main cause of increasing in number of COVID patients is that people still not know the actual precautions.
M HAMZA EHSAN
Rawalpindi
Support mothers
It is crystal clear that mothers in most developed countries still face insurmountable obstacles in fulfilling their roles effectively. Most of the mothers in such countries face hardest problems where poverty is highly prevalent and during civil wars. Some poor countries have not yet unlocked mothers’ potential such as giving them access to land, eradicating gender imbalances and creating employment.
Some mothers carry the burden of raising their children alone when fathers abdicated their responsibilities. In such cases there should be strict laws that should enforce fathers who have income and are those employed pay maintenance. Without adequate laws and protection from the government, mothers in poor countries will continue to suffer in silence.
HANDSEN CHIKOWORE
London
Sharing is caring!
We are living in uncertain times especially with the spread of the deadly disease Coronavirus. This has had a major impact on the world, be it economies or lifestyles. With most of the businesses temporarily shut down and remaining operating from work-from-home models, it has naturally caused a lot of disruptions and resulted in loss of jobs worldwide.
These are testing times and it is pivotal that we extend our support to our fellow citizens in need. There are many ways we can help each other – distributing rations, helping in employment, providing freelancing gigs and making donations. There are many digital platforms such as Careem and Easypaisa which have introduced a donations section in their applications, making it even easier to help our fellow citizens in this time of need. Similarly, all banks are also accepting donations for the COVID affected people. I urge people to be good Samaritans and to play their part in this global fight against COVID.
NUZAIR A VIRANI
Karachi
Hollow person
21st Century is the era of technology, where numerous emerging technologies have upturned our lives such as 5G, Drones, 3D printings, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, VR, Autonomous Driving, Server less computing, and many more innovations have been launched. But, on the other hand, human beings are plunging down and down. Soon technology will surpass our human interaction and world will have a generation of idiots.
The harsh reality of today’s world, where humans are many, but humanity is rare. Minds are full of junk, still holding a degree. Mocking others to cover-up owns insecurities. Believe to be superior, with fear of failure. Elation but depends on others. Idiotic personality yet never accepts. Parents should stop their children from such activities which will only harm them. Parents should see over their child and make them learn something new from this quarantine. It is better to spend our quarantine time in developing our skills and knowledge rather wasting our time in such activities which are only a time destroying. People should learn new activities make goals which will help them in future.
SARA SALEEM
Islamabad
Looming crisis and Muslim clergy
Freedom of worship is a constitutional and human right. As the whole world is in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic because of Covid-19. Medical experts have strongly urged to take precautionary measures. In addition, most religious institutions have advised believers to pray at home realizing the gravity of the virus. As per reports, lack of observance of social distancing has led to spike in Covid-19 cases in Pakistan. Notwithstanding Fatwas from all Muslim school of thoughts, believers have reportedly thronged to mosques in violation of government rules, let alone observing social distancing. This is how this deadly virus is passed from one person to another. It reflects weaknesses on the part of government that exhibit weakness in implementing its regulations.
None has a right to flout the ban. The death toll, as per reports, in developed world is declining and rapidly rising in the third world. The matter of mosque attendance is of the utmost concern. Hence, government to take a firm decision as people can be saved from risk, if scope of lockdown is widened considering state of healthcare facilities in the country. Authorities should take all stakeholders on board to further stem the spread of outbreak in this country from getting worse. In this crucial time, clerics need to work with the state in an attempt to save life of general public. In this particular situation, every citizen is urged to cooperate with the government instead of creating problems. Enforcement of law is understandably a governance challenge but it is possible.
M SHAHJAHAN MEMON
Islamabad
