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.
PSX attack
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) came under attack on 29 Jun when four heavily armed assailants lobbed grenades at its entrance and opened fire on security guards and officials. The attack was foiled when law enforcers killed all the four terrorists in just eight minutes. A police officer and three security guards were martyred in the incident. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility of the attack. BLA was not only declared as terrorist outfit by Pakistan but also several other countries including US and UK.
This was the second attack in Karachi claimed by BLA in recent times. In November 2018, BLA terrorists tried to storm the Chinese Consulate in Karachi but they were pinned down before they could enter the premises. Pakistan does not see BLA just as a local terrorist outfit but a proxy of hostile foreign agencies which, according to Islamabad, are not in favour of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India has been responsible for exploiting ethnic fault lines in Pakistan. It is worth recalling that Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian Navy officer working in Pakistan, was arrested during an intelligence operation conducted in Balochistan in March 2016 and he was apprehended after illegally crossing Baloch border from Iran.
He revealed that he was working under the directives of India’s premier spy agency, RAW, and confessed his involvement in subversive activities and terrorist attacks targeting Karachi and Balochistan. One of the reasons, experts say, tension has been building up between China and India is because of New Delhi’s opposition to CPEC. India claims the CPEC passes through its territory, a claim strongly rejected by Pakistan. Pakistan has repeatedly warned that India could carry out “false flag” operation to divert attention from Kashmir as well as its current tension with China.
AFIA AMBREEN
Rawalpindi
Changing “thana” culture
Unfortunately, our “ thanas” (police stations) have become so dreadful that no educated person or otherwise any sensible person dares to go over there for the registration of his/her even genuine First Information Report(FIR) against an accused. It is so because at these police stations, a Station House Officer (SHO) and other staff, in most of the cases, not only don’t register complaints but also humiliate and degrade the complainants if they keep on requesting them frequently for the same. Even if an FIR is registered, the complainant is compelled to give a huge bribe for the same.
So, in order to make our police stations friendly, there is a need to change our “thana” culture whereby an SHO and staff give respect to all the visiting complainants by listening to their complaints properly and registering the same in the form of an FIR, for further necessary action. Until and unless our “thanas” would be complainant-friendly, it would be very hard to believe that the SHO and his staff would treat a complainant in a nicer manner. And, a complainant-friendly environment can be created in police stations only when SHO and his staff is posted purely on merit instead of any “sifarish” (recommendation), especially of a local influential politician in the form of an MPA, MNA or a minister.
Politically appointed SHOs, however, serve the interests of their political masters besides serving their interests in the shape of taking bribes both from the complainants and the accused. Here, the role of a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of a district becomes paramount as to how he/she deals and tackles such SHOs by holding them accountable and by giving them the due punishment.
ABDUL SAMAD SAMO
Karachi
Laptop scheme
Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had launched ‘PM Laptop Scheme in 2013’ with a view to promoting students’ academic level. It was the part of Prime Minister’s Youth Program. Thus, it immensely supported students in learning during their academic career. Under this initiative, during the year 2013-14, 7,176 students from all over the country received a laptop with Internet access for one year under the phase-1 of the scheme. Though it was great initiative, yet current government of Pakistan put it on hold.
This is technological era in which one’s most of the needs are met by E-system. Similarly, for being advanced in technology, it is government’s responsibility to support students with such aforesaid schemes, so that students would make their progress in technology along with academic education. Similarly, putting technology in the hands of more students could also reduce the need to build and maintain expensive computer labs on campus. No student can thrive in today’s connected world, global village, without technology like laptop. Technology is a tool for success and inclusion in the digital world.
It was Ex-PM’s vision to support students in technology which could have positive impact on the development of Pakistan. But unfortunately, it was deferred by current government. In this time of Covid-19, where all educational institutions are closed and Online classes are held. To resume the laptop scheme could highly support students who are having issues for Online classes. Likewise, for advanced and digital Pakistan, the present coalition government led by Imran Khan should resume Laptop Scheme so that it could lead greater academic success among low-income students and make Pakistan digital.
IMTIAZ ESSA HALEPOTO
Jamshoro
Nepotism a curse
Nepotism is destroying the nations, not only because of providing opportunities to unworthy people but also badly violating the rights of the thousands of talented, competent and skilled people. If one talks about Pakistan, it is full of such examples where members of the same family are working in the same place. It is commonly practised in the various companies, politics, cricket, entertainment, even in educational institutes.
While Pakistan is considered as a free country that came into being in the name of the ideology of Islam and named the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. But unfortunately, people in Pakistan are not given equal rights. Though nepotism is strictly prohibited in Islam. Quran says: ‘’O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, and relatives, or whether it is against the rich or the poor’’. Since the independence of Pakistan, people have always been a victim of that favouritism and nepotism.
Where relatives of a powerful figure ascend to similar power. Moreover, Politics had been used for personal interest rather than the country’s benefit and development. Everyone talks about equality and welfare of the public and come up with the slogan of justice but they don’t keep their promises. It looks nepotism is a natural process everyone will avail if given the chance. Unfortunately, even educational institutes are not free of this fatal disease of nepotism and favouritism. Education is considered as the only source of progress and development of any country.
FAHEEL TAHIR
Islamabad
Price hike
While admitting that prices of essential items are increasing, the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) has held the provincial governments responsible for the prevailing price hike and asked them to accept responsibility for it. The Food Departments in Sindh and Punjab have failed to ensure smooth supply of essential commodities, like wheat and flour. Flour mills in Sindh have been complaining that commodity traders are hoarding wheat to manipulate the prices.
To make matters even worse, the Sindh Food Department did not procure wheat this year on the pretext that government warehouses were full with last year’s storage. This resulted in an exponential increase in the price of a 100 kg bag of wheat in November. Sindh’s wheat crop comes early in the market. But this year, due to food department’s failure to procure the commodity traders found an opportunity to make windfall profits. They purchased the crop cheap from Sindh’s growers and sold it in Punjab’s markets at higher rates.
The raise in wheat procurement price has thus not benefitted the growers. Only some traders have minted money. Experts say such price hikes are the result of mafia’s control on supply of essential food items like sugar, wheat flour, and milk. District Administrations responsible for price control have miserably failed to control prices. To make the things worse, govt, other day, also increased price of petrol, thus compounding the woes of the already grinding common man. We fail to understand whether the government(s) is/are for us or for!
IQRA AFZAL
Islamabad
