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.
Power of sugar barons There has been no relief for the unfortunate public, other than pep talk, who continue to purchase sugar for over Rs95/ kg. However, rhetoric of allegations and counterallegations, formation of commissions and investigations by JIT or FIA has yielded nothing for the public, other than becoming a topic for talk shows. What purpose do various state institutions, funded by taxpayers, serve if they cannot regulate provision of basic food items produced within the country, at an affordable price? The sugar cartel, united by their greed for profits, continues to “make hay while the Sun shines” because they are invincible, enjoying support from across the political divide, including paid civil and uniformed bureaucracy of this {unfortunate} country. Whether it be Omni Group, Khusro Bakhtyar family, Shareef clan, JKT, Chaudhries of Gujrat, Mian Azhar, or four units owned by most powerful foundation enjoying tax rebates etc., they all are beneficiaries of what Quaid-iAzam on 11th August termed as curse of hoarding and black-marketing which we inherited from British India. MAJ termed bribery and corruption as poison, while in his opinion “black-marketing is another curse” and he termed it as “greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes”. In his opinion, those involved in blackmarketing and hoarding “ought to be very severely punished, because they undermine the entire system of control and regulation of foodstuffs and essential commodities and cause wholesale starvation and even death”.MALIK TARIQ
Lahore No book reading
Books are the main source of knowledge and inspiration. They always provide us authentic information about the world. Books are the friends of men/women in isolation. One who reads the books daily is always an enlightened person. But, unfortunately, in today’s busy world, people are least interested in reading books. Whenever they need to read anything, they just prefer reading on mobiles, laptops and on tablets. Initially, this habit was followed by the young generation but now even older people do not read books just because of mobile addiction. Screen reading, among people, is increasing day by day as compared to the book reading. Digital reading has many side effects and especially the people’s eyes. People lose their eyesight due to excessive screen addiction. There are hardly a few people who still have this great hobby of reading books Today’s youth has lost the habit of reading books. Their major interest of getting information is via mobile or laptop. Therefore, our youth is backward as compared to the youth of other countries of the world. Recently, the best initiative of street library was introduced in Hyderabad city of Pakistan to enhance the level of reading among people. There should be more book reading in order to understand world affairs. The more you read, the more are the chances of success in life. SHAHZAD PANHWAR Sukkur.
Public peeping
It goes beyond any shadow of doubt; women in the patriarchal society of Pakistan bear untold miseries from their birth to farewell. They are subjected to various threats including domestic violence, sexual harassment, public molesting/peeping etc. Of all these ill practices which prevail in our society, public peeping is common and rarely discussed. Public peeping is psychological harassment which disturbs peace of mind in no time. If a woman happens to walk on the road or street, she will surely experience the dirty eyes of many males around. Constantly gazing at them makes them feel uncomfortable among the same species. Owing to such heinous practice women consider themselves alien to earth and a fickle creature. According to a Hadith, “Low your gaze if a woman passes by “,yet it falls on deaf ears. Many women even have left their careers just because of male’s behaviour outside the educational institutions Women are the gems of our society; they must be empowered to pursue their dreams without considering them sub-humans. FAROOQUE PANHWAR Sukkur
No justice for actor Sushant Singh Rajput
Not only women, but even men are not safe in Mumbai with Uddhav Thackeray as the CM. Both Uddhav Thackeray and the Mumbai police are a shame to India who are shielding the killers of actor Sushant Singh Rajput who died a mysterious death on June 14 this year. JUBEL D’CRUZ Mumbai, India
Public property
It was only the other day when a friend came to university unusually quiet. On inquiring, she told me that she had been out walking with her mother the other night when two men, on a bike, swooshed past her deliberately touching her behind. The experience, she revealed, had left her extremely surprised and disgusted. I realized how often such mishappenings occur with the women of our society, despite the fact that they are mostly modestly dressed. How often do we hear men instructing women to dress properly and talk slowly in the presence of men? Why is it that they consider women to be their properties which can be treated in just about any way they pleased? As disconcerting as this episode with my friend may be, I am choosing this moment to speak for all the females like her who often take it upon themselves that they tempted the person into touching them. It is high time men learn to respect women altogether and not just the ones who are their family. Awareness programs should be launched by the authorities to make them realize how wrong it is to disrespect a woman in such a way as that and that the women are certainly not public property to be touched whenever wanted. USMAN MIR Karachi
Humanity comes first
19th August is recognized as World Humanitarian Day, it’s not just an occasional day to solemnize. It’s a day that says Humanity is meaningful than any other thing. Humanity makes us spiritual and shows that human nature is to think wisely. This is the day which features humanitarian work worldwide. It is dedicated to the people who have served humans. Basically, this day culminates the UN General Assembly’s bombing incident in which 22 UN staff members were killed. Humanitarian Day’s slogan is in solidarity with those countless people who are being slaughtered in the national, local, political and interior wars. Moreover, it also features that every human being is equal, he has the right to live freely, but unfortunately in our surroundings women, transgender, children are also agonizing for their rights. On the other side, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Kashmir and Yemen are bleeding. Their living conditions are unable to interpret, it’s grievous. As human beings, we all have a responsibility to raise awareness that what is the actual meaning of humanity. We must elevate our voices that innocent people are not for the target. Their nationality, ethnicity, or gender doesn’t emphasize who they are, they are human beings and they deserve a peaceful life. In this lane, millions of people are slaying. The extreme massacre and the violation of human rights ask for justice and a suitable life that is free from harm. But the question is that how much time will be taken more for the universal humanity and sheltered life for the faultless enduring transgression of human rights? AYESHA FARHAN Karachi
