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.
Kashmir dilemma
Kashmir, the land of the beautiful scenery, has been under siege of Indian military forces since 1947. Pakistan and India fought three wars on Kashmir but all of them bore no fruit. There have been a series skirmishes between two nuclear countries up till now.
When Pakistan became an independent state in 1947, the fate of Kashmir remained unsettled. The last ruler of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, initially wanted to join Pakistan but due to certain reasons, Hari Singh signed the agreement with India. Since then Pakistan and India both claim the territory as their territory.
There were many resolutions of the United Nations but India did not honour them. Last year on 5 August, India revoked Articles 370 and 35-A making Kashmir as her own territory and started torturing the people of Kashmir brutally. There has been the serious lockdown and curfew in Kashmir and the international community has not been able to convince India to lift restrictions.
Pakistan continuously is showing the support for Kashmir, even, PM of Pakistan calls himself as the ambassador of Kashmiris. Moreover, Pakistan introduced her new political map on 5 August 2020, the day when India revoked the two Articles mentioned above in 2019.
Kashmiris expect more from Pakistan. For 73 long years, Kashmir dispute is unresolved, when it will be solved no one knows but Allah. But so far, Kashmiris are burning in fire and there is none who can rescue them. They are waiting for the miracle to happen otherwise, this deep rooted dispute will further submerge the people’s hopes.
SHAHZAD PANHWAR
Sukkur
Anti-Covid plan for Muharram
NCOC on Monday discussed a detailed plan of action for management of the holy month and compliance of SOP’s to contain the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. While emphasising the use of face masks and maintaining social distancing Minister Asad Umar directed the stake-holders, especially the provincial chief secretaries to take all the necessary measures including action over violations of SOPs in order to contain the spread of pandemic.
The special assistant to prime minister on health Dr Faisal Sultan said that our country was reporting a steady decline in covid-19 cases for the past few weeks but warned that the cases might go up if negligence was shown towards preventive measures. The slightest carelessness can lead to the re-emergence of pandemic, he said. “We should not undermine the use of masks and implementation of safety precautions to avoid the second wave” he stressed. “It is up to us to increase or decrease the number of cases in Pakistan”.
Remembering these statements we all should follow SOPs more strictly in the upcoming holy month of Muharram; only in this way we can combat Covid-19.
KANWAL ALI
Karachi
Deprived women
With the passage of time, Pakistani society has become lethal to women. They have been trapped in the web of dependency and subordination due to their low social, economic and political status in the society. Most women suffer from discrimination, whether it relates to inheritance, participation in the government functionaries marrying at their own choice or making decisions about their future.
The liberty of women is curtailed and this curtailment often causes intergenerational harm. Pakistani women have been deprived of their fundamental rights which are recognized in many international instruments such as articles 4, 9 and 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Articles 8, 9, 11 and 12 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as well as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
There is a need for more female participation in decision-making bodies that introduce structural changes so that they can be a part of these institutions in order to bring about a substantial change. Moreover being a signatory to all these conventions implies that Pakistan should abide by the aforementioned conventions and survey citizens to determine the need for a legal and institutional framework to deal with the issue of deprivation and ensure a peaceful environment for the women of the society.
NISHA PERVEEN
Karachi
Award for terrorist-Modi!
What is going on around the globe on Muslims and (especially) in Kashmir/Palestine, the world knows well – 03-70 yr women raped; killed; maimed and what not. They are crying for a Salauddin Ayubi.
Though OIC was established to defend Ummah in case of aggression, yet not succeeded. On these grounds; Foreign Minister of Pakistan was (certainly right) to refuse to attend last year OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. Because terrorist-Indian FM was invited as chief guest in opening session to deliver keynote address – was it not illogical. So, Pakistani FM rightly said “India wanted to use OIC platform to further her own agenda, which it will do by way of first becoming an observer and then forwarding her step to exert more influence on member countries.”
Unlike many assumptions and misperceptions, Pakistan had always stood with Muslim countries in general and on security issues in particular. Pakistan considers security of Muslim states as of her own (especially) Harmain Shareefain. It is time to withdraw awards from terrorist-Modi and save human beings in general and Muslims (particularly) in the region from destruction, otherwise be ready for the same fate.
M AZAM MINHAS
Tatrinote, AK
Plight of bee farmers in GB
Facilities play a key role in the promotion of any business activity and lack of facilities make it difficult for businesses to thrive. In this piece, we would try to highlight the difficulties being faced by honeybee farmers in Northern Areas of Pakistan.
To help the honeybees thrive, medicine is provided to the honeybees which are usually exposed to harsh weather conditions and other diseases. Unfortunately, the medicine available in Pakistan is not much effective, thus many bees end up getting wasted.
Transportation is another area where bee farmers face problems. Bees can’t survive for long in inimical conditions, and thus, the entire process of transporting bees down throughout Pakistan is hurried. During this process, bee transporters usually encounter policemen or authorities which cause unnecessary hindrances, such as charging high fees, despite the bee farmers following all legally correct methods. Bee farming indeed is an activity which requires practice and experience,exposure. However, education still plays a pivotal role in expansion of bee farming prospects, especially in underdeveloped countries like Pakistan.
A bee-farmer namely Shafiullah describes people not knowing the potential benefits of honey bees as a grave problem. While migrating to different regions in G-B, to escape from the dire weather conditions and provide bees with a healthy environment, the landowners of the fields where bee farmers settle are oblivious to the role of honeybees in maintaining a healthy eco system.
It may come as a surprise when you hear this, but it’s a fact that the world we live in cannot survive without bees. In addition, being the most important pollinator of food crops, it is estimated that one-third of the food we consume each day, relies on pollination, mainly by bees. With the facts on paper, it is indeed a striking time for us to fully exploit the bee farming potential in Pakistan and curb hinderances faced by bee farmers.
M OMER SAJID
Lahore
