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.
Reader’s club membership
National Book Foundation issues membership cards for purchase of books at 50 % discount, up to Rs.6000/-. This year the scheme was launched on 19th October 2020 and was finished on the very next day. On Wednesday 21st October the doors of National Book Foundation Islamabad were locked and the security guard sitting on the other side of the gate rudely denied entry to the building to visitors. This state of affairs in a government office is ridiculous as well as heart wrenching.
The elements of “Change” are quite visible in this new form of governance, the country is being faced with. Earlier, on two days while preparing cards, the staff of NBF maltreated and insulted almost every visitor. We, hereby, register our complaint that immediate action may be taken against the rude staff and number of membership may be increased and it may be restarted to facilitate book readers, especially students
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
Strong exception to this
On 23-10-2020, I came across shocking sound bites on CNN. First off, it is about the bad reference by the US President Donald Trump to the air quality in Asian countries like India, China [the air quality over there had been termed filthy by him]. Secondly, one CNN reporter was seen talking about the Indian rivers in bad taste. I was really and terribly taken by surprise watching it all on TV.
Incidentally during the same stretch of news coverage, there was no rejoinder from any CNN reporter located in India. I being a reader have long been writing [Initially, I had started writing during my college time in the late 1990s] to most Asian English newspapers on various topics like economy, politics and environmental issues like climate crisis – not criticizing any country in particular but encouraging all out there and focusing on good relationship between Asian countries despite difference of opinion. I did write about the good things from the West – like the Amazon rainforest from American continent. Regarding the Asian region, it has been the beautiful hub of everything in the world like the Himalayas, dense forest areas, deeper seas, broad rivers. I have been positively talking about all these things around there in Asia apart from the West.
There have been big rivers like Thamirabarani, dense trees, plantation fields in my native areas in Tamil Nadu. In my strong opinion, environmental pollution is related to overcrowding and population that I have noticed in my professional areas like Mumbai. How so? So, it is the collective responsibility of everyone out there in the world to look into the environmental hazards soon. I think politicos are all speaking “off the record.”
CNN and BBC have been into more commercial space in Asia on a par with the West. They should only talk about legitimate things of Asia and not the other way around. I have been yet keeping my passion and respect for all media houses like CNN.
P SENTHIL S DURAI
Mumbai
Over population
Nowadays Pakistan faces major issue of overpopulation. In 2017, Pakistan’s population was estimated to be 207,774,520 with an expected annual growth of 1.9 %, equalling 2.9 million population growth per year. In developing countries, especially in Pakistan, it adversely impacts the growth of country. Some major factors responsible for high population growth in Pakistan are high fertility, low contraceptive prevalence rate, high unmet need of family planning, son preference, poverty and illiteracy.
Our population has long been ignored in our country despite the fact that it has caused countless consequences such as increasing the burden on existing resources and causing unemployment. The first step that should be taken by the government is to create facilities that are more accessible to general public so that people are educated on benefits of family planning.
NITASHA FAROOQ
Rawalpindi
Thank you Turkey
Pakistan and the people of Kashmir are extremely grateful to our brother and friend Turkey. Turkey and Pakistan are glued in unique cordial, political, cultural and religious ties that have surpassed territorial boundaries and geographical distances; the similarity of both countries is striking. But the way Turkey has lived up to the expectations of Pakistan is unprecedented; it has given its utmost support in FATF and stood by Pakistan during thick and thin. Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, the Turkish President, left no stone unturned to support Pakistan on Kashmir issue and exposed the abominable face of the extremist regime of Modi. Turkey’s role in Muslim Ummah cannot be ruled out.
Ever since Premier Imran Khan assumed the office, ties between Pakistan and Turkey have grown further which depicts the Muslim brotherhood amongst Muslim countries, even the oppressed masses of occupying valley are highly indebted to Recep Tayyip Erdoðan as he incessantly raised the longstanding dispute of Kashmir and vehemently condemned the heinous act of state sponsor terrorism of Indian military. Therefore, other Muslim countries must play pivotal role as Turkey is playing to unifying Muslim Ummah.
MUHAMMAD MOBEEN
Wah Cant
