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.
Debt worries
Pakistan’s circular debt challenge is getting bigger by the day and the government is struggling hard to get a firm handle on the problem, which is threatening the very stability of the power sector. Notwithstanding the claims by ministers and other government officials of having controlled the pace of increase in the power-sector debt stock. The government has time and again declared that the pace of monthly growth in the quasi-fiscal debt size had been arrested and brought down. That would be quite a scary situation given that the country is still being run on borrowed money and its economy is groping in the dark.
There are numerous reasons for the appearance of circular debt in the mid-2000s and its increase, ranging from expensive power purchasing agreements with private producers and exorbitantly high system losses to unrecovered bills, corruption and mismanagement of state-owned distribution companies. However, it is surprising to see a federal government minister simplify the problem by putting the entire blame on previous rulers.
After all, it is the people that have to bear the brunt of wrong power policies and gross mismanagement of the sector in the form of electricity rates that are higher than the regional average. It is incumbent upon the incumbent government to take remedial steps so that people may suffer less.
SANIA SHAHZADI
Rawalpindi
Crowded schools
KP government, according to its notification, has directed the administration of educational instructions to call classes alternatively. According to my child all the teaching staff was present in the school along teachers concerned the other day. This practice is irrational and dangerous both for children and for teachers. My child’s school has more than 50 teachers.
When all teaching and non-teaching staff attends the school simultaneously, there will be greater risk of spread of Coronavirus. Then, who will be responsible for it? It is suggested in best interest of students and teachers that school administration should be directed to call only those 10 to 20 teachers who are to assign homework to class and who are concerned to that class everyday.
MEHWISH JABEEN
Abbottabad
GB’s merger as 5th Province
India and its collaborators are hell bent upon sabotaging the CPEC. Its plan to build an airstrip in Ladakh, to be used against CPEC, was exposed by the Chinese army. Recently another Indian plot came to limelight, including a plan that was aimed at poisoning the minds of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan through elements of hate. A sinister propaganda campaign has been launched to distorting the history and attempting to prove that GB is a disputed territory. This is wrong.
The fact of the matter is that GB never was an integral part of Kashmir. It is on record that in 1935, the British Raj leased the area from J&K state’s autocratic Maharaja for a period of 60 years. People of GB acceded to Pakistan willingly, enthusiastically and after a hard fight. After getting independence from the Dogra army on 1st November 1947, the local politico-military leaders realized that the region’s security and their own interests would be better served with Pakistan. After Gilgit Agency acceded to Pakistan unconditionally on 1 Nov, the liberation forces emancipated Skardu exactly a year after Pakistan’s independence.
The brave people of GB were able to liberate their land from Dogras and Indian army without external help. They defeated a well-equipped and trained army, despite having meagre resources. Now the people of GB are not ready to accept anyone’s claim over the region. They are loyal and true patriots who have their identity with Pakistan. The GB population wants merger into Pakistan as a separate province; they are opposed to any integration with Kashmir. They want to have representation in the political and constitutional structure of Pakistan. So there is no question of having a second thought. Any attempt to sabotage or disrupt the process of integration should be frustrated there and then.
AMJAD FARUKI
Gilgit
Dasht Balnegwar woes
Dasht Balnegwar is one of the most populous are of District Kech and, unfortunately, surrounded a plethora of problems, among them dilapidated roads. People have to endure a lot of inconvenience while travelling by this road. Accidents take place on a daily basis and with the increasing number of vehicles, accidents are also increasing. Consequently, a large number of precious lives have been lost. The most tragic part of the story is this that the road has become very dangerous for pregnant women.
As there is no hospital in Dasht, people have to take their patients to Turbat for their treatment. The distance between Dasht and Kech is nearly 40 kilometres and one should think about an emergency. People of the area are mostly poor and affordability of travelling expenses is another problem. Keeping all this in view, I request the government of Balochistan to take some benevolent measures to provide some sort of medical facility in this area so that people may not suffer a lot while shifting their patients to Kech district hospital.
MUHAMMAD JAN DASHTI
Kech
