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.
Smog menace in Lahore
The challenge of smog in Lahore is no less than Covid-19 challenge. Smog, being hazardous to health, is leading to a rapid sprout in multiple health-related problems. It’s a silent killer. Recently, IQ Air statistics have shown that Lahore ranked fourth in the top five cities of the world with the worst air quality, of 300 AQI. According to the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, 128,000 people die annually from air pollution-related illnesses in Pakistan.
In the last 12-13 years, the forest cover of Lahore has been reduced by 70 percent due to which Lahore is now facing this issue, particularly in the month of February. Air quality in Lahore usually worsens during the winter season when farmers in the wider Punjab province set light to the remnants of crops, producing smoke that adds to smog. At the same time, weather changes mean pollutants remain trapped in the air for longer. Smog forming pollutants come from many sources such as combination of vehicle and industrial emissions, including vehicular and industrial pollution, smoke from brick kilns, the burning of crop residue and general waste, and dust from construction sites.
It emanates the road accidents and effectuates stroke depression, heart attack, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, lung cancer and skin cancer. In this dreadful season, when Covid-19 is dancing like the “Sword of Damocles” on the people’s head, the victims of Lahore’s smog are more prone towards critical health conditions. Government should not fight shy of, but work against time to eliminate the alarming repercussions of smog.
Moreover, the environmental protection organizations should implement laws and introduce restrictions on chemicals which are aggravating the smog level in Lahore. Like the USA, who has successfully countered the smog dilemma. To encapsulate, authorities and organizations ought to work cheek by jowl to get rid of this smog menace.
RIMSHA HABIB
Okara
Cow meat matters
Beef (cow’s meat) which was banned in several states by the BJP government after Narendra Modi became the PM of the country should make a comeback in Maharashtra. Only then will the Shiv Sena be able to win the next elections.
One man’s food should not be another man’s poison. Not just Christians and Muslims, but even Hindus (some of them) eat beef because it is tastier than mutton and chicken. I hope CM Uddhav Thackeray is reading this.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Safety of workers
From the 1990s, workers’ lives were always in riskier mode. Some were dying in transferring goods; car or bike accidents, some were dying in industries and some were dying due to neglecting the protective environment by the government and owners of companies. Safety of workers does not only depend on the Government, but one should become responsible by oneself. Even some Pakistani companies are doing so well by implementing such technical things on business cost and enhancing customer relationships. They are arranging worker’s motivation programs and earn profits.
Recently an industry inflamed in Karachi and three workers lost their lives. Not just three workers suffered but the whole industry vanished because of fire and all corners were burned. A fire tender reached to site to extinguish the fire after an hour. This story does not come to an end here; the sad side of the story is that the tender had no water.
Hence, the Government should make policies regarding technological systems and charge penalties if companies are not concerned about workers’ safety. Companies should make themselves able to meet with uncertainties. One more thing, availability of fire tenders are also a necessary component of a riskier business, at least the Government should take strict action against those who are not available on their jobs when the public need them.
RAGNI LUND
Daharki, Sindh
Road accidents
The issue that caught my sight is road accident. Not a single day passes by without an accident. Recently, I witnessed a dreadful accident. A car at a very high speed came rushing towards the people standing at the roadside. Many innocent lives were lost on the road. About 1.25 million people are killed in road traffic annually in Pakistan, above 30,000 people die due to road accident every year, making Pakistan 48 in world for higher percentage of road traffic accident.
People don’t even try to learn from the mistakes, neither from their own nor from others’. The main cause of the accidents is due to careless driving. The use of mobile phone, over speeding, red light jumping, avoiding seat belts and not wearing helmets, over loading the vehicle etc are the root causes of accidents. Reckless driving is one of the most prominent issues regarding public safety that should be properly addressed.
This problem can be solved if people start following traffic laws. People should read the instructions written on roadside boards. Traffic police should also pay its part to solve this problem. As responsible citizens of Pakistan, we should follow all the rules and regulations to avoid road accidents.
HAFZA RIAZ
Pattoki
Power breakdown
Hyderabad is the second most developed city of Sindh after Karachi but unfortunately there is no proper schedule and accountability on power breakdown. Electricity is the basic and fundamental necessity of today’s life. In our city there is about twelve to fourteen hours long breakdown which causes many issues for educational institutions, hospitals, banks, places of worship, firms and organizations and industries.
Further there is electricity tariff that has moved upward in the last couple of years. The government of Sindh should revive the power breakdown schedule and should also try to minimize it as possible. Government needs to stop the illegal theft of electricity so that bill payers should get desired rights.
FAWAD SHARE BALOCH
Hyderabad, Sindh
Dowry: A social evil
Through the column of your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the kind attention of the concerned authorities and common masses towards the custom of dowry which is inflicting untold miseries on our young sisters. We boast of women’s liberation movement but the need for a huge dowry to many of a girl proves that a girl is still inferior. It is a fact that a girl will never be on par with a boy as long as the dowry system prevails.
Parents think that only a handsome dowry can ensure the happiness of their daughters. They face humiliations, miseries and incur huge debts simply because of this evil practice of dowry. Parents think that their daughter will not get respect at her in-law’s house if she is not given a handsome dowry. We live in an enlightened era but the sons are auctioned and sold off to the highest bidder. How detestable it is!
We need social sanctions rather than legal sanctions to eradicate this evil of dowry. Legal steps devoid of proper awakening prove to be coercive and create bitterness. The futility and inhumanity of this custom must be understood. Girls should not be treated as commodities. Girls should be educated and made economically independent. The would-be husbands and wives should take a pledge that no dowry will be involved in their marriages. Only they and nobody else can bring about a social change. They should fight against this degrading custom and eradicate it once and for all.
HAFZA RIAZ
Pattoki
Post-colonial elitism
Recently, a video went viral on social media of two restaurant owners of Islamabad, who were interviewing their restaurant managers in English language and asked him to introduce himself in English, facing the camera. The reason for this nonsense was to get entertainment because they were bored. Rather he responds well enough in English, but his accent was not much perfect as the western accent. They both laughed at him saying, is this the result of his English language courses for which he was paid with a high salary. This is seriously disgusting and the sign of low mentality, to tease a man for his speaking accent in front of the camera.
This video is a clear picture of bullying and harassment. It also highlights the relationship between class and language. English, the language of the elite class, is seen as a mark of success and prestige. An English-speaking man is considered superior over others. Some institutions mandate students to speak English language with one another. Elite class children tend to speak English by birth and all their education is done in English, so what he/she learn from it! That result in instances like the one in the restaurant.
Urdu speakers are still considered as uneducated or inferior because their accent is not much perfect as the western accent. In a society, speaking English is a sign of proud and superiority. Firstly we need to change our mindset about this. Instead of judging people, we should appreciate them as much. This severe issue should be resolved by taking all the required measures against it.
USWA NAEEM
Lahore
Racism in Pakistan
When our forefathers were colonized by the British, racism started to penetrate in the whole society. We were colonized by that nation which promotes White Supremacy, as it’s the part of their religion. “Their BRIDES used to wear WHITE.”
We used to call their men as GORA SAHAB BAHADUR. There we allowed their concept of Racism to penetrate in us, to spoil our nation, to put our children in beauty complexes, without knowing consequences. Now in our country, we have thousands of factories manufacturing skin whitening creams, WHY?
Because we want ourselves to be fit in their beauty standards, we promote the terms Gora, Chitta, Surkh. We want our brides to be white; unfortunately we don’t even stop here. Now we are manufacturing full skin care ranges for men too. We as a nation cannot grow if we don’t try to live as we are. There’s no need to be fit in such beauty standards, but there’s definitely need to be fit in beauty of humanity to survive beautiful lives as a nation without any discrimination.
SHABEEH MUJTABA
Lahore
