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.
Insatiable greed for land allotments
One of the curses which Quaid referred to in his 11 August 1947 address was the cancer of corruption which we inherited from the British Raj.
The colonial occupation used allotment of lands and titles to natives willing to collaborate and serve the Raj as its paid employees.
This insatiable greed of paid civil and uniformed elite, instead of being contained, was promoted and became so predominant that the abuse has assumed the status of a perk gone berserk.
What started as welfare for paid government employees, getting one subsidized plot for construction of a house, has become an obsession, threatening to destroy Islamabad and all major cities with reckless expansion, destroying the environment.
Successive military governments and civil governments which they nurtured through political engineering have made matters worse.
The abuse became so predominant that Islamabad High Court had to intervene by declaring most such allotments irregular.
What is unfortunate is that while the political leadership at the helm of Jinnah’s Muslim League left behind vast land holdings etc. in India and chose to live and devote their lives to make Pakistan a modern democratic welfare state for all citizens, irrespective of their caste, creed, faith or ethnicity, few beneficiaries of Raj had their own ulterior ambitions.
Following migration of Muslims from India, the allotment of evacuee property left behind by an affluent Hindu population through fake claims, in nexus with few corrupt bureaucrats created a novae rich class devoid of morals and ethics.
This could have been constrained if the political process had continued through free and fair elections and national reforms and development pursued as per Quaid’s vision.
Unfortunately, after Quaid’s demise, the forces that had worked for the Raj strengthened their hold on power.
What started as PRODA in 1949 aimed to curb provincialism, was followed by EBDO in 1959 enacted by Ayub targeting all main political figures who had been elected after 1947.
Today we have achieved strategic defense through our nuclear capability, but chaos, injustices and lack of ethics tend to destroy us from within.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Attack on idol
August 30th, marked the Janmashtami of Lord Krishna. Hindus across the country observed a red letters day on the auspicious day of Lord Krishna’s birth but the celebration was all in vain, when policemen attacked on Lord Krishna’s decorated idol in tehsil Khipro near Sanghar, Sindh.
It was very pathetic to see government officials demoralizing religious aspect of a minor religion.
The mob of fanatics not only beat the worshippers but also damaged the idol of the deity. In Pakistan, mob assaults are being rampant and unstoppable day-to-day.
However, according to constitution of Islamic republic of Pakistan, mob lynching are punishable on the false charges of blasphemy against Islam, at the very same time, Pakistan’s permeable constitution also provides minority rights under article 5 that “adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religion and develop their culture.”
But very dismally, mob lynching and assaults against minorities’ gods and deities go unaddressed and unpunished.
Hindu deities are being defamed, demoralized, and damaged time and again, be it the statue of Raja Ranjeet Singh, Ganish’s idol or Lord Krishna’s idol. Hindu minority in Pakistan have never been against blasphemy of Islam.
They have always accepted Muslims as their siblings and never even thought of going against them. Hindu minorities want strict implementation of the constitution by the government of Pakistan.
The government should also ensure strict punishment of all those culprits who committed this heinous and inhumane act.
PEHLAJ KUMAR
Khairpur Mirs
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa will always be remembered for what she said and what she did during her entire lifetime. She started her work with no money, depending only on Providence for help.
She alone nursed the sick and the dying, taught street children, gave shelter to the homeless, cared for the unloved and the lonely, and proclaimed the Word of God to whomever she met.
The rich and the poor alike have felt explicably drawn into the mercy of God’s tender embrace by her example as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Her selfless love is a powerful example of what it means to love others as Christ loved us and a sign that God still loves the world today.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Women need protection
Islam provides equal laws for men and women and refrains from gender discrimination in every walk of life.
However, women are growing more and more unsafe in our ‘Islamic’ country. They are being physically and mentally harassed by men in public and even killed.
Harassment cases are swiftly growing in our society. The recent Minar-e-Pakistan incident shook the whole nation and women feel even more unsafer than ever before.
Parents are hesitant in sending their daughters outside the house. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry stated in a cabinet meeting that social media should go under scrutiny, following the recent harassment case.
Furthermore, the cabinet has decided to ban such unethical social media content that creates more panic in the society.
Consequentially, our government must take concrete steps against perpetrators and ensure complete safety for the women in our country. Women are equally talented as men and can play a vital role in developing our country.
We cannot spoil our women and their talent just because some men couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.
ABDUL AHAD GHUNYO
Ghotki
