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.
Same page philosophy
In countries where there is rule of law and a written constitution, every state institution including the elected executive, parliament, judiciary and every civil or uniformed public office holder has to be on ONE PAGE and this page is the CONSTITUTION of that country, considered as supreme law.
Nations that choose not to submit to the supremacy of constitution, end up in chaos and turmoil, and become prone to intrigues of foreign enemies and vested interests from within.
Such nations become hostage to religious extremism, sectarian and ethnic divide and citizens are denied justice and equality before law through concocted doctrines like Law of Necessity, while private militias emerge.
Hazrat Ali Rahmautllah is on record that a nation can survive with atheism but not without justice. Empires have perished because of the tyranny of their rulers and discontent amongst citizens denied justice.
For those who have any doubts, this statement of America’s top general Mark Milley, given in the aftermath of presidential election and the events of January 6, 2021 when armed militias stormed the Senate were unique yet affirmative “We do not take an oath to a king or queen, a tyrant or a dictator. We do not take an oath to a country, a tribe, or religion.
We take an oath to the constitution, and every soldier—will protect and defend that document regardless of personal price. — We will never turn our back on our duty to protect and defend the idea that is America, the Constitution of the US against all enemies – foreign and domestic”
It is ironic that Pakistan created through a constitutional democratic struggle waged by politicians like MAJ, Allama Iqbal etc has still to resolve that their survival hinges on accepting Constitution as supreme law, follow Quaid’s vision, without any ifs or buts.
—Malik Tariq Ali
LAHORE
Lahore is suffocating
Through the esteemed column of your prestigious newspaper, I want to draw the attention of the authorities towards the degrading quality and impurity of air.
Hardly a day goes by when people escape this unhealthy air. This is not a healthy environment for children, adults and old people.
Many respiratory diseases have begun to flare up. Smog irritates eyes, nose and throat. Either it can worsen existing heart and lung problems or perhaps cause lung cancer with regular long-term exposure.
It also results in early death. Studies on ozone show that once it gets into your lungs, it can continue to cause damage even when you feel fine.
This air pollution is caused by thick smoke emitted from big factories and from unmaintained vehicles.
These gases are poisonous in nature. This mixes with pure air and pollutes it. Factory owners should take responsibility for their actions.
I earnestly request authorities to take an immediate step to punish the culprits to take responsibility for the environment by working in a sustainable manner. This will bring relief to all positively.
—Afeera Aftab
LAHORE
Unqualified doctors!
In fact, Turbat is the second biggest district in Balochistan in terms of population. It suffers from numerous serious issues, one of them is lack of qualified and punctual doctors.
To be honest, if a person will have a minor disease – cough, flu, stomachic disorder, etc – he will have to go to Karachi for treatment as the doctors here are not qualified and people don’t trust unqualified doctors.
It is very bashful for all Balochistan’ s political parties that the citizens have to go to Sindh for treatment.
Incidentally, I recently went to the civil hospital which had no doctors till 10 AM. Seriously, I got shocked to see a huge crowd waiting for doctors.
Secondly, the biggest problem is that each patient has a different disease which is needed to be discussed only with the doctor but here the doctors are naive. That is why people call them unqualified and they don’t trust them.
It rises a question that why they are not asked to fulfil their responsibilities. Authorities concerned are requested to visit hospitals occasionally. Lastly, the Health Minister is also requested to look into the matter.
—Hatir Aslam
TURBAT
