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.
Recovery of Test cricket
There is a recovery of Test cricket in Pakistan following 10 years. No Test Match has been played after 2009.The first match among Pakistan and Sri Lanka is to be played in Rawalpindi, beginning December 11, and the second in Karachi from December 19. The two Tests coordinated will be a piece of the ICC Men’s World Test Championship.
This series will mark the return of Test cricket to Pakistan after 10 years. Sri Lanka were the last team to play Tests here in 2009, when their tour was cut short by an attack on the team bus. Their return to play red-ball cricket in the country thus holds significance. According to a report, the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test series tickets to be sold will be as low as Rs100. However, the Board knows the fact that the fans’ interest in five-day format may not be as high as in shorter formats.
To counter that the PCB, as per a source, has decided that tickets for most of the enclosures during the Sri Lanka Test series will be available for as low as Rs.100 and Rs.200. The most expensive ticket will be sold for Rs.500, the source added. Furthermore, school kids could also be invited to attend the matches and fill the stands. A final strategy in this regard is expected to be officially announced next week. I urge the government to invite international teams to play in Pakistan and make more cricket grounds so international teams can play with ease.
HAMID ZAIB
Chakwal
Tuberculosis in Pakistan
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading infectious cause of death worldwide. Pakistan ranks sixth globally among the 22 high TB prone countries. Annually, around 430,000 people including 15,000 children contract TB in Pakistan while not less than 70,000 deaths every year can be attributed to the disease in the country. Pakistan is also estimated to have the fourth highest prevalence of multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) globally. Over 95pc of TB deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
TB is a disease of poverty and poor, malnourished, diabetic patients using corticosteroid drugs, drug addicts, smokers, elderly, HIV infected patients, alcoholic and people living in overcrowding institutions like prisons. A large number of people infected with the TB bacilli is not diagnosed either because of poverty or because of lack of awareness about the seriousness of the disease. The delay in diagnosis, unsupervised, inappropriate and inadequate drug regimens, poor follow-up and lack of social support program for high-risk population are some of the reasons for not reaching the target rates and emergence of drug resistant form of tuberculosis.
TB is a treatable disease with six months course of antibiotics. However, prevention is better than cure; TB can be prevented by BCG vaccination and by awareness raising campaigns on a mass scale. If somebody has the symptoms of TB, he/she should report to the nearest health-care centre to get their sputum tested free of cost. The TB patients should not be stigmatized and must receive full support from family and community. To reduce the burden of the disease in Pakistan there is a dire need to increase awareness among public and especially among the youth through mass media.
HADIA AZIZ
Islamabad
Education and training!
Islamic Republic of Pakistan held (her) first Educational Conference from 27th November to 1st December 1947. The (sole) justification of the conference was for determining future education policy of the country. Though country’s founding fathers urged for reorienting colonial system; yet it is still nowhere, to the directions settled down in first Educational Conference (!). It is really a matter of concern for education policy and decision makers in 2019 that what first Education Minister of IRP Mr. Fazlur Rahman, exposed in 1951 “our education planners and decision makers were/are trained in a system based purely on Western values, so, ignoring our religion and culture” also!
Study of civilizations of world provides evidence to the fact that survival of civilizations was(is) subject to their systems and institutions of education, in addition to (training of parents lap). Whereas; Mehrgarth, Moenjodaro, Harappa provide examples of civilizations though no record of institutions of education is found, so, vanished that nothing except their ruins are left. Even; today, development and prosperity of nations is very much dependent upon their-own-education/training!
Conquest of Spain in 711-AD marked rise of Islam – great civilization. Main character was of education and training which produced great minds and masters in all fields – arts; sciences; general knowledge and what not (?). They not only revived stock of knowledge but also, added to it, preserved and passed it on to coming generations which still continues today. It was, of course, with the decline of Muslim Empire that Madrassah – the Islamic Institution of Education – once the great institution of education, also deteriorated and degenerated to the extent that the very nomenclature ‘Madrassah’ became to be deemed derogatory and irrelevant to so-called modern times. This crime is of so-called leadership of Ummah, certainly!! History and analysis of the present state of education in Pakistan reveals that Madrassah would be only institution of education which really suited to ideologies and genius of people of the country. Oh; this fact was/is either not realized by leadership (or) not permitted by (aid provider West) in fact!!!
M AZAM MINHAS
Tatrinote, AK
Women on wheels
Pakistan belongs to a patriarchal society in which women usually do not drive motorbikes as this vehicle only symbolizes with men. Men drive bikes at very young age and it’s totally acceptable but for most of women driving a bike is actually belongs to a fairy tale. Every day, we have seen thousands of women commute on the back of motorcycle insanely and dangerously. However, sitting sideways is actually very dangerous as it is really hard to keep balance whereas those women who sit either side of the motorcycle are also attacks as it is not culturally acceptable.
Moreover, in our society many people are concerned that it is not safe for women to drive motorcycle independently whereas in reality public transport is more dangerous such as mental and physical harassment cases. Finally, a great project was introduced by Salman Sufi Foundation “Women on Wheels”. It was successfully run in Punjab and now it is replicated in Sindh. This program basically provides a lot of comfort to women, it not only empowers them but also provides them the biggest solution with regard to their mobility. There are lots of working women who are facing lots of transport issues. Lastly, this act of equality should be appreciated and needs to be continued in future.
HADIA AZIZ
Islamabad
Vandalism
The unwarranted attack by a mob on Dawn offices in Islamabad is another attack on freedom of press. It has become a norm in our country to vandalize and bully press for covering news fairly. One can recall the incident of setting on fire ‘The Muslim’ newspaper and its offices for publishing a caricature of Fazl-ur-Rehman showing contesting veteran actress Mussart Shaheen in her famous style.
The tolerance level of our masses is almost zero and further moving to negative. What to talk of freedom of press where gagging and suffocating the independent opinion is letter of the day. The APNS should devise a strategy to shield its organs from such threats. Government must also know that a free media is like fresh air and the fresh air is indispensable for a healthy body and healthy country.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
