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.
Welfare projects must continue
Irrespective of which political party is at helm of affairs, development and public welfare projects launched with tax payer’s money must continue even after change in government. Unfortunately, in Pakistan such projects have fallen prey to political biases and are discontinued by most governments, when they take over and billions of rupees of state funds are wasted, to the sole disadvantage of citizens of Pakistan. Such immoral and unethical acts have become a norm in this country. It is time the people of Pakistan must stand up and demand that such malpractices must stop.
It is unfortunate that every government, including the PTI, is guilty of such malpractices. This viscous cycle seems to have infected almost every regime, elected or dictatorial, that has ruled Pakistan. One such project was PKLI in Lahore which was built by PMLN, to cater for kidney and liver infections that have made life miserable for many in this country. Liver infections in Pakistan have been on the rise and so are kidney related infections.
Prominent Pakistani-origin doctors, surgeons and technicians working abroad had been motivated to volunteer their services for PKLI, and return back and help millions of poor, suffering from kidney and liver related diseases. These doctors returned back often getting less than one third the salaries they were getting abroad. Philanthropists donated crores to procure latest state-of-art medical equipment which were installed at PKLI, or were in the process of being shipped.
It is not just PKLI, but same was the fate of Benazir Income Support Program. The PTI has also launched the Health-Card scheme which must be retained, with certain modifications making it accessible only to the most deprived sections of society as is the practice adopted by Social Security Systems in the developed world.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Culture crisis
The influence of the West around the world has supposedly liberated suppressed countries from their ancient cultures. The western influence through media has resulted in the youth moving away from Islamic values. Unfortunately, people look down upon their own culture and heritage.
Westernisation is not modernisation. Do you know that it was Muslims who invented some of the most popular things which shape our current world? Some examples are: the first university, the bar of soap and hospitals. We can see the deterioration of the West right before our eyes, crime rates have risen exponentially, this is due to their lack of morals and standards.
People have realised the hard way that ‘liberation’ is only a trap. Women, who followed the ‘feminist movement’ and put their career over marriage and children, are now regretting their mistake. The role of a mother is looked down upon, a woman feels inadequate if she doesn’t have a career. The Holy Prophet SAW said ‘Heaven lies under the feet of your mother’
Umar ibn al-Khattab RA, said, “Verily, we were a disgraceful people and Allah honoured us with Islam. If we seek honour from anything besides that with which Allah honoured us, Allah will disgrace us.” Islam gave us our rights over 1400 years ago. By following western ideologies we are only regressing. Modesty is what protects and elevates us.
The demolition of the family unit and crime increase in Pakistan is no doubt a side effect of the TV shows being airedconsumed. These shows encourage immodest dress and sinful acts which must be prohibited in a Muslim majority country. The youth are suffering an identity crisis and it is only through Islam that we will find our true selves.
NOOR BUTT
Islamabad
Very poor performance
Recently ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government may have performed well in varying ranges on number of external and internal challenges confronting the country and its people but it has failed miserably as for as its relations with the media and projection of its performance is concerned.
The PM himself and host of his media advisors and specialists have throughout been relying mostly on the electronic media and the current menace of social media ignoring the print media by and large in the process. They had opted for the electronic media because of its being both audio and visual medium for showing their faces even for few seconds and minutes without bothering for the print media in any manner.
Importance and Impact-wise, electronic media has no standing as for the print media is concerned. Electronic media coverage has little impact on the viewers as compared to the ever-lasting and longer impact which the print media makes on the readers.
The media specialists had been wasting their resources, energies and time in giving rebuttals to the opposition parties’ leaders quite regretfully in an unproductive manner instead of highlighting the government’s own performance in economy, social protection, IT and other sectors.
Just for instance, the PTI government had during its shortened tenure of three and half years had published four performances i.e. First 100 Days, First Year, Second Year and Third Year.
These reports were afterwards dumped somewhere and not provided to the media people, freelance journalists, columnists, opinion builders and others who might have gone through these reports and written and commented through their articles in the newspapers despite their hectic efforts. Hopefully PTI Chairman will treat both electronic and print media equally at least as and when he steps into corridor of power again.
M Z RIFAT
Lahore
