Poor Governance

This is related to the last month’s cover story on the negotiations held between Pakistan’s federal government and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik-e-Pakistan (TLP). In my opinion, the initiation of talks with a banned outfit like TTP is an unwelcome move and is tantamount to taking two more steps back on the path of eliminating terrorism and militancy from the country.

When Imran Khan came to power, people had high expectations from him, but his poor show of governance is leading the country towards socio-economic instability and more law and order concerns. To top it all, Pakistan has now recognized the TLP, which means that the outfit will now take part in the elections as well, which is indeed an ominous sign for the future of the country. The political turbulence along with rising public dissatisfaction and anger over the PTI’s dismal governance may eventually make Imran Khan lose in the end.

With the rapidly-changing political dynamics of the country, people are now completely baffled with no hope in sight.

Haris Kashif,
Karachi, Pakistan

Prioritizing Mental Health

Mental health crisis is a serious issue, especially among the youth. According to Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general of the United States, the excessive use of social media and violent video games are toxic, taking control of the lives of the young generation.

The prevailing mental health crisis is a function of a modern culture that promotes ignorance and nurtures self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement with little attention towards promoting such golden values as decency and mutual respect. Although no one would know how to effectively repair a defective culture, but it needs to start with a serious examination of its inherent flaws and defects.

Catherine Abigail,
California, U.S.

Rise of Inflation

This is with reference to the article ‘Inflationary Headwinds’ written by M Abbas Raza.

Inflation in Pakistan is now out of control and the government and the economic managers seem to have no sense of control on the mafias and appear to be merely helpless spectators with no solution in sight. Further, the state of Pakistan’s economy and the ineffective measures being taken to control the mounting inflation reveal the government’s poor comprehension of the issues.

It is now pretty evident that the poor and the down-trodden are left to deal with their problems at the mercy of their fate.

Tariq Mehboob,
Sukkur, Pakistan.

One-sided View

This is with reference to the article ‘Vagaries of Violence’ written by Dr Saira Asad. Though the writer tried to highlight the distressing impacts of domestic violence on women’s lives, she did not even mention as how men are severely affected by domestic violence and other abuses that commonly occur in a domestic setting. According to the 2018 survey by Thomson-Reuters Foundation, as the write-up rightly mentions, Pakistan is ranked as the sixth most dangerous country for women and fifth in domestic violence.

However, the Thomson-Reuters survey by itself is a misguided study, which has miserably failed to highlight and measure the active role women equally play in instigating different forms of domestic gender-based violence, both against men and women. Overall, the article ‘Vagaries of Violence’ by Dr Saira Asad was quite a one-sided view of things and the subject of domestic violence must always be discussed on merit without showing any kind of gender bias.

Tayyaba Usman,
Islamabad, Pakistan.

Technology for All

Technology offers a range of wonderful tools and applications through which many students are able to achieve their goals. Nowadays, new communication technologies have emerged and a large number of students across the world are trying to get a better understanding of the emerging technologies.

While students and teachers are rapidly becoming familiar with the dos and don’ts of online education, many new entrepreneurship programmes and online collaborations are also being formed, which is a positive sign. Though the coronavirus pandemic has severely affected us all, but the one thing that has impacted positively is the increasing awareness in the general public about the use of online technology for education and trading. People now find it easier to work online as everything is on their fingertips.

Syed Saif-Ul-Islam,
Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Matter of Shame

This is with reference to the article ‘Tools of Terror’ by Atif Shamim Syed. The article is well-written and precise, highlighting different tactics being employed by the BJP to de-Islamize India, the evidence of which can be seen in Assam.

As things stand at present, the international community is concerned about the fate of the people of Afghanistan under the Taliban rule. However, the people of Assam in India are subjected to inhumane treatment, but without a word of protest from the global community. These unfortunate people, the majority of whom are Muslims, are caught in a debate over who is a legal citizen of Assam and who is not.

It is sad to see how the millions of Indian Muslims are being stripped of their basic citizenship rights. Honestly speaking, most of them have become refugees in their own ancestral land. And the worst part of the story is the fact that India is getting away with it as the international world doesn’t seem to give due attention to the plight of Muslims in India. It is a matter of shame.

J.A. Pranab,
Assam, India.

Use of Social Media

People use social media along with different online apps with great freedom and joy. However, we must keep aware of the pros and cons of social media, which has become such a massive part of all our lives that it can no longer be ignored. Many popular applications such as Tiktok, Instagram, Likee and Snapchat, etc. consume significant amount of time and thus deviate us from our daily tasks and goals.

What we must do is to use social media more constructively and benefit from it by knowing about different fields. Utilizing social media can help us become aware of current happenings, events and trends being followed around the globe.

Choten V. Dorji,
Gelephu, Bhutan.