Timely Coverage

You have hit the nail on the head. Yes, Pakistan is indeed going the Sri Lanka way. The government of Shahbaz Sharif, it seems, has lost its way. In its eagerness to take governance of the country from Imran Khan, it did not realise what sort of quagmire it was getting into. The financial management of the country is now caught between three persons - Miftah Ismail, Ishaq Dar (in London) and Ayesha Ghaus Pasha. However, the common man is still being burdened with all the ills of the economy and is simply finding it difficult to even survive in conditions that we are going from bad to worse.

Will the government survive in view of its current performance? If the idea is to obliterate the average Pakistanis out of existence, then it certainly will. A solution has to be found for Pakistan’s economic ills. The IMF wants Pakistan to ‘do more’ and this is when the future of Pakistan lies - as an independent or subservient country.

Masood Pasha,
Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Air Crash Victims

What did happen to the survivors and families of victims who perished in recent air crashes in Pakistan? Particular attention of the airlines is drawn to PIA and Air Blue.

Families of victims are known to be running from pillar to post but the airlines, smug in legalese, does not have an iota of pity for them. In a country where everything else is in a shambles, this state of affairs is perhaps the rule rather than an exception.

Zuha Khan,
Peshawar, Pakistan.

The Cultural Route

Pakistan is rich in art and culture. It has art councils in many cities but these outfits only seem to be money-making organisations, in terms of holding music evenings and stage shows, and hardly serve other arts. The same is true for NAPA, the national academy that was set up in Karachi to teach performing arts. Again, all this academy is doing is teaching music and theatre and nothing beyond that. True that Pakistan is mired in countless other problems but it can coach and tutor its youth into various other areas, such as fine art, graphic design, media techniques, acting, etc. This would also be a way to channelize youth energies into constructive channels besides bringing to the fore new talents that otherwise remain hidden. Our youth don’t always have to go into IT. A well-rounded growth means youth advancement in other areas as well. They must be encouraged to take these directions.

Saleha Hameed,
Multan, Pakistan.

Truck Ki Batti

Is MQM a representative party of Sindh, especially its urban areas? During the times of Altaf Hussain, it did not deliver much. If fact, many governments of young men were attracted by the charisma of Altaf Hussain and in return he only gave them unemployment, crime, lack of civic amenities, transport and water supply issues and everything else that would destroy urban Sindh and turn its residents, mainly migrants from India, into second-class citizens. Then came his successor - the MQM-Pakistan in which people like Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Faisal Sabzwari and Izharul Hasan were prominent. They too achieved nothing and, on the contrary, took their own living into levels of comfort.

Now they have abandoned an alliance with the PTI and joined the coalition against Imran Khan, which is now in power. But Sindh urbanites have received nothing, despite even a deal with the PPP. Are they and their followers still running after the ‘truck ki batti’?

Zuhair Habib,
Hyderabad, Pakistan.

Why Dazed?

Your interview of Zain Saeed in June 2022 issue was not merited. There are so many other young people who are doing various things. Why are you not featuring them? What is so special about Mr. Zain that you have chosen him? Please revisit your policy of choosing interview subjects and please give credit only where it is due.

Zainab Ali,
Dhaka, Bangladesh,

Rail Prospects

Pakistan railway service is an important transport lifeline that has not been fully explored in Pakistan. There have been much focus on road transport and, in fact, there was one minister in recent times, who seemed to be really averse to the growth of rail network in Pakistan. In my opinion, there is a cheaper option as compared to other transport, such as road and air, and should be adopted more comprehensively. In places like America, railway has not prospered much because the airline industry fears it. In India, there railway is a dependable means of transport, especially for inter-city travel and freight haulage. Pakistan too has long distances between cities and, at present, transportation is being exploited by the road mafia. The planners must give this serious thought and organise the railways to facilitate the travelling public as much as possible.

Rubina Sher,
Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Sports Dumped!

There was a time when Pakistan was a big name in sports. Besides cricket, they country had a big name in hockey, squash, snooker, etc. Our athletes also made a home for themselves in field sports. Now we have lost everything. Instead of maintaining superiority where we dominated and entering new sports, we are nowhere. But the civilian sector as well as the armed forces seem to have lost interest in sports and in making a name for the nation. In many sports, while funds are available, they are eaten up by the officials and sportsmen and women left with nothing.

If Pakistan is bracketed with Afghanistan in so many other areas, the time is not far away when we will be as backward as our north-western neighbour in sports too.

Waqar Ahmed,
Sydney, Australia.

Next Prime Minister

Pakistan’s foreign minister is Bilawal Bhutto. This is so wildly interesting. This young man has never done any job before and he suddenly becomes his country’s full-fledged foreign minister. How funny. Bilawal Bhutto probably have entered the country’s foreign ministry in Islamabad before he became foreign minister. And what is his experience and qualification of heading the foreign ministry? His maternal grandfather was foreign minister and prime minister of Pakistan and his mother was prime minister of Pakistan. It would perhaps be in order for Bilawal to become Pakistan’s next prime minister or even president.

Ahmed Habib,
Quetta, Pakistan.