Gas prices
Madam,
I greatly appreciate Senator Sherry Rehman for calling out the incumbent government on Twitter for raising gas prices before the minibudget even though the ruling party had opposed similar actions by the previous government.
These actions by the government are hypocritical and reckless. A 143 percent gas hike will be disastrous for our economy. Though the government claims this hike will only affect the upper class, this is not true. A rise in gas prices for the upper class and industrial sector will impact prices of various products that the lower classes are also dependent on. It will also significantly raise electricity prices.
One hopes that all Pakistani citizens, but PTI supporters most of all, will rise above political tribalism to hold this government accountable for its actions which will hurt the country.
Khalid Mehmood,
Islamabad.
Tourism in Chitral
Madam,
Chitral valley is the largest district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an area of 14,850 square kilometres.
There are certain places in Chitral which attracts tourists, such as Kalash valley, Garam Chashma valley, Booni, Golen valley, Shandur pass, Shai Qila, Rmbur and Bumburat and the list goes on The scenery in Chitral is mysterious, with steep harsh mountains, lush green valleys, beautiful meadows and big glaciers. Chitral truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The problem is that visitors face serious problems like poor infrastructure, inadequate hotels and other facilities.
“Pakistan has huge tourism potential. We will promote tourism to strengthen the economy,” the prime minister had said in his first televised address to the nation. I request the government of Pakistan to also focus on tourism in Chitral and provide proper facilities to tourists visiting the area.
Anjum Khan,
Hyderabad.
Money laundering
Madam,
Britain has rejected an extradition petition for former finance minister Ishaq Dar who stands accused of money laundering. Aside from gung-ho calls to bring back money stashed abroad, there is no extradition treaty between Britain and Pakistan.
Money laundering is an old concept. Ancient Chinese merchants used to hide their wealth from their rulers to avoid confiscation. They invested their money in remote provinces and even outside China. There are many stories of Jewish shylocks who employed innovative methods to hide their money.
The United Nations International Drug Control Programme defines money laundering as the ‘… process by which one conceals the existence, illegal source or illegal application of income and then disguises or converts that income to make it appear illegitimate’.
Our investigators employ third-degree tactics (slapping suspects, keeping them awake, and prolonged detention and torture). But, if India’s experience is any lesson, such tactics are not very useful. Knowledge of criminal and civil law, including international law (extradition) is required to deal with innovative money launderers.
Sofia Hammad,
Rawalpindi.
Music in Balochistan
Madam,
Balochistan is full of talented individuals. Many people have been training in music and learning from Bollywood. There are more than 60 singers in the province who release their music via cassettes regularly. Unfortunately, they are not respected in the society and are often threatened and beaten in public. It is a sad fact that the government does not support Baloch singers on national and international platforms and continue to neglect the humiliations they suffer.
Recently, in Pasni (known as the City of Poets and Singers), a well-known singer Mr Saleem Amin Baloch was beaten up by a mob. Reason? Saleem Amin had been well-received at a concert in Pasni. This incident was shocking for the small community of singers in the province and they stopped going to concerts in the city. Later, Kamran Dad, a 20-year-old singer, was beaten up when he sang a song for his friends at a picnic.
The group who attacked him also made a video and uploaded it on social media. This was meant to further humiliate the young singer, who is still in shock about this atrocious and unprovoked attack.
Despite these cruelties, the provincial government is silent. Providing security to singers is unimaginable in this province.
We ought to help and support singers as much as we can and make people realise that music and the arts are the mark of a great civilisation. We should try to rise above petty conservatism and appreciate those around us who have something wonderful to share, instead of getting consumed with jealousy and hatred.
Ali Jan Maqsood,
Via email.
Poor performance
Madam,
The failure of Pakistan’s cricket team in Asian Cup 2018 after such an amazing performance in the Champions Trophy greatly disappointed and disillusioned fans of the team. To play good cricket, one not only needs the best batsmen or the fielders, but also requires a good team selection strategy and coaching.
If the credit of winning goes to selectors and coaches, then it is only fair that they should share some of the blame for losing as well.
I believe there were some poor selections in the team. Dropping Azhar Ali, Imad Wasim, M. Hafiz and Shahzad Ali who had showcased such incredible performances in the Champions Trophy put the team and its unity in disarray.
The regrettable performance of Pakistan team is due to two reasons: first, the poor selection of the team and second, lack of guidance and planning from coaches in terms of which players to send for batting at a time when the team needed to score a lot of runs in a short amount of time. Captain Sarfarz and Muhammad Amir are usually held responsible for poor performances. The actual responsibility lies with the selection team and coaches and the reality of poor selection cannot be camouflaged by shifting the blame on others.
Muhammad Ahmed,
Sialkot.