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LETTERS:

Post letters to Letters to the Editor, The Daily Times, 41-N, Industrial Area, Gulberg II, Lahore, Pakistan Phone: 92-42-5878614-19; Fax: 92-42-5878620 E-mail: letters@dailytimes.com.pk Letters may be edited for length and clarity

Securing schools

Sir: The security of schools, especially following the bombing of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, has become the major internal security dilemma in the cities. While the police is trying to ensure that all such sensitive and threatened locations are safe and watched, they simply do not have the capacity to do so for all establishments. Thus they have asked schools to arrange for their own security, while issuing certain guidelines. One hopes that the schools manage to budget for good arrangements, and also that the police expand their capacity to ensure security for schools and colleges in the long run.
MOHAMMAD RIAZ
Lahore

Running dry

Sir: Pakistan is increasingly become a water-stressed country, with a majority of its population facing a serious water scarcity. Further, the country’s backbone is agriculture, and irrigation is a key input in the agricultural sector of Pakistan. There too, we are facing serious issues, especially as far as sharing water with India is concerned. Many solutions are being proposed, especially the construction of more dams, but the fact of the matter is that water is a finite resource, in fact it will reduce over the coming decades. The key to surviving this crisis is conservation and increasing the efficiency of our water usage, in domestic, industrial as well as agricultural sectors.

Further, the existing sources of fresh water should be protected against polluting entities by strictly enforcing the environmental laws that exist in Pakistan but have unfortunately not been implemented. Everyone, from the individual citizens to the government to the private sector, has to take responsibility if we are to find a sustainable solution to this impending crisis.
USMAN SHEIKH
Lahore

Don’t ignore coal

Sir: It is sad that despite the increased power outages and their extremely negative impact on industrial production and commercial activity, the government has not really taken the public into confidence about what it is doing to correct this deficit. One aspect of this issue is the question of coal. Pakistan has one of the largest coal reserves in the world in the Thar Desert. Yet for decades, despite knowledge of these reserves, successive Pakistani governments have failed to exploit this in the national interest.

It is estimated by geologists and power experts that the Thar coal is enough to power Pakistan for centuries. Further, the technology to generate power through coal is well established and refined, and there are even environmentally friendly ways of exploiting coal. It is up to Pakistan to ensure that its massive coal reserves are put to good use. We are currently using imported oil, which is the largest single item on our import bill and a huge drain on our exchequer, to fire most of our power plants. Should we convert to coal-fired plants, we should be able to not only reduce our expenditures, but will also provide local industry competitive edge in the global market.

The government must take note of these factors and begin work on the exploitation of Thar coal immediately. Petty political differences and laziness are not acceptable excuses in a matter of national interest.
SULEMAN AKHTAR
Karachi

Time to act

Sir: There has been yet another high profile murder in Balochistan and it is a horrific reminder of the deteriorating state of affairs in the troubled province. It is clear that these terrorists are trying to intimidate the population into accepting their worldview and demands, and this is also the latest in a series of killings that targeted teachers specifically. The level of thinking of these terrorists is visible from the fact that they are targeting teachers specifically, despite the fact that these teachers are teaching mostly ethnic Baloch students. They are thus depriving their fellow Baloch of an education, threatening the future of the next generation.

However, the next step for the government is to not only ensure better security for key government personnel in the province, but to also begin serious deliberation with stakeholders in the province to reach some kind of agreement under which the province can move towards peace. An All-Parties Conference on the matter was promised by Prime Minister Gilani, but has not happened so far. The longer the government delays this conference, the harder it will become to get everyone to the table and discuss the matter constructively. Further, delay will indicate to those trying to create trouble in the province that the government is not taking the matter seriously, which may lead to more violence. It may also influence the mood of those not involved in violence, and that is why it is absolutely necessary for the government to act, especially as the problems of Balochistan are as important for the survival and future of Pakistan as any other region.
SHAHID ALI
Lahore

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