Sir: Most TV talk shows barring a few exceptions look like rooster fights rather than civilised and logical debates. Nobody listens to anybody. .Even some anchorpersons join the verbal war to the utter chagrin of hapless viewers. Some learned anchors speak so loud that listeners have to put a piece of cotton into their ears to protect their hearing faculty from damage. Considering the formidable challenges facing the country, we need a debate that clears and not clouds the issues. You do not have to agree while tolerating alternative views. Apparently, most participants look like extremists because they do not countenance any deviation from their traditional positions. What I have painfully noted in these verbal firefights is that lessons have not been learnt from history. Most of us are probably not aware that the world is watching our debating skills. B A MALIKaIslamabad