Sir: State’s direct and dangerous intervention in engineering ‘culture’ and social fabric has fuelled our identity crisis even more. The recent ban on the celebration of Valentine’s Day has exposed state’s genetic war on culture and human expression. Why does state feel threatened by individual spaces and liberties? For centuries, our culture has glorified love. We grew up listening to stories of Heer-Ranjha, Sassi-Punnu, and Sohni-Mahiwal. Our Sufis used metaphors and parables from these romantic couples to convey their message of peace and divine love. It is indeed clear that due to this suppression and extremely stifling environment that state has shaped for us, our minds have become barren. We were the people who celebrated love and romance. Let Punjab be the land of love and rich culture. If you want to fight extremism, promote love and peace. HAMZA ZAFAR Islamabad Published in Daily Times, February 18th 2018.