Another attack on our traditions on April 4, 2011The ugly face of religious intolerance showed its true colours once again on Sunday in a small town near Dera Ghazi Khan. The shrine of the 13th century Sufi Saint Syed Ahmad Sakhi Sarwar was hosting its 942nd Urs-cum-spring festivities when two suicide bombers detonated themselves outside the shrine. Hundreds of devotees were gathered at […]
Betting on mobile phones on April 4, 2011Sir: Inadvertently, most of the mobile companies offered different prizes during the Cricket World Cup matches in the form of cash, free talk time, vacation trips, etc, by sending messages to the users to select from various options on who is going to be the winner or the loser. Is this not betting, which according […]
Young doctors on strike on April 3, 2011On Saturday, the strike by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) brought healthcare available in major public hospitals all over Punjab to a halt. Patients were severely inconvenienced and some patients even died due to non-availability of medical care. All this is very unfortunate and many in the media are blaming the doctors for these tragic […]
Leave everything to God on April 3, 2011Sir: Are our installations like atomic reactors, nuclear power plants, surge protective device (SPD) installations and oil refineries built to withstand an earthquake measuring nine on the Richter scale? Can Hubco withstand a Tsunami wave? Or are we waiting for Allah at the top of the disaster management and strategising organisation? ASAD JANJUA Peshawar
World Cup semi-final – I on April 3, 2011Sir: Congratulations to India. A well deserved victory for India and Sachin Tendulkar for winning the ‘man of the match’ award with a score of 85. On the political side, I hope Prime Minister Gilani’s visit to India will help in improving the bilateral relationship between the two neighbours. It is for the diplomats and […]
Doctors strike on April 3, 2011Sir: It was good to see our prime minister watching the Pakistan-India semi-final match at Mohali but I wish he could spare some time to visit any of the government hospitals in Punjab and see how poor patients are suffering because of the doctors’ strike. There are reports that some patients have even died due […]
Mayhem in Charsadda on April 3, 2011Sir: Umer Patek, a major villain of the gory Bali bombings, is reported to have been nabbed in Pakistan. Why should all these despicable characters be found amongst us? How much more do the people of Pakistan have to suffer due to foolhardy strategic expediencies and proxy wars? I do not have the answer. But, […]
Hollywoods shining star on April 3, 2011Sir: With the passing away of the legendary Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor, a vacuum has been created in the lives of her millions of fans throughout the world as she belonged to the spotlight, owned it in fact, with an adjective-exhausting beauty that she accessorised with her strange fascination for over-the-top baubles. Beginning as a […]
Dont know much about history on March 27, 2011On the 23rd of March, Pakistan won their quarterfinal match against the West Indies to reach the Cricket World Cup semi-finals. All the commentators kept talking about how it was a great present for Pakistan on Pakistan Day. There were even some passing references to the resolution passed in Lahore 71 years ago, but the […]
Punjab government and the young doctors on March 20, 2011Last Friday saw a number of public demonstrations in Lahore that successfully clogged up traffic all over town. All of them were important in their own way but the one that ordinary citizens should perhaps be most concerned about is the ongoing agitation by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) for better pay. The reason why […]