Apt Cover

You chose an apt cover story (July 2022) and the picture of President Ayub Khan tapping Lyndon Johnson’s cheek spoke of the very warm relations that Pakistan once had with the US. What happened then? Pakistan stopped becoming America’s lackey and they didn’t like it. Pakistan was not Iraq, Syria, Libya or Afghanistan. So they got a regime change through other means and forced Imran Khan out. They don’t tolerate dissident leaders. After all, they are a superpower, the only one left in the world. So you better listen to them!

Rafia Shafiq
Peshawar, Pakistan

Murder of the Middle Class

It is truly heartbreaking to witness the erosion of the middle class. All it took was an increase of 100 rupees per litre on fuel to send an entire socio-economic class of people below the poverty line. I have personally seen a man speaking to the media about how rising prices of essential food items have left him and his family going hungry for days. I felt the burden of his hardships through his cracked voice as he tried his best not to burst into tears. Have a stroll through prominent welfare organizations to gauge the extent of damage the current caretakers have inflicted upon the middle class and the lower middle class people. I sincerely hope and pray for every individual going through this hardship and that we pull through this catastrophe as we always have for generations and create a brighter future for our children.

Abdul Shakoor Gujjar,
Lahore, Pakistan

Informative

SouthAsia is an informative magazine. It covers diverse topics such as current affair/politics, fashion, entertainment, etc. The articles are well written and easily understood. There is a deep message in the content, it is readable and the expressive choice of words is understandable.

Abrar Kazmi
Boston, USA

Aliens under the Roof

With reference to the article published in SouthAsia, July 2022 issue “Parenting Barriers”, I feel parents and children living under the same roof are sometimes like aliens. Parents expect the children to understand things such as life and relationships. But children are growing, acting and behaving according to the laws of nature. Parents feel embarrassed at their behaviour, considering them to be disobedient. In order to get the best outcome, most parents hopelessly try “reward and punishment”. Instead of being a help, parents become obstacles. With all their love, care and always wanting the best for their children, there begins a conflict among them. Children become a result and reflection of the environment, time and space therefore parents are advised to do the things they want their children to learn in front of them. They will absorb within them everything, language, religion, culture and automatically there would be a relationship between parents and children of love, understanding and respect for each other as an individual. This will remove the barrier between both.

Khalid Mustafa,
Lahore, Pakistan.

Digital Assets

In the present times, when Pakistan is battling economic turndown, how imperative it is for the government of Pakistan to capitalize on the opportunities that are shaping the global economy. One such opportunity is Web3.0. Fostering an empowering environment can create thousands of new jobs, open new pathways for social mobility and create wealth opportunities for numerous households all over the country. Moreover, succeeding in this emerging internet economy can assist Pakistan with capitalizing on its ability to produce substantial export incomes that are important to accomplish economic stability and dependability. The modes of income all over the world are changing, making it imperative to change the source of income. The world is transitioning from tangible to intangible as the tangible assets are changing into digital assets, with web 3.0 at the core of this change. However, the question remains the same, how fast Pakistan is changing alongside the world?

Shafaq Zaidi,
Multan, Pakistan

Civic Sense

As the heavy monsoon downpours have submerged the metropolis, the life of the people of Karachi has once again come to a standstill. Rain has become more of a nuisance for Karachiwalas rather than a blessing. While we all can bash the government and the authorities for their lack of preventive measures and year-after-year inability to deal with the catastrophe each monsoon season brings, it is imperative for every Karachiwala to take a long look in the mirror too. One thing that is severely lacking in Karachiites is a strong civic sense. There should be consideration for the societal norms, respect for laws, maintaining etiquette while dealing and interacting with others. These are some of the qualities that is generally lacking in the overall population of Karachi. Once done with the Eid-ul-Adha festivities, we forget about the very next necessary step, waste management. Consequently, streets are covered with blood, while the innards are left on the roads for days to rot and give a pungent smell to the vicinity. The heavy rains make a bad situation worse. We are still facing the repercussions of the monsoon spell, let us behave like responsible citizens and make things better ourselves instead of the same old blame game.

Zain Zulfiqar,
Karachi, Pakistan.

Stray Dogs

We live in a society where life of humans has less to almost no value at all. The quality of life is decreasing with the hiking inflation rate as people are more focused in trying to meet ends. Yet I would like to highlight a problem that is not much talked about - the problem of stray dogs. The number of stray dogs is increasing day by day, with new litter being found in every nook and corner. These dogs are quite violent, and it is unsafe for people to commute, especially in late hours.

Children fear playing in the parks. Other residents fear walking through the streets. We had complained to the municipal authorities on several occasions, but no one has paid any attention.

Some of these dogs also seem to be suffering from some severe diseases. People can catch rabies if God forbid someone gets attacked by any stray dog. And unfortunately, our hospitals do not have proper treatment for dog bites. After 8 pm, they are all over the area and it’s so difficult to go out as they immediately start barking and chasing.

We request the concerned authorities to take necessary action and try to sort this issue which is becoming dangerous.

Shabir Ahmed,
Gujranwala, Pakistan.