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

We don’t want war

Sir: I am a student and want to convey this message to the leaders of Pakistan and India.

It has been 55 years since the people of the subcontinent got independence but a sense of insecurity still prevails among the masses of both Pakistan and India. The people of these two countries are still deprived of their basic social and economical rights. But instead of paying attention to these problems, some leaders, like LK Advani, are still talking about war.

In my view, the common people of both India and Pakistan don’t want war. They want the two countries to enjoy peace and friendly relations.

The common people need to raise their voices against leaders who create hatred and animosity between the countries. We need to make it clear that we want peace and stability in this region.

If the likes of Mr Advani are still adamant on war, perhaps we can arrange a fight between individual leaders and they can beat each other black and blue till they too have had their fill of war.
DOULAT WALI BAIG
Hunza

Questions for the PM

Sir: Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali plans to take off to Saudi Arabia soon after Eid, to perform Umra. The new Prime Minister would set a good precedent, if he were to publicly answer some questions about his proposed journey. These are:

* At whose expense is he performing this Umra?

* Who is accompanying him, why and at whose expense?

* What is the urgency to perform an Umra at a time when the country is passing through a critical period

* Does he expect all other state officials to follow the noble example he is setting?

NAEEM SADIQ
Via Email

The PPPP rescue team

Sir: I think Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali will remain obliged to the members of the Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians forward bloc or rather the PPPP rescue team for they made the impossible possible.

It looks as if the forward bloc acted with the consent of the party leadership, as no one has either raised serious objections or taken appropriate action against the “defecting” members.
KHALID MUSTAFA
Islamabad

Silence is not an option

Sir: Thank you for the editorial on this important topic (Al Qaeda strikes Pakistan again, Daily Times, December 9). Maintaining a silence on such issues is not an option for Pakistanis.
N SIDDIQI
Via Email

Checks on the government

Sir: Checks and balances can be found in the constitution of every country of the world. But the most important check in my view is public opinion. If an elected prime minister is not doing his job, he will have to face public criticism and this will have an adverse effect on his political career. And this may cost him and his party the next general election.
MUHAMMAD KHALID SARFRAZ
Sargodha

Pay attention to education

Sir: Now that a parliamentary government has been formed after three years of military rule, it is time for the new government to set targets for the next five years.

The most important area that needs attention is the education sector. The government should set a target to increase the literacy rate to 60 or 65 per cent. In this regard there is no need to open new schools and colleges. It would be simpler to introduce morning and evening classes in the existing institutions.

However, extra funds will still be needed. In order to ensure quality education, well-qualified teachers should be hired and offered handsome salaries. Only by achieving high standards of education can we compete in today’s world.
BILAL HASSAN
Via Email

The deal has already been made

Sir: The new Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali has contacted the Pakistan People’s Party for the formation of the government in Sindh. According to newspaper reports, there is a hope that the government and the PPP will be able to “reach an understanding”.

Of course they will be able to reach an agreement! It is quite obvious that the government and the PPP have already made some sort of an under-the-table deal.

Why else would Benazir Bhutto quietly accept the formation of the forward bloc led by Faisal Saleh Hayat? The party has taken no disciplinary action against these defectors. At the same time, Asif Ali Zardari has also been shifted to a hospital in Karachi where his children may visit him soon. All this makes it evident that the government and the PPP have reached an understanding.

Why are they trying to fool us by pretending otherwise?
M ALI
Lahore

Home | Editorial