Pakistan in turmoil

The alleged assassination attempt on former PM Imran Khan indicates that Pakistan is heading towards political instability. Pakistan has a long history of political assassinations — the most recent being the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The beginning of political turmoil began after a standoff between the military establishment under General Bajwa and the Imran Khan government reached its climax after Shehbaz Sharif assumed office following a no-confidence motion against Khan. The possibility of a military coup cannot be ruled out as the Sharif government, too, has not been on good terms with Bajwa & Co. India should keep a hawk’s eye on the developments.

Anil vinayak, Amritsar

Air quality

The poor air quality in the national capital is a matter of concern and an invitation to health and environmental problems. Amid all this, the political blame game is nothing but meaningless talk. Instead, the government should get serious about the issue and look for long-lasting solutions. During winter, poor people burn wood for comfort. The government should provide alternatives in slums, so that they people do not burn wood. Small steps can make a big difference.

Ayushi upadhyay, Chandigarh

Government schools

Reference to ‘State of our education’; the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2022 shows that Indians avoid state-run schools due to the poor quality of education. Well-equipped private schools provide quality education. As per the UNESCO survey, 86% children of even poorer people are enrolled in low-fee private schools. Government schools being ill-equipped and the private ones being expensive, it is actually a dilemma for the poor. India should increase its spending on education, recruit sufficient qualified teachers and create infrastructure to ensure quality education in government schools on priority.

AMARJEET MANN, Nangal

Bridge collapse

In reference to the editorial ‘Why Morbi bridge collapsed’; the suspension bridge was 140 years old. Why did nobody think of constructing another bridge across the river and dismantle the suspension bridge? The possibility of sabotage ahead of the high-stakes Gujarat elections also comes to mind. A safety audit of all vulnerable bridges must be undertaken.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), JALANDHAR

Double standards

Apropos of ‘Raising false expectations’; kudos to the vast majority of white Britons and Americans for electing their top political leaders from among non-whites — of African and Indian roots and background — on merit alone. In Canada, too, some Indian-Canadians hold many Cabinet posts, while following their own religion. But look at our people and politics. When Sonia Gandhi won elections in 2004, many leaders opposed her as PM of India. We have double standards. We talk about our scriptures and the culture of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), but do we follow it at home or worldwide? In a secular state, the minority Muslims seem to have done better. The bhajan ‘Man tadpat Hari darshan ko aaj’ and ‘Tu Hindu banega na Musalman banega, insaan ki aulad hai insaan banega’ were written, composed and sung by three Indian Muslims.

BM SINGH, AMRITSAR

Right measure

Apropos of ‘Eat less, stay healthy’, mouth is the gateway to our physical and social well-being. What, when and how much we eat, shapes our trajectory. Lest we forget, self-discipline is necessary for health and for progress in life and discipline. The lack of it makes or mars individuals and nations.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Inflation report

Reference to the news report ‘RBI panel meets to finalise inflation report’; there is a simple theory that when a country prints more currency notes, it starts suffering from ‘hyperinflation’ which results in price rise. It is said that before demonetisation in 2016, about 15 lakh crore currency notes were in circulation, and, reportedly, more than 18 lakh crore currency notes were printed after notebandi, which might have triggered inflation. Also, the RBI has kept repo rate low for a long duration to encourage people to avail of cheap loans to boost the economy. Cheap loans mean more money in the hands of people to spend more on purchases, which also results in price rise. The RBI has now hiked the repo rate, hence, there is a ray of hope that the people will have some respite from price rise and get a good rate of interest on their deposits.

ROOP SINGH NEGI, Solan

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