—- the sad fact that parks that used to be havens of greenery, with flora, fauna, giving a peaceful and relaxing feeling when visited are being turned into amusement parks with noisy machines; polluting restaurants and vendors who do not care about the environment. People say in cities that are becoming concrete jungles, green spaces provide rest and comfort from stressful daily routine for adults and space for children to play and expend their energy, something that is not possible in small living areas.
—- the new 12-member commission to protect journalists which is a welcome move, however, trust in such initiatives is low because past attacks on journalists were rarely investigated or punished. People say, unless the state fully supports the commission and ensures real accountability for crimes against the media and media workers it will not be enough to make journalists feel safe because a free press needs genuine protection and for a healthy society, journalists must be able to speak without fear.
—- the highly welcome decision by the local government that ‘No chairs, tables of eateries on walkways along major roads’ in Karachi because such illegalities are the main reasons behind road congestion, environmental pollution and serious civic discomfort. People say this order needs replication in all cities and as they need a huge infrastructure to enforce such actions, the city commissioners should start a portal for citizens to report any violations with pictorial evidence, so it may help the LEAs in tracking violations.
—- the fact that many families across Pakistan still treat inheritance like it only belongs to sons, while daughters are left nothing, with parents saying girls will “go to another house,” so they don’t need a share. People say women have a rightful share in family property, but in many cases, especially in backward areas, no proper system exists to ensure these rights are respected, so many girls are unable to claim what is theirs because of family or social pressure.
—- what has emerged to be a serious issue - the trend of growing distrust among our younger generation towards their own country because some destructive organizations are misusing social media to brainwash young minds on religious and ethnic grounds. People say the government should take steps to resolve the issue and instead of using laws for political reasons, they should focus on mitigating the real factors without at all compromising freedom of speech.
—- how most Pakistanis seem to think the fair skin we are constantly sold as the ideal of beauty is the standard in our country, conveniently forgetting that we are predominantly what is known as ‘colored.’ People say if we looked beyond our television screens, we would see that the average Pakistan does not in fact have fair skin but though our colonial overlords left decades ago, their standards and ideals about beauty remain and we still embody those ideals in the choices we make.
—- the video that went viral on social media showing private moments of a couple captured through an e-challan camera, sparking outrage over data protection, ethics and misuse of surveillance footage. People say as comprehensive data protection laws are still in their infancy, misuse of such videos is likely and footage must be strictly restricted to official use, safely stored and viewed by only authorised personnel, as the e-challan system contributes to good traffic discipline but raises concerns of breach of privacy. — I.H.
