—- how the picturesque Shakarparian in the capital has been left devastated after large scale tree cutting, turning patches of the area into a barren land, causing concern and unrest among local residents and environmentalists. People say that while the CDA says only paper mulberry trees were removed, it is hard to believe as everyone knows other species existed and the exercise either involves hanky panky or laziness on the part of the authority to select those which are responsible for pollen allergy.
—- how funerals have become social reunions for attendees, with men and women spending as much time getting dressed for a funeral as they do for a wedding and laughing and cracking jokes unmindful of the occasion, while family members of the deceased have to ensure that the guests have a good feast. People say a grieving family needs some time and space to recover emotionally but social trends are making things more and more difficult with each passing day.
—- how self-gratification has taken over society with nearly every social platform filled with the selfie and how this obsession with one’s own self is beyond comprehension. Pictures are taken of the same face, in the same attire but at different angles and using filters, which is so obvious that one can hardly recognize the person - eye color is changed, the face is given an unimaginable glow and the cheeks are given a pink shade one can’t even dream of in real life.
—- the fact that the social disorder increasingly visible in our institutions, campuses and public life is not a sudden or isolated phenomenon but the cumulative outcome of systemic neglect shared by families, educational institutions and the state. People say universities are frequently blamed for declining standards and expecting higher education to repair years of neglected upbringing and inadequate schooling is unrealistic, because universities can refine maturity and critical thinking, but it is not possible for them to construct what was never established.
—- the fact that Pakistan has a large young populations and unemployment among educated young people continues to rise, highlighting a significant gap between our education system and the practical demands of the job market, so they struggle to transition from education to employment, leading to frustration, depression and wasted potential. People say academic institutes must revise their curriculum in consultation with industry experts and skills based learning, internships, entrepreneurship startups and career counselling programs should be integrated into degrees.
—- the report that threats via foreign phone numbers, extortion slips, firing incidents and even murders have become commonplace in Karachi, forcing many to pay monthly “bhatta” out of fear and how, in an already fragile economy burdened by inflation, debt, and recovery challenges, this menace has devastating consequences. People say the state must act decisively with immediate measures like intelligence based operations and zero tolerance for extortion and land grabbing to protect livelihoods, and Pakistan’s future. —
