VARIOUS TV news bulletins on Sept 10 showed the Punjab chief minister and inspector general of police using a helicopter to oversee the security arrangements for Ashura processions.

They were looking at the challenges from 10,000 feet above and not from the ground to hear and talk to the public to listen to their woes.

A helicopter view is generally an overview. Its origin is the ‘helicopter view’ that features on US television networks where high speed police car chases are a regular part of programmes.

According to Oxford dictionary, a helicopter view is a broad, general view or description of a problem. The Cambridge dictionary states that it is a general description or opinion of a situation rather than a detailed one.

Punjab needs leaders who have detailed knowledge of the various challenges and woes facing the province and our country. For this to happen ‘helicopter view’ mode will not work.

Yasser Ul Haq
Lahore

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2019