EVERY now and then, we hear of attacks and atrocities against Indian Muslims, especially those living in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This is a matter of grave concern that the Muslim community in India is being subjected to barbaric torture, both physical and mental.

What is more pathetic is that Indian law-enforcement agencies are not only allowing this to happen, but also encouraging the perpetrators of such crimes. This is something condemnable. The Indian government is hand in glove with the criminals and is a partner in crime.

The United Nations is surprisingly — or, perhaps, unsurprisingly — a silent spectator as it continues to ignore this barbarism against the Indian Muslims, especially the Kashmiris.

I implore the countrymen to be more empathetic towards this issue. Just imagine if this was happening to us, or to our near and dear ones, had we still continued with this attitude of reading about it, feeling sorry for some time and then forgetting it?

This apathy is criminal and sinful. We must do something about it, talk about it, discuss it, find ways to eradicate it and try to find ways to let the world know and feel the gravity of the situation.

The bottom line is that this must stop. We do not live in the dark ages. We are supposed to be educated and civilised. We must prove that we actually are civilised. Silence is definitely not the answer; action is required, protests are required. We should treat it as a wake-up call.

I am sure the Arab countries, where there are hundreds of thousands of non-Muslim Indian workers, can play a vital role in forcing India to behave in a civilised manner, especially when it claims to be a secular state.

Also, countries playing host to the massive Indian diaspora, like Canada, Australia and others, can also play an important role in telling the Indian government to mend its ways.

H.R. Sheikh
Lahore

GRUESOME AND HORRIBLE: The horrific death of a school-going child who was kidnapped, brutally raped to death, and then butchered in Babarloi recently has shaken the local community. Such heart-wrenching cases are reported with frustrating frequency, but the culprits manage to somehow roam around freely. The government should take a serious notice of such happenings. It should put the culprits behind the bars and subsequently hang them publicly so that no one else can even think of committing such an unpardonable crime.

Sajjad H. Cheehani
Khairpur Mirs

EDUCATION TRADERS: Education in Pakistan has become more of a business led by businessmen, instead of academicians, who only care about the profit margins, and have no idea about the learning needs of the students. This profit-oriented model puts the children off the path of learning. Teachers generally lack proper understanding about the subjects they teach. The education system has turned into a mafia in the hands of those who are traders, not educators.

Bushra Siddiqi
Karachi

EXPLOITING TEACHERS: It has been observed that contractual employees have to face a biased behaviour at the hands of their respective employers. A case in point is the Workers Welfare Fund School where teachers are being denied their basic rights. I was compelled to attend school even with a severe chest infection and despite the fact that I had enough quota eft for a leave of absence. The authorities should be directed to have a humane attitude towards contractual teachers instead of exploiting them.

Asad Rafiq
Multan

BALOCHISTAN ROADS: Balochistan does not have a proper internal road network. Around 200 people died in road accidents in the province last year. The majority of these accidents took place on the Quetta-Karachi ‘killer’ highway. The authorities concerned must ensure proper construction and monitoring of highways in the province.

Shehryar Kandhro
Quetta

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2021