ENTRENCHED CORRUPTION: Bribery and corruption are deeply entrenched in society. Some professional brokers describe themselves as advocates and defraud the gullible, especially those visiting government offices for any documentation, like the registration of property, etc. Unfortunately, all this happens with the connivance of the officials. The ‘agents’ should be discouraged by all and sundry.

Muhammad Shaukat Iqbal
Karachi

BITTER TRUTH: The recent spate of forest fires in the country ought to serve as a wake-up call for all stakeholders concerned. A culture of sycophancy, mutual admiration and publicity is deeply rooted in our society. As a result, we crave instant limelight. It is sickening to see one federal minister surrounded by at least a dozen bureaucrats and several dozen sycophants plant one tree and be hailed as a champion of environmental causes while the poor forest guard who toils tirelessly to plant and sustain hundreds of saplings every month is given no recognition at all. It seems that we are reaping what we have sown for decades.

Umair Safdar
Peshawar

BANNING IMPORTS: The decision of the incumbent government to ban imported goods has left many baffled as to what extent the ban will impact the business of importers. This is despite the fact that the taxes levied on the imported goods have contributed Rs1066 billion in merely seven months. The short-term step will not rectify the numerous structural pricks affecting the national economy. The government should come up with some prudent policies rather than having a cavalier approach to solving a serious issue.

Hashim Ali Dogar
Lahore

USELESS AMENDMENT: The passage of a bill related to the national accountability mechanism through parliament has in effect made it a toothless tiger.

The bill will allow influential figures to continue doing what they have been doing for long. Apparently, this is what all the power struggle was about.

Arif Majeed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2022