BANKING LICENCE: The recent decision of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) related to the grant of certain licences has surprised many, as, arguably, background of virtual capacity investment and technology seems to have been ignored. Some of those who have been given the licence are known to be actively planning to quit the Pakistan market, some do not have any presence in the country and are reducing their footprint even in the region, while in some cases there is a clear conflict of interest. Unfortunately, the award has made the whole process rather questionable.

Fareeha Butt
Karachi

DELAYING EXAMINATIONS: The only hope for the educated youth of Balochistan in terms of employment is to take the route of the provincial civil services. However, the provincial chief minister recently asked the Balochistan Public Service Commission (BPSC) to delay the examination for which a scheduled date had already been announced. It has caused serious frustration to the applicants who had been preparing for the examination for a long time.

Muhammad Abid Khan
Zhob

TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENTSIA: Any military outfit can carry out tactical counter-terrorism operations, but to make a grand national policy at the strategic level involves the whole nation. The situation becomes more complicated when both the warring parties claim to have the same ideological convictions. In any war, faith in the righteousness of the cause assumes cardinal importance to motivate the troops. Fighting against those who claim the same ideology and raise the same slogans, shatters the morale and fighting spirit of the troops. This dilemma cannot be resolved by the military leadership, but by the intelligentsia, and intellectuals who have never been involved in counter-terrorism policy. Let us chart out a policy statement clearly defining the ideological parameters of war against terrorism.

Khayyam Durrani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2023