BIOMETRIC IMPRESSIONS: The government has recently allowed senior citizens to sign a waiver in cases where biometric impressions cannot be captured effectively. I am a 65-year-old overseas Pakistani, and recently encountered a major setback while trying to resolve a misplaced mobile phone SIM with a cellular company. Unfortunately, my fingerprints repeatedly failed to register. Despite the government’s facilitation, the company refused to honour the signed waiver, stating that my CNIC dID not have lifetime validity. Elderly individuals often face difficulties with biometrics due to age-related issues, and such rigid policies create unnecessary hurdles. The authorities concerned should ensure that government-mandated reforms are implemented uniformly.

Imran Muhammad
Islamabad

HEAVY SCHOOL BAGS: Every day, I see children carrying heavy school bags that can cause long-term damage to their physical posture. The problem can be tackled easily by schools and teachers. First of all, the course at the primary level should focus on hands-on learning than theory and rote memorisation. At the secondary level, there should be two periods of the same subjects in one day so that the students may have to carry fewer books and notebooks. School administrations and teachers should work together for students’ actual learning as well as development.

Bushra Siddiqi
Karachi

ROADSIDE PARKING: Wrong parking along roadside has become a common practice in Multan. At the Kutchery Chowk and City Hospital Road, the traffic remains blocked during work hours, which causes immense trouble to the commuters. Even the pavements in these areas have been occupied by the parking mafia. Besides, contractors charge exorbitant parking fee. All this is happening in front of the offices of area administrators. The situation across the city is not any different. The authorities concerned must address the problem.

Jam Mukhtar Hussain
Multan

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025