PUBLIC TOILETS: I recently visited the food street in phase VIII of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Karachi, and found no public toilet facility. Besides, the recently developed food street in DHA phase II has no such facility either. It is surprising that an important public issue is neglected so carelessly. The public is forced to use toilets attached to various mosques, but the mosques are not always functional late in the night. Planners must ensure the availability of public toilets before they start executing any project.

Syed Abid Raza
Karachi

FAMILY PARKS: Jaffarabad, a densely populated city in Balochistan, has only one playground and no family park. A park built by the army more than a decade ago is now in a bad condition. Sadly, no public representative pays attention to such an important issue. Due to lack of playgrounds, sports activities as well as family parks, a large number of youths get involved in unhealthy habits. The government should pay attention to such matters of public imposrtance.

Waseem Akram
Jaffarabad

TAMING DEMONSTRATORS: The blockage of main roads by demonstrators has become a routine in the country. Those who suffer are the ordinary people. The protesters should be made to use open and secluded spaces to hold demonstrations instead of disrupting road traffic. Besides, the government should act responsibly and address people’s concerns before the situation gets out of control.

Sayed G.B. Shah Bokhari
Peshawar

TAX SHORTFALL: The government’s failure to expand its tax net and curb tax evasion has resulted in a tax shortfall that may widen to around Rs400 billion after the failure of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to meet its targets. There is an urgent need for collective responsibility to expedite measures against tax evasion, which remains a significant source of revenue leakage.

Usama Ghulam Rasool
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2025