CHEATING IN EXAMS: As a daily visitor to the Sariab Public Library located close to a college on Sariab Road in Quetta, I recently saw unusual rush of students appearing for the matriculation examination. Soon, I witnessed a group of boys discussing and solving the question paper. The questions were being relayed to them from inside the examination hall, and answers were being compiled and sold to those ‘interested’ with the alleged involvement of relevant officials. The authorities must take strict action to uphold the integrity of the examination process. Comprehensive security measures must be in place to ensure a fair and transparent process.

Hussain Baloch
Quetta

PRICE HIKE IN RAMAZAN: The prices of basic food items, such as vegetables, fruits, edible oil and milk, skyrocket during Ramazan. Many low-income families are forced to comp-romise on their nutritional needs. This situation is caused by an imbalance in supply. To address the issue, the gover-nment should increase the supply of goods in the market. Black marketing and illegal storage of goods must be stopped. The government should reduce the prices of essential items. This will provide relief to the people and enable them to focus on their spiritual obligations without worrying about the financial burden.

Firdous Zakheer
Bagh, AJK

BIAS AGAINST DRIVERS: While running errands, I observed a traffic police officer issuing a challan to a person for driving in the wrong lane. The driver, about 60, had an old car, and he was being badly treated by the officials. In essence, he was actually being abused. While this was going on, a shining high-end car passed through the same lane driving against one-way rules, but police officials just did not bother to react. This discriminatory approach by the police officials left me perplexed. There is a clear bias among police officials against those driving old cars, and in favour of those driving ‘good’ cars.

Syed Haider Abbas Shah
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2025