OFFICIAL TIMINGS: The government’s policy for conservation of energy is being implemented in all government departments these days. It is beyond my understanding as to why the National Savings Centres (NSCs) are working for four days a week, while all commercial banks are functional six days a week. Most NSC clients happen to be retired and old people who utilise profits against their investments for their day-to-day expenses. As such, the working hours are making life very difficult for them, and they would appreciate if the NSCs are also allowed to follow the same working hours as do commercial banks.

Tahir Hassan
Karachi

RESILIENT INSTITUTIONS: Demo-cracy rarely collapses overnight, it erodes gradually when institutions lose their authority and public trust begins to fade. Pakistan’s democratic experience reflects this slow and complex struggle. Despite the presence of elections and constitutional frameworks, the deeper principles of democratic governance often remain fragile. Political instability, weak parliamentary oversight and continuous power struggles have limited the ability of elected institutions to function effectively. As a result, public confidence in democratic institutions continues to decline. Pakistan’s democratic future depends on strengthening institutions, respecting constitutional boundaries, and encouraging responsible political participation. Without institutional stability, democracy turns into a risk, merely becoming a formal structure rather than a living political system.

Ayesha Fiaz
Jhang

SCHOOL IN A BAD SHAPE: The Government Boys Elementary Lower Secondary School (GBELSS) Ghulam Bhutto in Larkana district has been suffering administratively in the absence of the headmaster who seems to have just disappeared from the scene, leaving aca-demic activities in a lurch. The authorities would do well to replace him with someone who may attend to his duties regularly.

Sadam Hussain
Larkana

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026