IN this world civilised nations value the life of each individual. Each individual is unique and has his own identity. It is too common to forget about the individualism and personality of a human in this multitude of population. We cannot get to know all individuals on a personal basis and are thus detached from the vast majority of people.

Life is sacred and each life is tied with the well-being of numerous other people. However, we, the people of Pakistan, have lost all perceptions of the value of human life. The loss of life is a daily occurrence here. In 2011 alone 6,300 Pakistanis lost their lives because of terrorism, there are 6,000 to 8,000 deaths a year due to suicide. 10 out of 100 infants die because of poor healthcare before the age of five, 25 out of 100,000 individuals die every year because of road accidents.

We are daily subjected to news about loss of life and sadly too often these humans and individuals are mere statistics. We forget that this individual who has passed away was young, had dreams to attain something in life, wanted to raise a family or wanted to take care and provide better conditions to his family.

Human blood is not to be spilled wantonly on this earth, an injunction which is given by all great religions of this world. Sadly this blood is spilled in the name of religion and because of greed and terror policies.

While the value of human blood is much more in developed countries, the developing countries of Asia and Africa are lagging far behind. Perhaps this is due to lack of education or poverty.

Most of the bloodshed is occurring in Southern Hemisphere countries either because of wars, accidents, crime or poor healthcare system and disease. On the other hand, the residents of Northern Hemisphere are living in a sort of safe haven protected from these factors. The value of life is equal in all areas of the world regardless of colour, creed, religion and country.

Loss of human life is not something to be taken lightly, especially because man is an intelligent being. Even the most uneducated know about its significance. It is the task of governments to protect the life of their citizens through policing, healthcare, prevent suicide by releasing economic stress and reducing accidents.

SALMAN. A. BUGVI Lahore