FORCE IN THE OFFING: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister has announced forming a ‘release force’ that will campaign for the release of the incarnated leader of the main opposition party. I have two questions. One, have the leadership and workers of the party been wasting their time thus far? Two, will the planned force indulge in armed struggle to achieve its sole target? Apparently, the statement was delivered more out of frustration than conviction.

Malik ul Quddoos
Karachi

MEDICINE ADVERTISEMENTS: Walking through the streets of Karachi, one often comes across towering billboards promoting various medicines and pain-killers. Such prominent advertising encourages self-medication without due oversight. For instance, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently marketed for general body aches. However, if a person suffering from undiagnosed dengue fever takes such medicines, the results can be catastrophic because NSAIDs can cause fatal haemorrhage in these patients. Public spaces should not be used to promote potent drugs that require a prescription or specific clinical context. The Sindh Healthcare Commission should ban such advertising.

Dr Osama Mushtaq
Karachi

ELECTRIC BIKE SCHEME: I parti-cipated in the balloting process of Prime Minister’s Electric Bike Scheme and was fortunate to be selected in October. All verification requirements were completed promptly, but the process came to a halt just before the banking stage was to commence. After December last year, I received an email stating that the partner bank would either contact me or I should approach it directly. Upon visiting the designated bank, I was astonished to find that neither the branch staff nor the helpline had any knowledge of the scheme. It is troubling that even such a significant public initiative is suffering from pathetic coordination between the executing authorities and financial institutions. This is frustrating.

Agha Zeeshan
Larkana

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2026