"If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude.” – Amy Tan

Menace of beggary

Giving out charity and alms has become very much part of Pakistani culture and is now ingrained in our psyche. Such trait is appreciable, but it’s burgeoning rising suggests that perhaps we have taken things too far. The sight of beggars at busy traffic signals and streets has become an eyesore. It is all the more embarrassing if one is accompanied by foreigners. The beggars make a laughing stock of our nation by stooping to ever new lows for the sake of a few coins. I have observed of late that at traffic signals especially in Clifton and Defence areas disabled beggars on very low-wheeled carts move swiftly between the cars waiting for the signals to go green. At times they are not visible to the motorists. The situation requires immediate attention of the authorities.

Hasan Qureshi,
Karachi

Minimum wage law debacle

Another labour day passed this year with zero-efforts made to uplift Pakistan’s most hard-working and underprivileged community. Nationwide, many offices observed a holiday while one could still see labour working on the roads in sweltering heat. Amidst the many woes and turmoil of the labour class, includes the non-implementation of the minimum-wage law. It is the law which prohibits employers from hiring employees or workers for remuneration less than a given hourly, daily or monthly minimum wage. The law is rigidly followed by many countries yet in Pakistan it has been grossly ignored. It should be brought to the Supreme Court’s notice that since decades the federal and provincial governments have miserably failed to implement the minimum wage law due to bad governance.

Hareem Shah,
Lahore

Teach women self defence

It is highly admirable how many schools are encouraging and teaching girls basics of self-defence, karate and kick-boxing as a part of their co-curricular activities. These exercises do more than just make women stronger; they make them more aware about their surroundings and play a pivotal role in their empowerment. It vests them with the power to be prepared for any unexpected situation that comes their way. All schools and colleges should be encouraged to train girls in these feats.

Muzamil Azeem,
Islamabad

Discouraging video games

For years, children have been growing up playing car and motorbike racing video games which allows them all sorts of things like breaking traffic rules, overspeeding, taking over and engaging in accidents for fun. What parents don’t realise is that these kids also grow up to do the same rule breaking in real life without feeling bound by laws. This is one of the main reasons why traffic management in Pakistan is an active issue and years after inception of the country, cannot be dealt with. If we addressed the problem at the root, with banning such games, it might bring about a much needed positive change.

Faisal Zari,
Peshawar