“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” – Aristotle

Proper disposal of masks and gloves

As more people wear face masks and gloves in a bid to protect themselves in recent weeks, environmentalists have warned against disposing them incorrectly. Discarded face masks and gloves are piling up on beaches and pathways, streets and pavements, even car parks. Not only does leaving your protective gear on the streets have a detrimental impact on the environment, it also poses a wider risk to the community as those who end up in contact with the used gloves and masks – likely to be essential key workers – could get infected. Everyone should play their part in preventing the spread of this virus and properly disposing off our face masks and gloves is the least we all can do. So, after safely removing your gloves and mask, you can dispose of them in a trash can. Do not be the person that throws them on the ground!

Samiya Talal,
Karachi.

Ill behaviour towards Muslims in Indian hospitals

Recently, a newborn baby died in India after hospitals refused to treat the Muslim mother. Rizwana Khatun, 30, had rushed to the hospital after she began bleeding. Accused of spreading coronavirus, she was also beaten and asked to clean up after her and as a result, she had a miscarriage. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have blamed the spread of coronavirus on a Muslim missionary group meeting in New Delhi in mid-March. One hospital in the northern city of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh ran an advertisement saying it would not admit Muslims without a negative COVID-test. While Hindus are not being asked to provide proof. Many Muslims are reporting an uptick in hostility across India and say they are being refused access to some pharmacies and grocery stores. Sadly, even at such a difficult time, India hasn’t stopped its biasedness towards Muslims.

Aasma Habib,
Lahore.

Politics in the time of corona

As the world buckles under the merciless COVID-19, the most developed countries are doing their fatigued best to operate within the limits of their overwhelmed healthcare systems. Italy is removing its dead in army vehicles. Iran, a country burdened under international sanctions, seems beaten, trying to make its emaciated medical facilities work. The USA, with its inexplicably late response to the enormity of COVID-19, is closing one city after the other, agonised where to treat its daily-increasing cases of COVID-19. The media in most countries has a single-point agenda: COVID-19. In Pakistan, media also has a single-point agenda: how to politicise coronavirus while saying how not to politicise coronavirus. While the world is united in its agony of once-in-a-century pandemic, where almost all the countries of all the continents except Antarctica are watching in terror-stricken sadness their young and old, their rich and poor, their healthy and frail testing positive for coronavirus, and when the international media has synchronised all its coverage and reportage to COVID-19, the Pakistan media has questions and remarks that have not much to do with coronavirus. In fact, opposing parties are taking the virus as an opportunity to blame each other for the further spread of virus and for the economic state of the country. They are not understanding that the government alone cannot make the lockdown work. Countries worldwide have locked down most of their cities to contain the spread of coronavirus and the citizens are respecting that. But in Pakistan, even after a significant surge in the number of positive COVID-19 cases, and after the provincial governments have ordered lockdown, citizens are still seen walking about the streets. Hence, instead of playing politics at such a time, the provincial and central government should take stricter steps in limiting the movement of the citizens.

Faizan Ahmed,
Karachi.