People are talking about —

—- the sad news that the lingering misery of Karachi Zoo elephant, Noor Jehan came to a tragic end as she succumbed to her ailment. People say it is sheer neglect on the part of the zoo authorities that they did not notice she was unwell as her condition began with limping and deteriorated quickly to a worrying condition that left her partly paralysed. People say the demand by animal lovers that the Karachi zoo should be shut down, are justified.

—- the news that Sri Lanka has pledged to provide two elephants to Pakistan as a gesture of goodwill in the aftermath of the unfortunate demise of Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo. People say while this is a kind gesture by Sri Lanka, either the government should politely decline or if it accepts, then the elephants should be kept in a reserve with proper facilities as zoo managements cannot look after them and they are confined to small, inappropriate spaces.

—- the fact that all through the month of Ramazan, most restaurants offer ‘Sehri’ and ‘Iftar-cum-dinner’ buffet at prices of their own liking and with a vast variety of food on offer, resulting in perpetually increasing the number of dishes due to competition. People say this means that a lot of food is wasted, which is highly condemnable and something that needs to be stopped immediately. It can be done by having suitable legislation and then executing it with effective monitoring.

—- the disturbing report that Pakistan’s state-owned entities (SOEs) are the worst in South Asia and their combined losses growing faster than assets, resulting in a significant drain on scarce public resources and posing a substantial risk to the sovereign - on an annual basis, they swallow more than Rs458bn in public funds to stay afloat. People say those who are against privatisation of the SOE’s should think rationally and allow them to be privatised for the sake of the country’s welfare.

—- the sad fact that South Asia carries the highest burden of child marriage in the world, indicating how unsuccessful rights activists and policymakers have been in protecting children, as new estimates released recently by UNICEF suggest that there are around 290m child brides in the region, with Pakistan having the highest number. People say only Sindh has a law which prohibits the marriage of girls under eighteen and other provinces should follow the lead and strictly uphold the law.

—- the report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and its the key findings of the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES), which reveals that 16% of the population is experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity. As a result, the vulnerability to food insecurity and hunger remains a threat to the nation. People say this issue can be resolved once new techniques are introduced and we empower our farmers and facilitate them with modern machinery so that they can produce good quality food.

—- one of the most horrifying forms of gender-based violence in Pakistan is throwing acid on women with an aim to take revenge, disfigure and harm the person and the fact that it has long-lasting physical and psychological consequences. Nearly 150 incidents of acid attacks are reported every year in Pakistan and usually carried out on women by males for various reasons. People say the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) should take serious notice of this issue and try to eliminate it. —-