People are talking about —

— the rapid conversion of agricultural land surrounding cities into housing societies, ignoring the fact that our food crops and the all-important cotton crop require vast tracts of agricultural land, whereas our expanding dairy farming and poultry farming sectors also require considerable amounts of rural lands to operate. People say we must divert more financial resources towards agriculture, which provides lifesaving food and is essential to the well-being of the country’s citizens, instead of investing in concrete jungles.

— the British-Pakistani Sufi Opera star, Saira Peter, who has received a special letter of appreciation from Buckingham Palace for her recording of the British national anthem following the coronation of King Charles III. This is something to be proud of as many of those who do well abroad say their roots are from here, bringing laurels for the country but belong to what is referred to sadly, as the ‘minority community,’ who have been hounded to leave the country.

— how top government officials are touring the world to solicit investment in the country, which foreign investors are wary of doing, as even the rich citizens prefer to send their money abroad rather than help to make the country prosperous and self-sufficient. People say if our ruling elite were to reinvest their wealth in the country and lead by example, it might go a long way towards making Pakistan seem like a safer bet for foreign investors.

— the surge of targeted attacks on journalists in recent months and how it is an alarming development that may deter many of them from doing what they do as part of their job to inform the public of what is going on in the country. People say while these methods are reprehensible, what is even more condemnable is that in many cases families are also targeted to try and coerce them to toe the line the perpetrators of these attacks want.

— the lack of green spaces in cities and the innovative solution to the problem - the establishment of community gardens in empty plots which have the potential to offer numerous benefits like access to fresh produce, opportunities for community engagement and promoting goodwill. With due planning, these gardens can help the financially challenged and give entire neighbourhoods an opportunity to benefit from organic vegetables, fruits, eggs and poultry, while also giving the elderly an activity to look forward to every day.

— the charge of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ levelled by an inmate of a woman’s Welfare Home when she left it after two days of ‘agony’ and reported it to a Sessions judge. People say all allegations such as this should be thoroughly investigated when they are made and if true, there should be strict action taken against the home since it is not the first time it has been exposed in this manner, especially with preliminary investigations finding some of the allegations correct.

— the sad fact that in government advertisements published to celebrate Youm-e-Takbeer, only pictures of political entities were published while the scientists who were responsible for achieving this milestone were missing. People say we should give credit to those who work selflessly and tirelessly for the good of the country no matter in which capacity or cadre it may be instead of praising

our glorified leaders who have the power to give the go ahead but are not involved in the process. — I.H.