People are talking about —

-- how, all over the world, motorways are planned to make the traffic flow efficient, not to provide special access to housing societies, because high speed motorways are generally planned away from housing schemes because of obvious reasons but exceptions even on this count are possible here in Pakistan. Do the motorway authorities realise how dangerous it is for high speed traffic? These elite owned societies should not be allowed along major roads or developed over thousands of acres of agricultural land but no one seems to care.

-- the failure of the government to tackle important issues such as youth unemployment as job opportunities appear to be restricted to a selected class, while political chaos, crime and general internal disorder have widened the gap between the people and the state. Unfortunately, the focus is not on the right priorities as a government’s popularity depends on good governance, treating people without any distinction and not curtailing their freedom because such restrictions have always backfired and shall backfire even more in future.

-- the objection to the privatization of government schools by some affected stakeholders. People say the major difference between a government and a private school is the lack of responsibility and accountability because private schools tend to have better systems of both and there is no denying the fact that they are performing relatively well. That is why thousands of private schools are functioning across the country and more are opening with each passing year, so government schools need significant reforms.

-- the fact that the current stamp paper system is run by vendors who have fake notarized stamps, so anyone can get any document verified through these vendors, who affix the stamp of any advocate without any verification procedure, charging huge sums of money for these illicit services. Surprisingly, law-enforcement agencies and legal fraternities are aware of this false and bogus practice but remain silent so the Punjab Board of Revenue’s decision to modernize and set right the prevalent procedure should be welcomed.

-- how the constant blame game between political parties and dereliction of duty has affected the people of Pakistan, as over the years, governments have failed to find solutions to the country’s problems, which are growing by the day leaving the public dejected. Experts say be it any form of government, the incompetence of policymakers is inexcusable and paints the perfect picture of how the ruling elite are motivated by self-interest rather than the duty of serving their nation and its citizens.

-- the fact that the government system assigned to collect taxes has failed and, unfortunately, it has resorted to unorthodox methods, the collection of various taxes via electricity bills is an example of how the government does not trust its own system but has more faith in utility companies to collect tax on its behalf. People say utility bills should be free from all kinds of taxes as their inclusion only raises the payable amount, leading to frustration and anger.

-- the frequent changing of captains in Test cricket which has disrupted the team’s momentum, leading to a lack of stability and consistency, though our talented players have consistently demonstrated exceptional skills, the constant shuffling of teammates has hindered their rhythm and performance. People think this lack of continuity has resulted in an inability to build cohesive team dynamics, ultimately affecting their performance, in addition poor selection policies have also significantly contributed to the problem.

– I.H.