People are talking about —

— the fact that in its golden era, PIA was a global aviation leader, establishing airlines in developing nations and training their pilots; renowned for its safety, reliability and exceptional service and how decades of neglect, poor decisions and political interference have eroded this legacy. People say PIA’s revival is crucial for Pakistan’s economic growth so it is imperative that urgent steps are taken to address the root causes of its decline rather than considering a hasty sale at a significantly undervalued price

— the shameful news that Pakistani nationals will not be issued visas for the UAE because they have reportedly been involved in activities deemed inappropriate by the UAE government, such as protests, criticism of their government policies on social media and the misuse of online platforms. Additionally, concerns were raised over allegations of forged identity documents, such as altered identity cards and passports by certain individuals; involvement in criminal activities such as theft, fraud, begging and drug-related offences.

— the criticism that the revenue collection budget for the current fiscal year had been increased by 40pc, when the economy was growing at only 2 percent and how this remark clearly shows the mindset of the taxpayers. People say there is no direct relationship between the rate of growth of the economy and the increase in the stipulated hike in the total tax collection target. We are a nation of chronic tax evaders who are not even apologetic about it.

— the efforts by a few dedicated persons to bring back the culture of performing art, classical dance and music to our people as a society that has no music, no dance, no festivity is bound to collapse and pave ways for violence. As stated by a renowned dancer, seeing people connect emotionally with cultural performances is incredibly fulfilling, not only for them but the artistes as well, reaffirming the belief in the power of performing arts to inspire and provoke thought.

— ‘circular economy’ and how Pakistan can be a leading player because we generate a whopping 50,438 tonnes of municipal waste daily and can turn our trash mountains into gold mines. High-tech refurbishment centres giving new life to electronics; industrial parks where factory waste becomes raw material and so on. All we need is to get serious about infrastructure; proper collection and sorting systems; quality control; our universities to start teaching circular economy skills and the government to formulate smart policies and incentives!

— the incomprehensible decision to ban VPN’s which offer privacy and security for safe financial transactions and other transactions of a private nature, allowing one to access a plethora of information which is sometimes not readily available by conventional means. People say Pakistan’s software developers and IT professionals are utilizing this crucial technology for innovation and development, as they are frustrated with the slow speeds of the internet, making their work and tasks even more difficult.

— the three-month winter electricity relief package being offered by the government and how it appears to be an exercise in futility. Consumers have to find old bills (if they still have them) of 2022, 2023 and 2024 to note down the units consumed in December, January and February of those years and add up to 50% of units consumed in 2024, 30% in 2023 and 20% in 2022 to work out the benchmark for each month – unless of course, the power companies do the needful! — I.H.