Book controversy

This refers to the article ‘A perfect match’ (June 11) by Syed Talat Hussain. A lot more is being discussed on the media regarding the ‘revelations’ made by Reham Khan in her book. A series of accusations and counter-accusations are aired every day on TV channels. However, the big question is: have the charges of corruption or other allegations of misdemeanours against any politician ever caused a dent on the concerned leaders’ vote banks?

Pre-election polls have revealed that diehard supporters of any politician have unwavering loyalty for their favourite leader. Gone are the days when moral values of a leader determined the opinions of voters. People are fed up of persistent loadshedding, unemployment, inflation and poverty. They simply want to see a messiah who can bring about a change in their lives.

Dr Najeeb A Khan

Islamabad

*****

We were under the impression that political parties and other state institutions have matured. But after watching reports about Reham Khan’s scandalous book, it seems that nobody in this country will ever learn any lessons from the past. Whether it involved the IJI’s notorious vilification campaign against Benazir Bhutto and Nusrat Bhutto or the PTI’s social media brigade, which launches obscene attacks on anybody who dares to differ with their views, the only thing that was missing were civil ethics.

People expected major issues that confront them to be subject of political debates. The shape of the economy; tax evasion; the impending water shortage; massive corruption, the illegal grabbing of state and private land by the powerful land mafia; and healthcare and education woes should have been the topic of discussion before the 2018 elections. Instead, all that people hear is this smear campaign based on obscenities and fabrication.

G. Zaman

Peshawar