Arrogant blunder

This refers to the news story, ‘One who created PAL has been trashed’ (Sep 7, 2019) by Mobarik A Virk There is a vast difference between being educated and being just literate. An educated person, after qualifying from a conventional or recognised institution or any other place of learning, turns into a good human being. A person who only acquires a qualification, learning certain skills to get a job, start a manufacturing plant or any other business, becomes a literate person but not a good human being or a good citizen.

The arrogant secretary who removed the portraits of some of our legendary men of letters, some of whom are not only recognised in Pakistan but known internationally, probably he belongs to that small percentage of civil officers who are arrogant and proud ‘brown sahebs’. These people bring a bad name to our selected bureaucrats who join the civil services through tough competition. The majority of them are decent, wise and intelligent officers. Individuals, like the secretary in question, instead of looking after and serving the public, for which they are paid and given expensive perks and privileges, perform such stupid blunders from time to time. The honourable minister, looking after the Pakistan Academy of Letters, should not only restore the portraits in question to their original place but also reprimand the secretary concerned.

Sqn-Ldr (r) Tarique Mahmood Malak

Rawalpindi