People are talking about —

-- the news that the Rahimyar Khan district administration has recovered more than Rs1 million compensation from seventy one of the suspects who vandalised the Bhong temple and handed it over to the members of the temple committee. People say the recovery has been made on the orders of the Supreme Court and it is heartening that this decision has been implemented because it will teach a lesson to miscreants who create trouble, destroy property then get away with it.

-- the sad fact that a divided vote led the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to reject the elevation of Justice Ayesha Malik to the Supreme Court as the first-ever woman judge in the country’s judicial history. People say the news of her elevation excited many activists and those who are in favour of talented and capable women being appointed to higher positions in their work place and there is disappointment that she has been denied what she deserved.

-- Rasool Pur, a village in Pakistan, that is a model for a perfect civilization because it has a100% literacy and 0% crime rate, which the elders have achieved by their firm commitment towards education and community engagement. People say the village has a population of about 3,000 people, yet no one throws litter anywhere; it is a non-smoking zone; no one tries to cross the line when it comes to maintaining law and order and it shows what can be done if there is a will.

-- the report that a license has been granted to operate a budget airline on the domestic circuit under the name ‘Fly Jinnah.’ People say this nomenclature for a commercial venture is not respectful to the Father of the Nation and may lead to people drawing their own meanings which would be a shame, so it would be more appropriate to give it another title as the name ‘Jinnah’ should only be used for government ventures and those of national interest.

-- the repair and renovation work at the Quaid’s mausoleum and other heritage sites and how these are carried out in a careless manner by those who are contracted to do the work as they do not value these historical sites but are only interested in the remuneration, employing unskilled labour to carry out repairs and renovations which require skilled persons. People say the archaeology departments responsible should be held responsible for this lack of commitment to restore buildings properly.

-- the case of the video that became the centre of criticism by certain sections of society because it was screened inside a mosque by professional actors despite the fact that no sequence of song and dance was shot inside the mosque and its sanctity was respected. People say visitors, many of them couples, take pictures and shoot videos when they visit historical religious sites and post them on social media and no one objects, so why the fuss.

-- how we as a nation have become lazy and careless and expect the government to do everything even though a majority of people do not pay tax and the government is forced to collect it by other means. People say for example, while there are a few exceptions to this behaviour, trying to motivate citizens to work on a collective self-help basis to keep the areas where we live neat and clean is impossible because ‘it is the job of civic authorities!’ – I.H.