IT goes without saying that American withdrawal from Afghanistan will have serious and long-term implications on the entire region. Pakistan is no exception. However, timely realisation and proactive planning to drift away any potential threat to peace is the need of the hour.

The majority of the fence on Pakistan’s longest and most porous border, the Durand Line, is believed to have been completed. The leftover portion, which is about 10 per cent, should be completed without any delay and well before the deadline for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. This will help to prevent the crossing of unwanted elements into Pakistan or vice versa.

The recent unrest reported in Balochistan and some districts of the merged areas are ominous signs of the deteriorating peace in the region. This must be tackled wisely. Increasing internal security, empowering police force in the merged districts, enhancing intelligence presence, taking locals into confidence, and, above all, smooth coordination among all security agencies must be ensured.

Pakistan, especially the terror-affected province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the merged areas, cannot afford another wave of instability and volatility. Let peace be given a chance. ‘Pakistan first’ policy must be adopted to ensure sustainable and long-lasting peace in the region.

Fazal Rehman Safi
Peshawar

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LET us not wrap ourselves with a false sense of patriotism. Let us face reality and take steps for Pakistan’s safety. With the withdrawal of United States troops, the new situation developing in Afghanistan will soon go from bad to worse, with various stakeholders fighting to take control of the country. This, along with exodus of refugees, will affect Pakistan, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

With such a situation emerging in our neighbourhood, it is incumbent upon the US to be readily available to assist the legally installed government in Afghanistan. In Pakistan’s own security interest, the idea of allowing the US some foothold can be considered. We need peace in the region, especially on our borders.

While securing the Durand Line is the concern of our own armed forces, we have to guard ourselves from the effects of deteriorating situation inside Afghanistan. While allowing the US to maintain peace in the region and boost our own security concerns, we can always take China and Russia into confidence.

Col (retd) Sayed G.B. Shah Bokhari
Peshawar

HIJAB BAN: Headscarves, or hijabs, are seen as a sign of suppression in many Western countries when the fact of the matter is that many Muslim women wear it by choice and consider it a part of their identity. Some European countries have officially declared a ban on wearing hijab at public places. I fail to understand that if a hat or hoodie is allowed in these countries, why do they ban headscarves and violate Muslim women’s rights to practise their religion with freedom?

Laiba Dar
Karachi

IN BAD TASTE: This refers to the letter ‘An undiplomatic tweet’ (June 3). What the British diplomat had done was indeed a good deed, but, as the letter pointed out, the remark of ‘safai nisf eiman hay’ was in bad taste. The remark was far from what one expects from a diplomat.

S. Zaki Hasan
Karachi

EHSAAS PROGRAMME: The process of cash distribution of the Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme is quite inconvenient for the poor, especially the women who have to travel miles to reach the disbursement centres and wait under the scorching sun to receive the cash. These centres are not only built far from each other, but they also lack basic facilities, such as drinking water and washrooms. The relevant authorities are requested to devise an easy distribution process to save the poor from further misery.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2021