KASHMIR CONFLICT: For over seven decades, the Indian government has employed brutal tactics to suppress the freedom struggle in occupied Kashmir. Since January 1989, over 96,000 people have been martyred and thousands have suffered due to the conflict. The revocation of Article 370 in 2019 further inte-nsified the resistance movement. The recent electoral defeat of the ruling party in occupied Kashmir reflects the strong rejection of its policies. The ongoing occupation and heavy militarisation has not succeeded in breaking the resolve of the Kashmiri people. The peace and prosperity of the region hinge on a just resolution of the issue. However, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community.

Tasneem Yousuf
Karachi

UNREASONABLE FEE: The students enrolled in Computer Science programme at Atta Shad Boys Degree College in Turbat have been asked to pay unrea-sonably high fee, i.e. Rs8,000 to Rs9,000. On the contrary, according to the official notification, each student should be charged Rs3,000 regardless of their field of study. This notification is followed at Atta Shad Girls Degree College, but not at ours. Truly, many students cannot afford such high fee. We, the students, urge the administrators to adhere to the government’s notification and avoid imposing extra fee on students.

Qadir Abubakar
Turbat

IRRESPONSIBLE RESIDENTS: While sitting out with my family on a Sunday afternoon recently, I saw big clouds of smoke hovering over my head, and could smell the kerosene oil burning. This is not the first time it has happened. In essence, when autumn leaves fall, residents in Islamabad burn leaves and rubbish. Having seen the smoke, I called the relevant official immediately, but he said no one was available and that he would investigate the matter the next day. It is no wonder that Islamabad is not so neat and clean anymore.

This is, indeed, an unfortunate reality.

K. Hayat
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2024