FREELANCERS’ WOES: Pakistan is one of the most popular destinations in the global online freelance sector. Freelancing itself has given the economy a boost by generating around $3.2 billion in the last financial year. But all this has come to a standstill ever since the government’s attempts at installing firewalls. This has slowed down the internet significantly, causing severe distress to freelancers whose jobs depend on fast-speed internet. If this continues, we will see a mass exodus of businesses from Pakistan.

Aamna Shahid
Karachi

CHILD BEGGARS: This refers to the editorial ‘Child beggary’ (Sep 15). Every year, the ratio of child beggars increases as no action is taken to combat the issue. Over 90 per cent of the children begging are sexually abused. The Asian Human Rights Commission estimates that approximately 2.5pc to 11pc of Pakistan’s population is begging, and 1.2 million children are on the streets of our urban centres. Additionally, lack of education, poverty, inflation and the climate crisis are major problems contributing to the increasing number of child beggars. The government should take action to protect child beggars, provide them with proper care, and education for the nation’s benefit.

Rahim Dad
Kech

TELECOM SECURITY: The recent pager attacks, followed by walkie-talkie blasts, have caused significant destruction in Lebanon and Syria, resulting in several casualties. The incident exposed major security flaws within Hezbollah’s internal control system, and demonstrated the capabilities of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. These attacks have alarmed the global community, highlighting the vulnerability of electronic devices to security breaches. It is rather crucial for government officials and security agencies in Pakistan to keep an eye on the issue. There is an urgent need to reassess as well as overhaul the country’s security framework, developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to handle the emerging security challenges.

Munir Ahmed
Quetta

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024