People are talking about —

-- the few sane voices in the lawyers community who are condemning the attack on a hospital in Lahore by their unruly colleagues and how heartening it is for the general public to know that these persons have the courage to speak up. People say most law abiding citizens are afraid to speak up about issues that concern them in case they – or more importantly, their families -- are targeted by those who do not hesitate to retaliate in a violent manner.

-- the fact that families who have a member infected with AIDS are being ostracized by members of the community as well as their own relatives. People say lack of knowledge about the disease is the main cause of the humiliation faced by persons who are suffering from AIDS and medical experts need to educate the public, by as many means as possible, about the disease so that unnecessary anguish is not added to the stress patients already face.

-- the large number of young graduates in all fields, especially engineering and medical, who are leaving the country for greener pastures because there are no job opportunities for them here. People say while a few graduates - who question what will happen if everyone leaves and decide to stay on – the majority depart to make a better life for themselves, so the government must concentrate on development and creating jobs to stop the brain drain, otherwise the country will suffer immeasurably.

-- the demand by students that unions should be restored in higher educational institutions and how it has been supported by political parties, probably to garner votes at election time. People say student unions had become overly politicized and created unrest in colleges and universities, which disrupted the academic activities of the students, causing the then government to ban them but there is no harm in restoring them under strict rules of what their agenda should be.

-- the fact that there are hundreds of spurious law colleges around the country and how these need to be regulated or closed because they are not functioning according to the prescribed formula of what is required to practice law. People say there should be an extended course of four or five years in reputable law colleges and a license should only be given to those who pass all the criteria that make a good lawyer who is proud of his profession.

-- the stupid idea of a prank that has killed two men – one in Lahore and one in Karachi – because their bodies were filled with air with a tyre pressure pump - and how this trend needs to be nipped in the bud before it catches on and causes more unnecessary deaths. People say innocent pranks that cause a laugh or two between the pranksters and their ‘victims’ are acceptable but when they cause a death or even distress, they are unacceptable.

-- the news item that has a video/song by Abrar ul Haq has hurt the sentiments of some men (read lawyers) who have filed a petition in the Lahore civil court against him ‘for ridiculing men in the guise of women empowerment.’ People say if a song can have such an effect on the thinking of some males they must have doubts about their own masculinity, otherwise it’s just a light-hearted dig to counter the gender discrimination which exists in the country. – I.H.

from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2tCl9bX