Citizenship and welfare
Madam,
Italy’s foreign minister proudly announced the return to the country of a Pakistani woman who it claimed had been taken by her family to Pakistan to have an abortion against her will after she got pregnant by her Italian boyfriend. The case of young Farah attracted a lot of interest in Italy following the recent strangulation in Pakistan of Sana Cheema, an Italian of Pakistani origin who police suspect was killed by her family because she refused an arranged marriage. Farah, 19, didn’t have Italian citizenship, only a residency permit. Nevertheless, the foreign ministry activated Italy’s embassy in Islamabad after Verona authorities heard from Farah’s friends that she had been tricked into going home and was forced to have an abortion.
This is an impressive feat by the government of Italy for its residents. I am impressed because if a Pakistani woman had been in such a situation abroad, I think no one would have bothered to fight for her welfare and she probably would not even be in the news in Pakistan. In fact, she would have had to rely on local authorities to act for her welfare and not the representatives of Pakistan there. It is impressive because it shows that Italy’s model of citizenship is fantastic. I wish our citizens and their lives were just as valuable to our state.
Saira Khan,
Via e-mail.
Child pornography
Madam,
Child pornography is illegal all over the world. However, according to a survey published by Google, Pakistan is among the countries with there is a huge audience for pornography. As many as 1,000 porn sites and 400,000 adult websites have been blocked here. It was reported by The Telegraph that the pornographic advertisements and images were downloaded millions of times on Google Play Store. There are approximately 60 applications which were infected with malware that sent malicious, adult-themed adverts to the smartphones on which the games were installed. One wonders what kind of images our children are seeing on their phones and computers. One is also worried that this is promoting a dangerous culture among our youth. I urge the government to take stricter action to curb access to pornography in this country.
Mehraj Altaf,
Turbat.
Rape culture
Madam,
The Pakistani government has failed to effectively tackle rape culture in this country. Even innocent children are vulnerable and can become victims of gangs who use them for profits. This rape culture can destroy the lives of the many people. We are failing to maintain peace and humanity in this country, where the lives of small children are at stake. Every day, we receive news about one rape or the other. Parents are afraid of sending their children to school to seek education because of this environment. Children represent the future and should be nourished and protected so that they can grow up to become well-rounded individuals. However, in Pakistan, they grow up in fear and are vulnerable to many dangers. The government must take action to tackle this issue.
Shakeel Phullan,
Turbat.
Dual nationalities
Madam,
In a country where unemployment haunts millions, why should Pakistan give jobs to those who have pledged to “absolutely and entirely renounce all allegiance and fidelity” to their state? Those who seek citizenship in United States or other countries have to take such an oath and it is an unfortunate truth that many of our serving civil officers have taken such oaths while draining state resources on lavish homes in Pakistan.
Pakistan is isolated because Foreign Service is dominated by dual nationals. Ever wonder why State Bank, National Bank, Pakistan State Oil and others fail to curtail corruption? The Aviation Division has recently revealed that it has 34 employees (out of 210) who had concealed their foreign nationalities. No wonder dual nationals employed in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are preferred for promotions and international postings. It is not a coincidence that 280 of 650 PIA pilots have dual nationalities. It should also explain why the Establishment Division of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other agencies are hesitant to disclose those holding foreign passports.
Zaman,
Peshawar.