News Letter: ‘Deafening silence’

letters@dawn.com

To the Editor,

Daily “Dawn”, Karachi

Subject: Letters to the Editor

Sir,

I am a university student in KPK, and I would like to bring a particular matter to public notice, through
your respected daily. With election season around, political parties (especially big ones) are campaigning
around Pakistan, looking to gain public confidence and secure their vote bank once more after suffering
from the advent of Imran Khan. However all we see in their political campaigns and speeches is
unnecessary rhetoric/wordplay which is of no benefit to the Pakistani public.
Real concerns/issues of the public go completely unaddressed; masses are under intense pain from this
back breaking inflation, 40% of our population lives under the poverty line as per World Bank reports;
how can they afford to pay their electricity/gas bills (also ramping up as per IMF commands). No one
seems to understand the plight of the common man; how the middle class household is buried under
the burden of debt. Matters of real importance get no attention for instance; protests by Baloch
population asking for essential human rights, but their voice was disregarded by the media as we only
saw few glimpses of their story, also majority of the political parties refused to ascribe themselves with
the Baloch message in hopes of getting establishment favor, our fellow Pakistanis from Gilgit-Baltistan
protesting for some relief in wheat prices but getting minimal media coverage, it’s as if the elite of this
state live in a totally different world they cannot wrap their heads around the idea of people protesting
for basic necessities (food) or human rights (right to life/fair trial), as the 18th century French saying
goes, if the peasants don’t have bread; "Let them eat cake".
Politicians in their speeches mention inflation only as a formality to appease voters; no one brings forth
a proper plan to solve these grievances and difficulties, even the manifestos are mediocre (some parties
haven’t even presented one), and certainly there’s no credible plan of action. So through this daily I
would like to request politicians & establishment members please take into consideration this plea of a
Pakistani citizen, leave the political vendettas aside for once, now more than ever we need to be
together, together all parties and state institutions should construct proper policy, together all parties
from all provinces should form a ‘Charter of Economy’ to tackle key issues which are holding back
Pakistani state and stunting our national growth.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely

Hashim S.Khan

PO Jhangi, Abbottabad

Tel: 0347-2344170, 0326-9869876

Email: kratoa630@gmail.com