LAHORE: The conductors of a bus, who allegedly tortured special children on Friday, when they were travelling to their institute in Gulberg, in a statement to police said that they did not torture the victims but asked them not to misbehave.

Gulberg police arrested both the conductors named Usman and Akram Shah. Investigation Officer Taimoor Abbas said that every arrested suspect concocts a story to justify his acts.

What suspects were doing was quite obvious from the video. One of the suspect said that a victim had jumped onto the seat of a senior boy. He admonished him not to do so. “What he did was not torture”, he claimed.

The conductors have been suspended by the school administration after the incident. The issue was highlighted when a video went viral in which two conductors were torturing special children, abusing them and making fun of them.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | ‘We did not torture special children’

KARACHI: This is in response to Syed Mohammad Ali’s article titled ‘Campus violence: causes and remedies’ published on October 13^th. I agree with Mr Ali’s solution on countering extremism on university campuses by lifting the ban on student unions. The world over the presence of student unions on college and university campuses has seen more positive impacts on students’ intellect by letting them participate in political debates to understand their surroundings better through a political prism. By eliminating the use of violence to enforce ideologies and letting a free flow of political debate and student elections, university students are more likely to become more responsible citizens of society, steering clear of being radicalised.

The authorities concerned should look into the matter seriously and consider lifting the ban and devising a strategy that would keep violence out of campuses but ensure free flow of ideas.

Sukaina Bano

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | Student unions

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior has rejected the recent bill on child marriage that proposed to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 from 16 on ground of its being un-Islamic. The head of the committee claimed that he had discussed the issue with religious scholars and they were of the opinion that girls can be married before the age of 18 under Islamic injunctions.

Even if we assume this interpretation is true, it is important to understand that Islam lays equal emphasis on practicalities. In Pakistan, early marriages have time and again been proven to give rise to multiple problems: from stunted children, poor health of women — especially those rearing children at a young age, depriving young girls of their right to education and choice, among other things. In an era where educating girls is not only important to empower them but also leads to economic development, it is unfortunate that the committee has rejected the bill.

How is the democratic leadership really committed to achieving the SDGs when it can’t even stop a practice that puts lives of half of its population at risk by letting them getting married below the age of 18 years?

Michelle Khalid 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | Child marriage bill

KARACHI: Traffic is always a major concern in Karachi and although the traffic police in the city have often come under strict scrutiny for failing to handle the situation, the recent step taken by them in the busy Shaheed-e-Millat expressway is commendable.

The traffic police present in the area have resorted to puncturing at least two tyres of a car that is found parked in the no-parking area on the expressway that is right opposite Iqra University. Often, students and faculty members of the university opt to park their cars on the road instead of parking them at the allotted parking lot that can accommodate over a hundred cars. As a result, the smooth flow of the traffic on the expressway is broken, and despite constant warnings by the traffic police the motorists appear to show no remorse. However, this new step of puncturing their parked cars is an effective way of communicating civic sense to the thick-skinned populace of the city.

Such a strategy should also be applied in other areas with a similar problem to ensure smooth traffic flows. It’s time to use stringent measures to discipline motorists.

Ahmed Rajput

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | Traffic police’s commendable job

LAHORE : Recently, a district and sessions court in Sheikhupura handed down the death sentence to three members of the Ahmadiyya community for committing blasphemy. In the wake of hate speech against the community made by PML-N lawmaker Captain Safdar on the floor of the National Assembly, this news comes as a blow, shedding light on the manner the community is treated in the country. It is heartbreaking to see members of this community being pulled up by politicians in the country’s turmoil-laden atmosphere in an attempt to divert attention from the misconduct of the politicians themselves.

In the 70^th year of the country’s independence, it is necessary for Pakistan to address its long-standing problem of sectarian violence, which is often used to settle personal scores.

Saim Arshad Khan

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2017.

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Source: Tribune News | Sectarian violence