LETTER (July 30, 2010): In the politics of governance, the ruling party or a coalition is just a variable, though it can return to power in subsequent and staggered election schedules, prematurely, incidentally or upon end of tenure. Nothing is permanent in this regard, even in the abnormal political system of Pakistan where corruption, mismanagement, misuse of power, nepotism, thievery, forgery and incompetence are the constants in the equation of political dispensation, across the board.

LETTER (July 29, 2010): On July 24, 2010, Khalid Mirza, retired as Chairman, Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), after completing his term of the said office. It puts an end, to a very distinguished career; especially as regulatory head, first at the SECP, and then at the CCP.

LETTER (July 29, 2010): The progress of any country can be assessed through its economic development. At the same time, it is a mandatory goal of every democratic country to work for the welfare of their people and to provide them with all the basic necessities. Power outages is a common issue, routinely observed by the citizens of Pakistan.

LETTER (July 28, 2010): This has a reference to the letter of Abdul Samad Halepoto of Dadu appeared in your newspaper of 26th July 2010. To put the record straight, our Dadu branch was badly burnt during the violence that broke out in the aftermath of assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. It was refurbished temporarily as no alternate space was available to shift the branch as it holds SBP currency chest for the district of Dadu.

LETTER (July 28, 2010): Despite economic instability and a relatively derailed law and order situation, Pakistan had never been in a vulnerable position as it is by participating as an active American ally in the global war on terror.

LETTER (July 27, 2010): A new index to measure poverty levels has been developed by the United Nations Development Program and Oxford University which is said to provide a "multidimensional" picture of people living in poverty and could help target development resources more effectively.

LETTER (July 26, 2010): According to a news item, David Cameron, the British PM, recently, took a commercial flight on an official visit to the US, saving the exchequer around $300,000. Under normal circumstances, a prime minister would charter a Boeing 747 or 767 for his private use or would fly on a military jet. In the grand scheme of things, the amount isn't that significant - but the gesture is huge.

LETTER (July 26, 2010): I am a pensioner. I draw my pension from NBP, Dadu, every month, which owing to the indifferent staff, has become a torture not only for me, but also to all pensioners of the area, who have to stand in long queues for hours under scorching sun. I, time and again, tried to draw the attention of the high-ups of NBP towards the maltreatment being meted out to the public, but my efforts went in vain.

LETTER (July 25, 2010): Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani all of sudden appeared on television to announce the extension of General Ashfaq Pervaz Kayani for three years as a Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). The Prime Minister said that after consultation with President Asif Ali Zardari, the government had decided to relax the rules and give the extension to General Kayani for another full term.

LETTER (July 25, 2010): Three recent news items prove that as far as women are concerned, we're still living in the Stone Age. The first, about a woman being gang-raped, should not shock us anymore. This is the kind of incident that happens regularly, so much so that it would be shocking if it didn't occur on any given day. Yet it proves that the poor women in rural areas are treated worse than animals. At least the females of other species are not raped by males!