People are talking about —

— the murder of a popular artiste who enthralled the world with his rendering of ‘qawwali’ and how the whole country as well as his fans worldwide are mourning his senseless murder. People say many subscribe to the belief that countries can be won through war but if you want to defeat a nation, you have to kill the artists, thinkers, scholars and lovers and this is probably a grand plan by enemies of the country to destabilize it.

— the ‘missing sugar’ at the open markets and how it is a foregone conclusion that because Eid is around the corner, those who deal in the commodity are going to make a huge profit since sweet treats are the order of the day during this festive occasion. People say instead of being considerate and thoughtful during this holy month hoarders and profiteers take advantage of the rising demand and make hay while the sun shines.

— naming the new Islamabad International Airport after the great social worker, Abdul Sattar Edhi and how thousands of his admirers have signed a petition and are lobbying for the same. People say public places named after political entities are often changed when a ‘new’ government comes to power but if they are named after individuals who have served humanity, like Edhi has done, then they will remain permanent and no one will keep changing their names.

— the mystery of the eight dead buffaloes found in a house located in a posh sector of the capital and how it has baffled the law enforcing agencies, who have still not found the person responsible. People say it was only after the emitting of a foul smell from the house that the dead cattle were discovered on investigation but no previous activity was noticed and shows how neighbours remain ignorant of what is going on around them.

— cyber fraud and how ignorant or uneducated persons fall victim to messages sent by cunning operators congratulating them for having won huge amounts of money in ‘lucky draws’ and schemes like the BISP and all they have to do is deposit a small fee to get their prize. People say while this kind of scam has been going on for a long time there are no public service messages to warm the public to be careful, which should be initiated.

— the Metro Bus station at the old parade ground that was damaged by protestors and how it has not been fixed though there has been ample time to do so. People say if the government cannot control destruction of public service utilities then it has to fix them or make those who were responsible for the damage accountable because it is not fair that a majority of persons suffer the consequences of the acts of a few misguided individuals.

— the statement by the PEMRA that it ordered the discontinuation of two programmes on two different TV channels because it had received about eleven hundred SMS messages complaining about them. People say if a small minority such as this can influence what we can or cannot watch, discuss and debate on during these programmes then the saying ‘Majority is authority’ or democratic norms have no meaning and we should revert to the authoritarian rule of the jungle. — I.H.