People are talking about —

— the fact that several mineral-rich countries, including Pakistan, remain economically underdeveloped despite their vast natural wealth. Poor governance, corruption, political instability, resource-related conflicts and mismanagement have hindered their ability to harness these resources for national prosperity. These treasures are often offered to foreign corporations for exploration and export, yielding minimal returns. People say by not investing in domestic capacity and handing over assets to perpetuates a cycle of dependency, losing out on both economic growth and long-term self-sufficiency.

— how the continuous rise in prices of essential items has made it extremely difficult for middle and lower income families to make ends meet as salaries have remained stagnant, while the cost of living continues to rise every month. People say while the government claims that inflation has gone down and the economic situation is improving, the reality is different and rulers need to go out and about and see the frustration, anxiety and a growing sense of hopelessness among the public.

— how, despite all the talk about climate change it is regretful that whenever some project is launched to ‘protect’ the environment, it ends up in the destruction of greenbelts and chopping down of trees, which happened when CDA, in the name of protecting the environment by eliminating pollution from fossil fuels and promoting public transport, launched a fleet of electric buses. Unbelievably, a huge strip of greenbelt was also destroyed to construct a depot for these buses instead of using some other land.

— the urgent need for the government to implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce cigarette smoking across the country as related illnesses and deaths are estimated to cost nearly Rs700 billion annually in economic and healthcare losses. People say without decisive action, the health and economic burden of smoking will escalate as the measures taken so far have failed to produce desired results, probably due to the lucrative nature of the tobacco industry, which appears to have overshadowed public health implications.

— any good news that always brings joy to those who are depressed about all the negative things going on in the country and how our young entrepreneurs and athletes are the ones who are giving us cause to celebrate. People say the Pakistan flag was flying high at the Melbourne squash courts as our young squash players bagged four gold and one silver medal at the Australian Junior Open Championship, giving hope that Pakistan will regain its spot as No.1 in the sport.

— how the challenges posed by the convoluted electricity tariff structure makes it nearly impossible for the average consumer to understand their electricity bill, leading to significant difficulties in planning monthly expenses as the unpredictability of electricity costs is a burden on households and also severely impacts businesses and industries. People say a more transparent and straight forward system will empower consumers to manage their finances better and enable businesses to plan their operations with confidence.

— the first Sindhi language calculator based on artificial intelligence (AI) developed by a 16-year-old girl student which will support Sindhi speaking business persons in carrying out their daily tasks. People say the achievement will also come as an encouragement to women in overcoming the various obstacles they generally face while making their way in terms of careers in the field of scientific innovation, bringing into focus the change that we need in the country’s educational landscape, highlighting the importance of skill development. — I.H.