People are talking about —

the initiative taken by  a few students of a private college in Karachi whereby they are educating the illiterate employees of the college in their spare time and what a good example this is of community service. People say if more students followed their praiseworthy example instead of indulging in petty politics; it would lead to an upsurge in the literacy rate as well as alleviate the problems such people face because they have not had access to a formal education.

— the alien species of fauna being planted along highways and water ways, which suck up our water and pollute our air, gradually taking over the country thanks to short-sighted officials with a “couldn’t care less” attitude. Experts say planting of alien species, especially water guzzling eucalyptus and pollen shedding conocarpas, which causes asthma in humans, has taken place extensively and unless steps are taken to reverse the damage the whole country will be without water and suffering from asthma.  

— the ‘in your face’ cheating that goes on during school and college examinations and how the unethical practice goes on despite the fact that the electronic media is recording it and telecasting it to the whole world. People say this goes to show that the cheaters are not afraid of any action being taken against them and makes it obvious that those who supervising the exam are involved, which leads to the conclusion that bribery and corruption are rampant in the department.

— the recently inaugurated Cadet College for Girls in Mardan and the fact that 80 young women from among 250 applicants from all over Pakistan have been selected for the first batch. People say while the choice of city has come as a surprise, the fact that the provincial government has taken this step to further education is appreciated by parents and students alike as well as those who are in favour of girls getting the same opportunities as boys.

— the violence that erupted after a group of students reignited an old, petty issue between two students from different province. People say it’s obvious that one party was still bearing a grudge and decided to bring up the issue again, which lead to the scuffle but students who study together should adopt a ‘forgive and forget’ attitude as these are times to create happy memories and form lasting friendships before going out into the world to earn a living.

— the growing craze for taking ‘selfies’ that the younger generation has adopted as part of their social routine and how, sadly, older people are indulging in this phenomenon  as well. People say ‘selfie’ addicts do not bother to adhere to principles of good behaviour or mind their manners when they want to take a picture to post on social media, while it is distressing to see sycophants in various places of official business also doing the same to please their superiors.

— the dilemma of ‘heavy vehicle’ traffic and how it is a problem that needs to be solved all over Pakistan. People say the recent strike in Karachi by transporters using heavy vehicles has allegedly cost a lot in lost business but the amount that goes up in smoke on a daily basis when smaller vehicles are stuck for hours in uncontrolled traffic is worse and the courts orders to confine heavy traffic to night-time hours should be taken seriously.