People are talking about—

— the strike by doctors in different parts of the country and how those in the medical profession appear to have forgotten their oath to serve humanity. People say it is heart-breaking to see patients of all ages suffering, especially those who cannot afford to go to private clinics and the doctors should find another way to protest instead of neglecting their sacred duty to treat the sick and ailing.

— the news that the CDA has sent notices to private hostels to shut down as it is illegal to use residential property for commercial purposes. People say the sad fact is that authorities do not take notice of what is going on under their noses and then suddenly wake up to take action against offenders. Students who are residing in the hostels are at worried as to where will they reside while attending their universities, which should have provided accommodation in the first place.

— the ‘cry baby’ attitude of losing candidates whenever an election is held in the country, whether it be the general elections or for single seats in any locality, a recent case in point the election in Larkana when the PPP candidate lost to the GDA nominee. People say political entities should learn to lose with grace and stop allegations that rigging has taken place because the winning candidate was supported by the powers that be.

— the fact that the police force still has persons in their ranks who go around asking couples who visit parks for their marriage certificates instead of sticking to what they are supposed to do, which is to provide a safe environment to the visitors. People say who has given these men the right to act as keepers of the citizen’s conscience and morality for we are not living in the dark ages and they should be admonished for their behaviour by their superiors.

— the repetitive coverage given to the preparations for the ‘sit in’ and ‘long march’ being planned by a political party that never won a majority in the general elections. People say while it is the right of everyone to protest, the public in general should not be forced to witness over and over again, the shenanigans of leaders who are certainly enjoying their new found ‘popularity’ after being relegated to the ‘has been’ list since long and should retire.

— the visit of the royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and how the news of their various activities were welcomed by viewers because of their charming attitude and pleasant manner. People say the public is generally fed up with the doom and gloom news items which are highlighted all the time and it was refreshing to see and read about something that had an upbeat vibe and showed the positive aspects of the country to the world.

— the two Pakistani engineers who have developed a prosthetic arm for disabled people during their university days with a class project aiming at making a name for themselves in the world of bio-robotics. The project has helped more than 30 disabled whose fingers and hand move in response to the signals transmitted by the brain, which sends electric currents commanding them to move. People say they should be encouraged, not only by the government but also private companies that work in this field. — I.H.