COUPLE OF QUESTIONS: One would like to know how much is Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem, now a multimillionaire, spending, or planning to spend, on uplifting the poor condition of his village as also of its neighbouring town, Mian Channu. Besides, how many cheques, if any, have bounced from among the many that he has been handed recently in appreciation of his achievement? AsifNoorani Karachi CRICKET GIANTS: More than five decades ago in undivided Pakistan, the national cricket team hardly had any representation from its eastern wing. The reason often cited was that the cricketing structure of East Pakistan was not strong enough to produce quality players. The same less talented boys from the same poorly structured system recently whitewashed the `giants` who supposedly grew out of a strongly structured system.

Dr Perwaiz M. Yousuf Karachi BIGGER DISCOUNT: Pakistan`s consumer price index (CPI) in August clocked single digit of 9.6 per cent, which was the lowest in the last 48 months.

While it is a good news for the economy, there is a need to lower the discount rate set by the State Bank of Pakistan. All the big business associations have demanded a big cut in the discount rate, which is current lyset at 19.50pc. It should be 15pc in the present situation. The finance ministry must also bring down the higher taxratesto abearable levelin orderto give relief to the beleaguered masses.

Mumraiz Khan Karachi BALOCHISTAN CRISIS: This is with reference to the article `Balochistan cauldron` (Aug 28). Being an old employee of a petroleum company operating in Sui area, I quite agree with the analysis presented. While I was posted in Sui, I personally faced detention and harassment. It was obvious that the locals treated me and my colleagues as colonial officers of the British days. Things got worse after the assassination of Akbar Bugti.

Syed Safdar Hussain Karachi