IF the superintendent of police in charge of the operation against Minhajul Quran`s headquarters brought along characters like Gullu Butt, whose performance people saw on television, and who embraced and patted him for a job well done, it is not difficult to imagine how he would have organised and conducted the rest of the operation.

And then we had PML-N`s henchmen, who it seemed were trying to make up for the lack of performance in their ministries and hit hard at those who were protesting and criticising the government`s conduct.

And the action taken by the chief minister making the concerned SP an officer on special duty is too little and sounds more like an attempt to pacify public anger temporarily.

There is the possibility of reinstatement of the police officer to his former position or to an even more lucrative and prominent one as a reward for his loyalty once the dust is settled.

It is inconceivable that in a province where the chief minister keeps every thing under his thumb, and takes notice of even relatively less severe incidents, the police would have taken the action that they took without seeking clearance from higher authorities.

S.R.H. Hashmi Karachi (2) THOUGH the PAT activists were wrong in throwing stones at the police and creating hurdles while the police were trying to remove barriers from the road surrounding Dr Tahirul Qadri`s Minhajul Quran Complex, what the police did was terrible.

However, more shocking was Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif`s press conference, where he said he was unaware of the incident.

One wonders if the rulers were really unaware of the terrible incident, or if the Punjab police is an `unbridled` horse which is not in the control of `his majesty`.

Defending the police action, the newlyappointed Punjab Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, while talking to the media, said: `Police had to retaliate. They (protesters) were using AK-47s. They were firing indiscriminately on the policemen`. The question arises: if this was the case why was only one policeman killed? On the other hand, the police openly violated human rights, opening fire on unarmed protesters. It seems as if the police inPakistanhave alicense tokillinnocent people. Over the years law-enforcement agencies across the world have learnt new techniques to handle such situations like the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons, but our police are lagging behind.IF the superintendent of police in charge of the operation against Minhajul Quran`s headquarters brought along characters like Gullu Butt, whose performance people saw on television, and who embraced and patted him for a job well done, it is not difficult to imagine how he would have organised and conducted the rest of the operation.

And then we had PML-N`s henchmen, who it seemed were trying to make up for the lack of performance in their ministries and hit hard at those who were protesting and criticising the government`s conduct.

And the action taken by the chief minister making the concerned SP an officer on special duty is too little and sounds more like an attempt to pacify public anger temporarily.

There is the possibility of reinstatement of the police officer to his former position or to an even more lucrative and prominent one as a reward for his loyalty once the dust is settled.

It is inconceivable that in a province where the chief minister keeps every thing under his thumb, and takes notice of even relatively less severe incidents, the police would have taken the action that they took without seeking clearance from higher authorities.

S.R.H. Hashmi Karachi (2) THOUGH the PAT activists were wrong in throwing stones at the police and creating hurdles while the police were trying to remove barriers from the road surrounding Dr Tahirul Qadri`s Minhajul Quran Complex, what the police did was terrible.

However, more shocking was Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif`s press conference, where he said he was unaware of the incident.

One wonders if the rulers were really unaware of the terrible incident, or if the Punjab police is an `unbridled` horse which is not in the control of `his majesty`.

Defending the police action, the newlyappointed Punjab Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, while talking to the media, said: `Police had to retaliate. They (protesters) were using AK-47s. They were firing indiscriminately on the policemen`. The question arises: if this was the case why was only one policeman killed? On the other hand, the police openly violated human rights, opening fire on unarmed protesters. It seems as if the police inPakistanhave alicense tokillinnocent people. Over the years law-enforcement agencies across the world have learnt new techniques to handle such situations like the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons, but our police are lagging behind.The people will get justice only if those responsible are brought to justice.

HafizMuhammadIrfan Islamabad (3) WHILE the change of political regime through mass uprising may hardly produce structural transformations, the rhetoric of the Pal
Politicians and media specialists are debating the sanity of the provincial and federal governments in carrying out such a show of raw force.

As predicted by Hazrat Ali, societies and statescannotcontinue toexistinthe presence of injustice. Revolution in Pakistan has been long overdue.

However, broken, bullied, and bigoted people can never bring about meaningful revolutions.

The revolutions promising and actually delivering new worlds and better tomorrows require organisation.

Increasing mass unrest can invite the takeover of the federal and provincial governments by the armed forces. In this scenario, while all existing political parties may be the losers, the nation will also lose any chance of real salvation.

Dr Abdul Raoof Lahore North Waziristan AS the military operation Zarb-i-Azb continues, I find our collective baying for blood very concerning. In fact, it is scarily reminiscent of some White House rhetoric during the Bush era.

This should be a solemn occasion.

Glorifying it is a disservice to those who stand to lose their lives. I hope this latest development does not contribute to further violence. Given the morbid nature of war, though, I fear it may do exactly that.

We, as a nation, wish the armed forces success in attempting to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan.

E mad Shahid Germany (2) SINCE Operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan Agency has been launched, the safe evacuation of IDPs from the affected area must be ensured. The federal government and the administration of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are involved in redressing the difficulties of the IDPs.

However, it appears the national and provincial disaster management authoritieshave notbeen activated.

I urge the heads of the respective authorities to come forward in assisting the IDPs as the holy month of Ramazan is about to start, hence settlement of IDPs in camps must be ensured in time.

The federal minister concerned and the KP chief minister must have a close liaison so that the complaints of the displaced people can be addressed in time.

I hope that the prime minister will also personally supervise these activities.

Engr Raja Riaz Akbar Wah Cantt A doctor`s protest BELONGING to the medical profession and having 21 years of government service experience of the state health delivery system, I cannot comprehend what prompted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa`s health minister to make scapegoats of a dozen of his subordinates.

An attempt to avert the public backlash in such a manner might have serious repercussions.

The minister could not specify acts of the commission on the part of the poor health workers before ordering the registration of `intentional murder` cases against them.

The routine administration of a measles vaccine has little to do with complications that may appear later.

The `inquiry committee` constituted by the minister himself must have submitted the facts in detail.

He is unable to be precise about how the accused health workers took control to wrongfully administer measles vaccine to innocent children.

It must be taken into account that theworkers are duly trained before joining vaccination teams.

The minister, by virtue of his office, cannot be absolved of the responsibility of any wrongdoing on the part of his campaign team.

He should have resigned before declaring subordinate employees as `intentional murderers` Dr Irshad Memon Karachi Imran thanked ALTHOUGH Imran Khan has been at the centre of various controversies on many occasions, his untiring efforts in fundraising for social causes are laudable.

Most notable are his efforts in founding the charitable hospital Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH), as a tribute to his mother.

Recently, I underwent surgery at SKMCH and as daunting as the thought of entering a cancer hospital is, I can safely say the whole experience was exceptional, starting from the doctors` appointments, registration processes to the hospitality and dedication of the staff.

What`s truly commendable is the non-existence ofclass differencein treatment of the rich and the poor and that all patients are given the same respect and kindness.

Hats off to Imran Khan and his team. God bless you! Iffat R athore Islamabad Hockey on grass DUTCH hocl
And then he goes on to comment: `Many Pakistani players were naturally gifted...

but hockey is now a different game, it is less skill and more power...

However, Bovelander must realise that the Netherlands as well as other European members of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) are responsible for snuffing out the traditional hocl(ey that was played onnaturalgrass.

It is now over 30 years that FIH decreed that hockey should be played on Astroturf instead of grassy ground.

The Pakistani and Indian hockey federations were bamboozled into accepting the decision, although this resulted in the demise of traditional hockey in Pakistan and India.

IfBovelander and othergreat players really want to enjoy the technical beauty of traditional hockey, then they must try toconvince FIH that parallel tournaments should be held on grass. There may be one World Cup on Astroturf and one on grass.

Pakistan and India can again show their skills in the latter.

Azam Ismail Karachi Turbat woes TURBAT is an important city of Balochistan. It is the divisional headquarters of Makran, and Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, the chief minister, also belongs to Turbat.

Keeping all this in mind, I find it striking that the city appears to be an old village devoid ofeducationalinstitutions.

Besides,thereis a greatshortage of qualified and experienced teachers.

The residents of this area have been demanding educational institutions and qualified teachers for a long time but their demands have not been met yet.

Furthermore, the infrastructure is dilapidated and the roads are in poor state and consequently the city faces many traffic jams.

I urge the government to solve these problems as soon as possible and relieve the people of Turbat of their misery.

Bahram Sayad Turbat KU point buses T HIS is apropos the letter published in your newspaper `KU point buses` (June 17), which highlighted the problem of point buses at Karachi University for the evening programme.

I am a student of the morning programme and the issue is, if not more, equally problematic for me. Around 30,000 students are enrolled in the university and the number of point buses is not enough.

The point buses are limited in number and so overcrowded with students that one feels frightened that it might meet with an accident.

The students have no choice other than using point buses owing to financial constraints.

The authorities concerned are therefore requested to take an immediate step to facilitate the students.

Margum Firdous Karachi Letters should not exceed 350 words, and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Letters should carry the writer`s address, CNIC and phone numbers.-Editor