DOUBLE STANDARDS: International bodies waste no time issuing notes of condemnation when things go wrong against minorities in Pakistan. I wonder why these very bodies choose to observe silence when things go wrong against the Muslims, like, for instance, in Sweden, Israel and India. Palestinians, Kashmiris, Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians and Muslims in other parts of the world have been facing brutalities for long. Even state terrorism is ignored in such cases.

Why? Islam protects the rights of the minorities and strictly prohibits the damaging of their places of worship. But why are these so-called international bodies unable to see the oppression against the Muslims in non-Muslim countries? Adeel Ahmed Malik Rawalpindi FREELOADERS: The self-styled VIPs in the country often fly off to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Haj. Can we, the regular taxpayers belonging to the salaried class, know on whose account this facility is made available to government and state functionaries? On the one hand, additional taxes are imposed on us ostensibly under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while, on the other hand, huge expenditure from government revenue is made without any regard for the fact that the salaried class contributes the most to the national tax-collection machinery. Who ends up bearing the cost of something very personal and religious obligation of the high and mighty of the land? Are the people on such voyages unable to afford such travels on their own? If they cannot, why do they even plan the journey? Hasan Tharani Karachi ONE-WAY STREET: The prices of all commodities every single commodity shoots up with the increase in petroleum prices. However, it is not the case when the government announces a reduction in petroleum prices. The once-increased prices of commodities remain unchanged. The phenomenon of one-way movement of commodity prices is really mindboggling because it defies logic.

Mumraiz Khan Karachi