AFGHANISTAN has been at war for a long time. This has left Afghanistan in ruins.

It lacks proper administration, governance and communication infrastructure. The statistics available are not as accurate as they should be. The estimated population of A fghanistan is 29.82m.

If Afghanistan has suffered from wars, so have its neighbours, including Pakistan and Iran. After the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, more than 2.8m Afghan refugees sought shelter in Pakistan and about 1.5m have fled to Iran.

In 1989, after the withdrawal of the Russian troops, tribal and urban groups, known as Mujahideen, arose and later on formed the Taliban.

Many Afghan refugees stayed back in Pakistan, being an extra burden on the economy. As a result, there is unemployment.

Most Afghan immigrants have no documentation of any kind. Hardly any of them have ID or any record of their permanent location.

This has helped culprits because they are notafraid ofbeingidentiñed orrecognised.

Most drug dealers, illegal arms dealers, car lifters or smugglers are Afghan refugees that have made permanent shops in the border areas.

The easy access to illegal weaponry has promoted the Kalashnikov culture and has made weaponry easily available to the common man at a very reasonable price.

We have to change our border policies.

Sumaira Zeb Karachi Mansehra tragedy MANSE HRA is in a state of melancholy. The reasonis the sadincidentthattook place a few days ago in Mansehra. A girl of grade 12 was physically assaulted by three people in a black-mirrored car. On the victim`s indication, three men and her classfellow have been arrested by the police.

As the news spread, a wave of protests began and anguished people from every walk held demonstrations. Lawyers of the district passed a resolution and agreed not to follow the culprits` cases, thus showing solidarity with the victim`s family.

Amid such a situation, news is also circulating that some powerful people are pressing trying to weaken the case. But people of Mansehra district have clearly indicated that they would not allow any third partytointervene andsabotage the process of justice.

The top political leadership has alsopromised support to the victim and her family at every forum and made a demand for free and fair trial. This is, indeed, a difficult time but people must remain united in their demand for justice.

M. Faizan Awan Mansehra Wrong tax decisions APROPOS your editorial `Wrong tax decisions` (May 20), now the government should stop burdening people by further taxing them as they are already bearing the brunt of the government`s inaction about broadeningthe taxnet.

Over the years the people`s purchasing power has been declining owing to inflation.

If the government wants to continue with the present tax policy, the people already paying heavy taxes -would feel miserable.

If we are paying a tax of Rs25 on the mobile phone recharge of Rs100, tomorrow we will be paying more than Rs30 as tax for a Rs100 card, let alone the price of other commodities and eatables.

To offset the damage done by the untaxed segment, members of the average middle class-especially thesalaried class-will have to pay more from their pockets.

Fleecing and burdening the people with such an indirect tax regime will add to the miseries of the common man.

It is time we learnt from past mistakes.

People at the helm of affairs should take some serious steps by bringing the untaxed segment to the tax net so that some relief is provided to the people.

Ata Ul Mosawwir Muzaffarabad Business loan delays NAWAZ Sharif has announced a youth business loans scheme, with complicated requirements, like a business plan and guarantors, which are to be fulfilled before the submission of the loan application.

People, especially youths, fulfilled all pre-requisites and applied for the loan with the hope that the amount of loan will be disbursed within a month or two.

It is unfortunate that not a single loan has been disbursed in Chitral, though some six months have passed since the loan applications were submitted.

The prime minister and his team should do some homework before announcing such plans. If the government has no finances for the loan, it should not raise false hopes among the people, especially youths? The same is the case with the provincial government`s self-employment loan scheme.A large number of applicants have been waiting for the loan for the last one year.

Both the provincial and federal governments have badly failed in their promise to give employments to youths through business and employment loans.

The prime minister, as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, is requested to take notice of the delay in disbursing the loan to the youth.

Nasir Mehmood Drosh, Chitral Car showrooms THE City District Government Karachi`s anti-encroachment cell is clearing encroachment in the Saddar area these days. I want to highlight a bigger problem at signal-free corridor III, on which a number of bottlenecks are causing trouble to traffic, especially between Islamia College and Jail Chowrangi where there are several car showrooms, established probably with the help of the same bodies working in Saddar.

These car showrooms make it impossible to pass as only one lane is available for traffic in rush hours, while three lanes are occupied by cars parked by these showroom owners.

I request the authorities concerned to remove these bottlenecks for a better flow of vehicular traffic.

Nazim Badar KarachiNTS utility? THIS is apropos Rizwan Zehri`s letter `NTS utility` (May 20). One wonders at the merit and transparency of the National Testing Service.

In August 2013 a test for various posts meant for the Islamabad High Court was assigned to NTS. I applied according to the rules but my application was turned down by NTS. When I contacted the service, its `babu officers` told me to contact the Islamabad High Court.

As advised, I called the authorities concerned at the IHC whose officers told me to talk to NTS. Later I sent a letter to both the departments well in time but all in vain.

My candidature was rejected and the test was held.

Surprisingly, no result has been announced to date. This speaks volumes about the transparency of NTS. On March 9 and 12, NTS conducted tests for the ministry of defence in which there were some serious reservations of scores of candidates. We need to implement a transparent merit system and reject NTS.

TahirIqbalJadoon Islamabad Wapda: power theft ABID Sher Ali, minister for power and water, is talking against energy thieves, but how is it possible for a power thief to steal electricity without the help of Wapda? Wapda of ficials are also involved in electricity thef t. About 50pc of the PML-N`s poll campaign was based on the energy crisis, but after winning the polls it failed to deliver.

Now the government should take action against those Wapda officials who are equally involved in energy theft.

Ali Raza Karachi Iranian example A FEW days ago a high-profile criminal, Baba Ladla, from Karachi`s area of Lyari, was reported to have been killed by Iranian border guards while he was trying to cross the border and refused to surrender.

He was trying to escape in the wake of Rangers` operation to flush out criminals.

If our law-enforcement agencies start acting like the Iranian guards, then one day the red book of our police will be blank.

S.M. Abbas Rizvi KarachiPolice reforms THIS is apropos Mohammad Ali Babakhel`s article `Image reforms for police` (May 15). I agree that the effectiveness of police service is contingent upon the police image in the public. But how will this badly-affected public trust be restored when only the police are responsible for it? A few days ago, I had a chance to visit a police station about a minute issue. I was shocked to hear an assistant sub-inspector telling me: `Qanoon wohi hai jo mein kehta hoon` (The law is what I say).

I am a public officer myself with graduation in law. It does not behove a police functionary to say so. How come in such a scenario the public-police partnership will improve? Hayatullah Marwat Islamabad Pensioners` woes ITisunderstood thatthefederal government has decided to raise pays and pensions in the forthcoming budget. This is comforting in view of the increase in prices of commodities. I would like to draw the attention to an important issue.

Salaries include other allowances and fringe benefits, whereas pension is a fixed meagre amount. For example, 10pc increase in salary may be a proportionate increase of 2pc in pensions. The pension should increase accordingly.

A Pensioner Karachi Poor postal service TWO months ago I posted a letter for Jeddah with the DHA phase IV post office.

It never reached its destination.

Similarly, a month ago, a letter to London posted from the same post office did not reach the addressee. Letters from Saudi Arabia addressed to me often do not reach me. Postal efficiency needs to be reviewed.

S.A. Wali 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