Dear readers,
The winter is gone and the spring season is in full bloom. Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif started the spring tree plantation drive by planting a sapling in Islamabad. During this drive, 240 million new trees will be planted. “Bequeathing a pollution-free environment is our collective responsibility. I appeal to all segments of society to come forward and play their part,” he said in a tweet. Preserving our environment and mitigating the effects of climate change is indeed a responsibility we all must take seriously.
The month of March brings with it an annual reminder that women, who constitute half of the country’s population, still do not enjoy the same rights as their male counterparts. It is also a reminder of the progress and achievements made so far in emancipating women. We hope things will change for the better as more women are asserting their presence in public spaces and demanding their rights guaranteed in the constitution of Pakistan. PML-N Chief Organiser and Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz took time out of her very busy schedule to celebrate Women’s Day by cutting a cake, accompanied by the party’s committed female workers. We have covered women’s struggle in the political arena in an article by Maraj Hamayun Khan.
Maryam Nawaz emerged as a household name when she took the mantle of her father in his absence. She has been touring various districts to organise the party and energise workers for the upcoming elections. Everywhere she goes, she is welcomed with great fervour. Now that PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz has also returned to Pakistan after a months-long absence, it is hoped that the two young leaders would lead their party from the front and claim the political space stolen from it through political engineering.
Coming to international developments, we would like to congratulate the great world leader Xi Jinping on getting elected as China’s president for an unprecedented third term. The nearly 3,000 members of China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, voted unanimously for Xi after the constitution was changed to remove the traditional two-term limit for the post. He has worked to consolidate China’s position as a significant power on the global stage and continues to build strategic alliances in the region and beyond. He recently brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia which bodes well for long-term peace in the region and provides an avenue for Pakistan to take advantage of this opportunity for regional integration.
Finally, this March, the sacred month of Ramazan is arriving. While Muslims will be performing their religious duty by fasting and prayer, the government will be taking measures to alleviate the suffering of the poor who are groaning under inflation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced the distribution of free wheat flour to the poorest families this Ramazan. The government continues to work on the economic front to bring long-term relief for the poor.
Happy Ramazan to Muslims all over the world.
Saira Bano
Editor-in-Chief
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