Political vacuum

South Asia has lost an able leader in Benazir Bhutto following her assassination in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Thursday. Whatever her other imperfections, Bhutto came across as a fearless leader who fought endlessly for the cause of democracy in her country. Despite

numerous death threats and attempts on her life, she continued to work toward restoring democracy in Pakistan. It is difficult to say in what direction Pakistan will move in future. But Bhutto has left a political vacuum in the country.

Suraj Shah, Bangemudha, Kathmandu

Tribute

This is in reference to the news report “Bhutto is assassinated” (THT, Dec. 28). I was deeply saddened by the tragic death of former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on Thursday. Her assassination has shocked the world. But Pakistan needs to emerge out of the crisis even stronger. The people of the world sympathise

with the Pakistanis in their hour of need.

Nyima Gyalpo, via e-mail

No surprise

It is no surprise that over 12,000 former Maoist combatants have failed to pass UNMIN’s verification criteria as it was always suspected that the bulk of PLA was made up of

underage people. The 8,640 personnel who did not turn up for the second round of verification were obviously aware that they would be automatically disqualified. With such a big proportion sidelined, the Maoists are likely to be dissatisfied with the whole verification process. It would have been much better for the Maoists to weed out unqualified

candidates themselves. Nonetheless, with the process well underway, the Maoists are expected to agree with the UNMIN decision.

Chandra Mainali, Ratopul

Counselling

There are countless people suffering from mental disorders in Nepal.

Disorders like depression, panic attack and anxiety have increased with rapid urbanisation. Psychological counselling is very effective in treatment of neurotic (minor) mental ailments. But unfortunately, counselling is unavailable in the majority of hospitals. The Ministry of Health should take this problem seriously to safeguard the country’s future.

Sohan Pradhanang, Balaju

Tragic

The huge loss of life resulting from the suspension bridge collapse in Surkhet has shocked the whole country. Why has the government not thought about bringing to justice those responsible for the construction of the bridge? Hundreds of thousands of people use

suspension bridges in Nepal everyday.

Many of them may now be wary of crossing suspension bridges. These bridges are eco-friendly and relatively cheap to build, but they can also act as death traps in the absence of

proper care in their construction and maintenance.

The government should check the safety of all suspension bridges in the country to make

sure that similar accidents will not happen again. It is the government’s resonsibility to ensure safety or to bring the guilty to justice.

Suraj Upadhaya,

Kathmandu Forestry

College, Koteshwor