I wish to lodge a protest through this letter against an unethical practice of smoking in public places and in TV shows, by some of our former ministers and politicians.
I was shocked to see Sheikh Rashid, our former Minister for Railways and a man for all political parties, who has been elected an MNA six times, proudly puffing on a cigar in a TV programme. Though a TV show is not exactly a public place, it is all the same in importance as millions would be watching the show.
Unfortunately, with due respect, this is not the first time that the Sheikh has displayed this lack of sensibility and instead of setting an example, the former minister seems to be in a habit to display his disrespect for the law.
If our leaders, ministers and senior politicians do not respect the laws, then they have no moral right to be sitting in our parliament. As such, I request our leading TV channels and senior anchors to ensure that their guests observe a certain code of conduct during these talk shows. I also request our TV anchors to try and put an end to the shouting and mud-slinging matches that we witness in their talk shows.
HAMID MAKER
Karachi
