‘COMPLAINTS’ and protests that keep pouring into my inbox do not always deserve publication. I deal with them bilaterally. They range mostly from ‘why my letter was not published’ to too much space or too little coverage given to a party or leader. I keep telling them that non-publication doesn’t mean rejection, and a choice has to be made to accommodate a maximum number of letters in the space available.

There are, however, two letters which I believe I must share with our readers. One is a criticism of what the letter writer says was “unacceptable and improper language” used in an op-ed article, titled ‘The dark side’, by Farhan Bokhari in our issue of March 24.

The use of that kind of language, says the writer, “for Pakistan’s bureaucracy repeatedly was in bad taste and made the article “repulsive at the very outset”.

He adds, “One can disagree with the civil servant officials, with the military authorities, with the journalists, but the disagreement should be in proper tone and language. Using terms like baboos, khakis and munshis for these three professions does not behove a writer of his standing or a newspaper of the stature of daily Dawn.”