g LT-GEN ZAKRIA ADDRESSES SHANGRI LA DIALOGUE IN SINGAPORE, SAYING
SINGAPORE/ISLAMABAD
g
OPERATIONS AND TRI-SERVICE SYNERGY
asymmetry persistent political tensions and unresolved territorial and ideological disputes between India and Pakistan
He added that China, amid broader great-power competition, remained a stabilising factor contributing to strategic balance regional connectivity and economic cooperation
The commander said the May 2025 conflict demonstrated Pakistan s effective multi-domain operations enabled by tri-service synergy, integrating cyber capabilities, electronic warfare, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance
and ensuring the protection of citizens He also commended the Interior Minister and his team for effective security arrangements for the GilgitBaltistan elections and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting all necessary measures for the smooth conduct of the democratic process Separately, a day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the residence of renowned late journal-
(ISR) space-based assets and coordinated information manoeuvre to generate cross-domain effects Pakistan s resolute response has effectively debunked the notion of space for war in South Asia,” he said He noted that post-conflict dynamics had further reduced the prospects of conventional war However he warned that continued Indian militarisation adversarial rhetoric and the absence of robust crisis management mechanisms continued to undermine regional stability “In this evolving environment, South Asia’s strategic equilibrium is increas-
ist Altaf Hassan Qureshi to offer condolences and Fateha for the departed soul
During the visit the Prime Minister expressed his sympathies to the late journalist s son Kamran Hassan Qureshi and daughter Kurtaba Mazhar, and prayed for forgiveness and elevation of the deceased s status in the hereafter
Paying tribute PM Shehbaz
Sharif said Altaf Hassan Qureshi rendered outstanding services to journalism throughout his career He described the late journalist as an exceptional human being and a
ingly dependent on escalation control and effective crisis communication frameworks he said Lt Gen Zakria stressed the need to shift from competition-only postures to cooperative risk management across multiple domains while adhering to international norms He said responsible governance of emerging technologies was essential adding that technological innovation must remain tied to ethical responsibility and strategic accountability He called for internationally accepted norms governing military use of artificial intelligence autonomous systems cyber operations and space technologies
FPCCI DEMANDS AUDIT OF RS1.5TR INFRASTRUCTURE
CESS AS SINDH INDUSTRIAL ZONES FACE DECAY
Animal remains from Eid sacrifice boost seasonal income
and abomasum He explained that the section commonly collected and traded is the omasum which is involved in digestion and is made up of multiple thin tissue layers
Dr Anjum said processed omasum, also known as beef tripe, is used in the international meat and medical supply chain, particularly in exports to China He added that it is used in industrial applications including the making of surgical sutures and other medical materials
world, and that finished items are also brought back to Pakistan for use in hospitals and medical institutions Ghafoor said the trade can be highly lucrative during Eid adding that he earns more than Rs100 000 on the first day alone by collecting such material from both urban and rural
He said the seasonal trade in livestock by-products has expanded into a profitable informal industry which is why nomadic collectors and sanitation workers actively compete to obtain the material during Eidul Azha According to Dr Anjum, this rivalry frequently leads to confrontations at dumping sites He added that the market for livestock byproducts rises sharply during Eid turning material usually treated as waste into a temporary but significant source of income for many low-income workers
form for the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) across multiple sectors, showcasing Pakistan s industrial capacity and export potential to African markets
event is being organised by the Pakistan SADC Chamber Trade Federation (PSCTF) and is expected to bring
gether around
exhibitors and an
while attracting
than
investors importers business leaders and corporate representatives Officials and organisers said the twoday expo is designed to strengthen trade linkages between Pakistan and member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) while also creating opportunities for business-to-business (B2B) and businessto-consumer (B2C) engagement The initiative will also serve as a plat-
PSCTF Central Convener for Pakistan Syed Moizuddin said Africa particularly South Africa represents one of the most promising emerging markets for Pakistani exporters, with significant potential for expanding trade in goods and services
He said the expo would help position Pakistani businesses in new markets and support efforts to diversify the country s export destinations beyond traditional trading partners
The announcement was made during a business breakfast hosted at Karachi Gymkhana in honour of Chairman Prime Minister ’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan The event was attended by business leaders diplomats political figures and representatives of trade bodies Participants included MNA Syed
Hafeezuddin of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), PM Youth Programme Coordinator for Sindh Dr Fahad Shafiq, PSCTF Patron-in-Chief Rafiq Suleman, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Senior Vice President Saqib Fayyaz Ma-
Schedule, thereby charging sales tax in phased manner Thus sales tax rate would be increased from 10 percent to 12 percent on import and supplies by the industrial units located in erst-
Punjab greenlights 6,000 police deployment for GB polls as EC warns of strict action
Addressing a press conference, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan said all political parties were violating the electoral code of conduct which is clearly defined under the Election Act He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders had failed to obtain required no-objection certificates (NOCs) and were attempting to circulate “provocative content” during the campaign PTI leaders Asad Qaiser and Junaid Akbar have accused authorities of obstructing their election activities and restricting their movement in the region On Friday Asad Qaiser said he was stopped from reaching Islamabad airport and missed his flight to Skardu for campaign activities, while Junaid Akbar was detained by Gilgit-Baltistan Police in Hunza during campaigning for allegedly not possessing an NOC The Chief Election Commissioner said cases would also be registered under the Code of Criminal Procedure against anyone obstructing the electoral process adding that police had not arrested any PTI member in connection with the allegations He warned that social media was being used to “make the election controversial” ahead of polling adding: “Enough is enough I will now disqualify candidates for violations of the Code of Conduct Khan said the Election Commission was closely monitoring the entire electoral process and confirmed that police from other provinces would also be deployed for election security He further stated that the prime minister had obtained an NOC prior to his visit to Gilgit-Baltistan and said federal ministers who visited the region were also issued similar permissions The commissioner added that the prime minister and federal ministers were required to avoid political activity without prior approval, warning that action would be taken against anyone attempting to “tarnish or cast doubt on the elections ” Responding to a letter from KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan seeking intervention Khan said the letter was inappropriate and held no legal standing adding that it amounted to an attempt to influence the electoral process He stressed that it was wrong to create unrest among the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan adding: “We are all united under one flag He further reiterated that under the Election Act federal ministers chief ministers and governors are not permitted to participate in election campaigns The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections are scheduled for June 7, with political parties intensifying campaigning across the region as polling approaches later this week Meanwhile Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was expected to arrive in Skardu on Sunday to formally launch his party s campaign in Gilgit-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
It further claimed that election officials had contacted candidates and issued threats directing them to abandon PTI and contest elections on tickets of government-backed parties The party accused the PML-N of violating the election code of conduct alleging that federal ministers including Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar were stationed in the region to influence the local administration PTI further claimed that while opposition parliamentarians were being prevented from entering Gilgit-Baltistan ruling party figures were being allowed free political activity It alleged that the Election Commission remained inexplicably silent” on violations by the ruling party while selectively targeting PTI candidates and their families saying this reflected a selective approach that turned the commission into a tool of the regime The ruling elite is in complete panic By converting GB into a virtual police state, deploying Punjab
CONTIINUED FROM PAGE 01
Siddiqui said passengers prevented from travelling broadly fell into two categories: those offloaded by FIA on immigration or risk grounds and those affected by factors beyond FIA jurisdiction
Besides the 39,786 passengers offloaded by FIA, another 34,688 were stopped from travelling due to airline-related issues or legal actions carried out by agencies including Customs the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Airport Security Force (ASF) and the police R I S
C
The FIA official said the intensified crackdown followed a series of
while tribal areas during the period of July 2026 to June 2027 Presently income tax exemption would also expire on June 30 2026 on any income which was not chargeable to tax prior to the commencement of the Constitution (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Act, 2018 of any individual domiciled or company and association of persons resident in the Tribal Area forming part of the Provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan under paragraph (d) of Article 246 of the Constitution Under the existing law, the provisions of sections in Division III of Part V of Chapter X and Chapter XII of the Income Tax Ordinance for deduction or collection of withholding tax which were not applicable prior to commencement of the Constitution (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Act, 2018 shall not apply to individual domiciled or company and association of persons resident in the Tribal Areas forming part of the Provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan under paragraph (d) of Article 246 of the Constitu-
tion with effect from June 1 2018 to the June 30 2026 The provisions of sections in Division III of Part V of Chapter X and Chapter XII of the Ordinance for deduction or collection of withholding tax which were not ap-
S TA F F R E P O R T The Peshawar High Court has said provincial
Addi-
(Home) Ikramullah
of
Zulfiqar Hameed
show seriousness and commitment," it stated "Officials sitting in government departments and positions cannot be allowed to ignore the rule of law and weaken
Police and imposing unconstitutional barriers, they have openly admitted their inability to face the people in a free and fair election,” the statement said PTI warned that Gilgit-Baltistan was a “highly sensitive region and alleged that brazen pre-poll rigging and repression would damage the peaceful environment and create long-term resentment among the population It added that such grievances “will endure for generations ” and maintained that the government could not suppress the will of the people The regime s fear-mongering actions will only hasten its own downfall, the statement added, demanding a level playing field, an end to political victimisation and restoration of genuine democratic rights in Gilgit-Baltistan The party also urged civil society and human rights organisations to take notice of what it called blatant undemocratic and unconstitutional measures ”
Meanwhile Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commissioner Raja Shah-
tragedies linked to illegal migration routes over the past three years
According to official estimates around 460 Pakistanis have fallen victim to such incidents during the period including at least 377 reported deaths
Citing data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Siddiqui said 109 Pakistani nationals lost their lives in 2025 alone while attempting irregular migration He said the issue gained renewed urgency following the June 2023 Greece boat disaster, in which a large number of Pakistani migrants perished in the Mediterranean Sea A high-level inquiry committee constituted by the prime minister subsequently recommended stricter enforcement measures, many of
plementary report submitted by the
secretary said implementation of the court’s directives required the involvement of both the
and the legislature Guidelines had been issued to all stakeholders after approval from the chief secretary The report also stated that the provincial cabinet, in a meeting held on March 9 had approved the establishment of a forensic science laboratory in Peshawar Nespak had submitted a PC-I estimating the project cost at Rs20 billion The supplementary report further said amendments relating
baz Khan said PTI leaders had failed to obtain the required no-objection certificates (NOCs) and had attempted to circulate “provocative content” during the campaign He said cases would be registered under the Code of Criminal Procedure against those obstructing the electoral process adding that police had not arrested any PTI member in connection with the allegations The commissioner warned that social media was being used to make the election controversial ahead of polling adding: Enough is enough I will now disqualify candidates for violations of the Code of Conduct On Friday, several PTI leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PTI president and MNA Junaid Akbar were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan while campaigning for the upcoming elections PTI accounts and leaders claimed that Akbar and his companions were briefly detained before being expelled However, the GilgitBaltistan government stated that no arrests were made and that the leaders were only expelled for violating the election code of conduct
which are now being implemented As part of the crackdown on trafficking networks the FIA registered 2 421 cases since December 2024 and arrested 3 130 agents allegedly involved in human smuggling operations Authorities
and
Rs87
accounts containing Rs239 63 million “These figures reflect the scale and seriousness of human smuggling and trafficking in Pakistan Siddiqui said He added that many intercepted passengers were found travelling through suspicious routes, fake overseas employment schemes forged documents fraudulent sponsorship arrangements or high-risk transit patterns commonly associated with organised smuggling and trafficking networks
He cautioned against viewing technological advancement solely through the lens of competition and militarisation and instead called for alignment between innovation and responsibility as well as strategic competition and collective survival Earlier in his address, he said the emergence of new domains alongside traditional warfare had significantly complicated the strategic stability landscape He noted that rapid advances in AI autonomous systems cyber capabilities quantum technologies and multi-domain operations were reshaping military decision-making command structures and strategic competition, while introducing new risks including miscalculation, attribution challenges, and unintended escalation He added that increasing reliance on interconnected technological ecosystems was eroding predictability and compressing decision-making timelines fundamentally reshaping deterrence and interstate conflict dynamics
COMMENT
2026-27 Budget
TH E federal budget for the coming financial year 2026-27 is to be presented on June 5 which allows 24 days for the process of passage through both Houses, including both discussions on individual sectors through cut motions, as well as in general, during the Budget debate As it is the Shehbaz government’s third budget, it is a midpoint after which the countdown to the next general election will begin Thus it is expected to be a relatively conservative budget, with no new initiatives to be taken, nor any such relief granted to the public as would be expected with an election imminent It is not even the last budget under the current IMF programme; that will come next year
The IMF is important because it looms large over the budgetary process The gross figures have to be approved and because the figures are bandied about the outlines of the budget are common knowledge For instance it has a spending target of Rs 17 1 trillion with debt servicing at Rs 7 8 trillion and defence spending at Rs 2 7 trillion accounting for about Rs 10 trillion, leaving about Rs t trillion needed for general administration, subsidies and other such expenditure To bridge the gap, the Federal Board of Revenue is being tasked with the collection of Rs 15 3 trillion This implies a 14 percent to 20 percent increase on this year ’s collection The Public Sector Development programme is being pitched at Rs 1 5 trillion next year, without making up for the massive cut which was made this year due to the Gulf crisis
That crisis is not yet over, and just as it snatched the current financial year in terms of development it is set to affect the next The government has based its budgeting on a growth target of 4 1 percent and inflation of 8 4 percent The targets may become virtually impossible to achieve IMF or no IMF if there is a resumption of the conflict and the international oil price starts to go up once again Pakistan may be basking in its role as mediator between the USA and Iran, but the harsh realities of the conflict are taking their toll as it tries to make a budget for the year
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
Misreading Adam Smith and revisiting mainstream economics
A4 November 2025 Project Syndicate (PS)
article ‘Adam Smith and the moral economy we have lost’ pointed out the strong moral linkage of Adam Smith s earlier book The Theory of Moral Sentiments with his more famous work in the shape of The Wealth of Nations The article indicated in this regard With the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations approaching next year, the world is gearing up to honor Adam Smith But which Smith should be recognized? The hard-nosed “founding father” of modern economics or the philosopher who wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments? Scholars have wrestled with this question, a riddle known as Das Adam Smith Problem, for centuries, because it concerns not just dualities within Smith’s thought, but also our own uneasy relationship with morality and markets Yet the German historicists were wrong or at least incomplete Later readers– from Jacob Viner a founder of the Chicago school of economics in the 1920s to the editors of the Glasgow Edition of Smith s works in the 1970s (who saw only a pseudo-problem based on ignorance and misunderstanding”)– showed that the two books shared a philosophical spine Far from renouncing his earlier moral philosophy the later Smith had extended it to the economic sphere The invisible hand was never meant as an ode to greed; it was a metaphor for the way that social benefits can arise from individual human motives (or passions ), provided that insti-
tutions channel them appropriately ’ This misreading of Adam Smith and the divergence this and the overall approach of neoclassical economics created in terms of moving away from the overall underpinnings of classical economic thought–although the theory of comparative advantage was only advantageous to those who practiced either under misguided understanding, or under duress by the colonial powers on the colonies or in the postcolonial times under the influence of Chicago boysstyled policymakers in terms of domestic policymakers or among those working at the multilateral institutions like International Monetary Fund, or World Bank, for instance Hence, the same article ‘Adam Smith and the moral economy we have lost’ highlights that the reason behind reading Adam Smith had both the (wrong) infatuation of over-emphasis on bringing mathematical formalism in depicting the motivation of economic man and overall economy but also greed, whereby the article pointed out The misunderstanding endures because modern economics, in its quest for predictive precision, amputated Smith’s psychology In the 20th century as models grew more mathematical economic man was stripped of sentiment and context The Enlightenment s nuanced moral agent was replaced by a stick figure of rational calculation it strongly appears that it is more than that It was the Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen who brought the original debate back to the fore “The so-called Adam Smith Problem ” he wrote “is largely of our own making ” For Sen Smith’s idea of self-interest was never naked greed but a sentiment woven into the fabric of social life – one disciplined by prudence justice and benevolence The contradiction, Sen suggests, lies not in Smith, but in our own impoverished reading of him It is we who have elevated greed as a virtue ’ So in that sense it was not just an outcome of bringing greater mathematical formalism into the economics being laid out by classical economics of Adam Smith but rather strongly apparently is a pathway chosen by design by policymakers in general over the centuries that oriented economics as a tool to serve vested interest, may that be of colonizers over colonies or of a brand of multilateralism that has perpetuated similar extractive thought process with en-
In fact, countries following economic policies based on these philosophical underpinnings, saw rise in income inequality, and pover ty, and diminishing of political voice . Moreover, implementation of neoliberal policies, even in developed countries led to similar consequences, but given lack of intensity of such policies meant lesser impact than in the developing countries
TSkills are respected as much as academic qualifications In the USA countless professionals and entrepreneurs began their journeys through small jobs during youth building confidence, communication skills, and resilience along the way In contrast, much of Pakistani society continues to attach dignity only to certain forms of employment especially government or office jobs Families often raise children with the singular ambition of becoming officers or whitecollar professionals Practical skills, technical trades, and labour-intensive work are frequently viewed as socially inferior Parents, out of love and sacrifice, some-
times unintentionally prolong dependency by shielding young adults from struggle and realworld exposure A young graduate may remain unemployed for years waiting for a respectable position while refusing smaller opportunities that could build experience and independence Society often mocks temporary work but glorifies prolonged unemployment if it carries a degree title Pakistan produces hundreds of thousands of graduates annually yet industries repeatedly report a shortage of usable skills Employers demand communication ability, technical competence, adaptability, and digital literacy, while many graduates enter the market with theoretical knowledge but little practical exposure At the same time Pakistan s economic structure has not expanded fast enough in productive job-creating sectors to absorb this growing educated workforce Weak industrial growth, limited value-added production, and a narrow employment base intensify the pressure on youth entering an already constrained system
This is further complicated by a deeply status-driven culture where success is often measured less by competence and more by designation Prestige is attached to titles, not skills; appearance, not contribution In such an environment, many young people are pushed toward aspiration without alignment to reality Inflation rising living costs and shrinking opportunities intensify frustration Youth unemployment and underemployment remain among the most serious socio-economic challenges facing the country Large numbers of educated young people either remain jobless or work in unrelated fields, their qualifications slowly losing relevance Drug abuse among youth is no longer confined to hidden corners of society It has quietly entered universities private gatherings urban neighbourhoods, and even smaller towns What begins as experimentation often evolves into dependency and emotional escape Synthetic drugs prescription misuse and other substances are increasingly discussed with disturbing normalcy among segments of the younger population
A young person caught between parental expectations, unemployment, social comparison, and uncertainty becomes psychologically
Social media intensifies this pressure by constantly presenting curated images of wealth and success When ambition repeatedly meets rejection frustration can turn into depression, addiction, or withdrawal from productive life
Pakistan must fundamentally rethink how it prepares young people for life and work Education must reconnect with economic reality Technical training vocational education digital skills entrepreneurship freelancing and apprenticeships must be normalized and respected At the same time, honest labour must never be treated as inferior Nations progress when dignity is attached to productivity not titles Parents must prepare their children not only for examinations but for independence the ability to face uncertainty and the confidence to adapt in a country where opportunities are often limited and competition is intense Young people must learn to start small, build experience early, and understand that dignity is earned through effort persistence and self-reliance not through degrees or job titles alone Universities in Pakistan too must move beyond their traditional role as certification-granting institutions and evolve into spaces of practical preparation by bridging the widening gap between academic learning and the demands of work, society, and national development Pakistan possesses one of the world s largest youth populations This generation can either become the country s greatest strength or its deepest crisis If opportunity continues to shrink while frustration continues to grow, the consequences will extend far beyond unemployment A society that leaves its educated youth disconnected dependent and directionless does not merely waste potential but quietly weakens its own future
Pakistan possesses one of the worldÊs largest youth populations This generation can either become the countryÊs greatest strength or its deepest crisis If opportunity continues to shrink while frustration continues to grow, the consequences will extend far beyond unemployment A society that leaves its educated youth disconnected, dependent, and directionless does not merely waste potential but quietly weakens its own future
Border infrastructure lacking
Turbat cash crisis
vulnerable
DR ZAFAR KHAN SAFDAR
DR OMER JAVED
The Missing Daughter of Sindh
self The inability of the provincial authori-
TH E disappearance of Priya Kumari has become one of the most painful and politically troubling missing child cases in Pakistan, exposing not only the weaknesses of provincial law enforcement mechanisms but also the disturbing disparity in how urgency and state resources are applied when the victims belong to powerless and marginalized communities
Nearly five years have passed since the minor Hindu girl vanished from Sukkur district on the day of Ashura in August 2021 yet despite repeated assurances high-level meetings investigative committees and public claims of progress her family continues to live in a state of unbearable uncertainty, waiting for the recovery of a child whom the authorities themselves insist is still alive
The incident occurred when Priya Kumari was assisting her family in distributing water and refreshments to mourners outside their residence in Sangharar village of Sukkur district during Muharram processions In the chaos and movement of the crowd, the young girl suddenly disappeared, triggering panic within the family and the local community A First Information Report was immediately registered at the local police station and from the very beginning the case attracted significant media attention due to both the age of the child and the religious minority background of the family However, what initially appeared to be a matter requiring swift intelligence gathering and coordinated field operations gradually transformed into a prolonged cycle of procedural announcements repeated investigations and unfulfilled assurances
Over the years, several Joint Investigation Teams were constituted, suspects were interrogated, intelligence operations were reportedly conducted and different leads were pursued by law enforcement agencies yet none of these efforts produced the result that mattered most the recovery of the child her-
ties to resolve a case of such national visibility despite the passage of years has increasingly strengthened public perceptions that either serious operational gaps exist within the investigative structure or the case has not been pursued with the level of determination that similar cases involving influential families would have received
A major turning point came in July 2024 when the provincial Home Minister met Priya Kumari s parents and publicly informed them that their daughter was believed to be alive and that investigators had traced important clues regarding her possible whereabouts
The provincial government also increased the reward amount for information leading to her recovery and assured the family that security agencies were close to achieving a breakthrough While these statements revived a fragile sense of hope for the grieving parents, they simultaneously intensified public expectations because once the government itself acknowledged the possibility that the child was alive and potentially traceable so the continued failure to recover her became even more difficult to justify
For Priya Kumari s mother the statement proved emotionally devastating in a different way, because the knowledge that one’s child may still be alive somewhere while the state remains unable to bring her home creates a form of psychological suffering that cannot easily be described in words In recent months videos circulating on social media have shown her crying helplessly while questioning why other abducted children are being recovered within weeks whereas her daughter continues to remain missing after nearly half a decade Her repeated appeals are no longer merely expressions of grief they have become a public indictment of institutional failure and a reflection of the despair experienced by countless powerless families who feel abandoned by the very system responsible for protecting them
reporting a high proportion of child abuse, abduction and missing child cases, demonstrating that the issue is not isolated but deeply structural
At the same time the criminal landscape of the province has also evolved into a far more dangerous and organised phenomenon
The Katcha riverine areas of Sindh have increasingly become safe havens for heavily armed kidnapping gangs involved in ransom operations human trafficking and organised criminal activity Senior police officials themselves have acknowledged that these groups now possess sophisticated weapons and operate through complex networks extending across districts and provinces
Recent anti-dacoit operations conducted under large-scale security campaigns have resulted in dozens of armed encounters arrests recoveries of abducted individuals and the elimination of multiple criminal elements, clearly demonstrating that when the state chooses to mobilize resources seriously, operational success is possible even in the most dangerous regions
tragedy involved the child of a senior political figure, influential landlord, minister, or high-ranking official, it is difficult to imagine that years would pass without extraordinary action continuous intelligence operations and national-level urgency being applied for recovery
Unfortunately, poor families, minority communities and socially vulnerable citizens often lack the influence necessary to force institutions into sustained action
The
t h e c h i l d h a d b e e n a b d u c t e d a n d s h i f t e d a c r o s s p r o v i nc i a l b o u n d a r i e s b e
Reports by child rights monitoring organisations have repeatedly shown that although many children are eventually recovered, a disturbing percentage continue to remain untraced, exposing serious deficiencies in rapid response systems, intelligence coordination forensic integration and long-term investigative follow-up Sindh has consistently remained among the provinces
T h i s i s a c o l d - b l o o d e d g a m e ’
Transcripts of Henr y Kissinger ’s secretly recorded phone calls emerge from the archive as a stark, quotidian chronicle of power during the Nixon administration It is Nixon who bursts from the page, the novel-wor thy figure of power, fickleness and insecurit y
Kissinger himself Kissinger had secretaries furtively transcribe all his calls for his personal records and, 50 years later they emerge from the archives edited by Tom Wells as a stark quo-
tidian chronicle of power during the Nixon administration from 1969 to 1974 The Kissinger Tapes is a record of a government at work its priorities and machinations measured almost arithmetically by what Kissinger, Nixon and other officials thought worth the phone bill If the traditional biography is the curated museum exhibit this is a jumble sale of a book Mounds of ephemera fill the pages but hidden among the stacks lie the mementoes worth buying We see Nixon, for instance, authorising the seizure of a foreign ship and urging Kissinger to find a way that international law can be breached because the US became a great nation by breaking international law Or the president handing the phone to his 21-year-old daughter to tell Kissinger that “Daddy says you are supposed to bomb somebody” before Nixon takes the receiver back to declare: That s a real American Kissinger purports a vision of global politics as a cold-blooded game” and the Vietnam war dominates much of the book In conversations with Nixon and secretary of defense Melvin Laird Kissinger
wages the war with a conviction in an inverted domino theory that toughness there would knock on against America s enemies elsewhere Every other diplomatic ploy, from the opening to China to détente with the Soviet Union, is subsumed to the urgency of ending the conflict in Indochina
A vein of bitterness characterises Kissinger s strategy and he and Nixon decry the injustice of the hand they have been dealt Justifications for their war stack up across the calls: they inherited the conflict from Kennedy and Johnson; they expanded it across Indochina because that is where the North Vietnamese were operating; the bombing of Cambodia, as was later acknowledged by Kissinger s aides, was kept secret at the request of the Cambodian government
The truth of their claims only lets the reasonable become the enemy of the sensible however and no amount of picking through the minutiae of the strategy in the looping conversations answers for the ultimate futility of the war For a book about Kissinger it is Nixon who bursts from the page the
This is precisely why the continued unresolved status of Priya Kumari s case has generated such widespread anger and mistrust The issue is no longer merely about investigative complexity; it has become a matter of institutional credibility Every time another abducted child is recovered through rapid operations elsewhere public frustration deepens because people are reminded that the capability exists but appears selectively applied
The painful perception increasingly taking root among ordinary citizens is that the intensity of state response often depends not on the suffering of the victim’s family but on their social status political influence financial strength or ability to generate pressure through powerful networks Had such a
novel-worthy figure of power fickleness and insecurity at points acting the mob boss at others grumbling down the phone from the Oval Office like a cartoon bulldog, all jowl and froth He directs the war with wild fury “Do it! Do it!” calling for more bombers from the B52 Stratofortress to whatever prop planes can be rustled up to hit everything Nixon s paralysing self-doubt is on regular display in his discussions with Kissinger, and he pleads for recognition from his subordinate as Kissinger ’s star rises and his wanes That paranoia became the ultimate doom of his presidency as it metastasised into illegality and taken over by the scandal of the attempted bugging of the Watergate Hotel, The Kissinger Tapes ends as a book of recorded conversations about recording conversations Kissinger was fortunate to survive the Watergate scandal Sharing Nixon s anger about leaks, he
Gambling helpline not enough
As of July last year, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) recorded 32 117m ‘Filipino elec tronic gaming players’
Tgeneral population In the Philippines the case of the missing sabungeros (cockfight aficionados) who were engaged in the high-stakes e-sabong, has also exposed the dark, sinister side of the industry The government has taken steps to tighten regulation such as age verification requirements but it lacked the backbone to impose a total ban This is because of the industry s huge earnings, posting P396 14 billion in gross gaming revenue last year, with the online and electronic sector contributing half of that amount This was also despite the slump the industry saw in the third quarter after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ordered the delinking of e-wallets to gambling platforms
More than 10 million adult Filipinos per Pagcor, are active users on legal e-gambling platforms, which include e-bingo and e-games; revenues for this sector soared by 30 percent to P201 12 billion last year from P154 66 billion in 2024 Endorsements by celebrities also
platforms prompting calls for the government to regulate gambling-related promotions in public spaces Last July, Pagcor ordered the takedown of billboards and out-of-home
ALI GUL LEGHARI
TRUMP
WHO chief urges countries to rethink Ebola travel restrictions
ULLAH Every
transforms
fill with families cattle markets come alive for days before the festival and the air carries the particular energy of a celebration observed by tens of millions of people at once Then comes the aftermath, and with it, one of the most demanding tests any government faces: clearing an enormous volume of sacrificial waste before it becomes a public health crisis This year in Punjab, that test was met with unusual force Over 72 continuous hours spanning the Eid holidays, more than 184 000 sanitation workers fanned out across the province through urban neighborhoods and rural communities along market streets and outside mosques, into areas that larger operations often miss Temperatures hovered around 45 degrees Celsius The workers stayed anyway By the time the campaign concluded the Punjab government had collected and disposed of more than 376,000 tonnes of animal waste and refuse The numbers are almost difficult to picture: 290 cattle markets cleared 1 278 collective slaughter sites serviced thousands of Eid grounds and mosques cleaned and washed More than 40,000 machinery units were deployed alongside vehicle and loader rickshaw fleets It was, by most measures one of the largest coordinated sanitation operations the country has seen Suthra Punjab is the name the provincial government gave to the initiative, and the phrase points to something larger than a single holiday campaign Under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif the administration has invested heavily in the idea that governance can be modernized: that digital tools, real-time data and systematic accountability can change what is possible in public-
service delivery The Eid operation was in many ways a stress test of that philosophy
At the center of the effort was a digital monitoring dashboard that tracked the campaign s progress across the province in real time Rather than relying on manual reports that trickled upward through layers of bureaucracy supervisors and administrators could see where waste collection was falling behind, where resources needed to be redirected and where emerging problems required immediate attention More than 74 000 users fed operational data into the system generating over a terabyte of information over the course of the campaign In selected areas, drone surveillance offered an additional layer of oversight, a tool more commonly associated with tech hubs than with sanitation drives in South Asia
Citizens too were drawn into the operation More than 41,000 people used the provincial helpline and digital applications to report concerns or seek assistance a figure that suggests something real about public trust in the system
When ordinary people believe that calling a helpline will produce a result, they call The environmental dimension of the campaign was also notable Twelve million biodegradable
waste bags were distributed free of charge nudging citizens toward responsible disposal Large quantities of lime, disinfectants and rose water were used to manage hygiene and odor across collection points, practical measures that made a direct difference to comfort and health during the festival The Punjab government has signaled further ambitions beyond the immediate cleanup: waste-to-energy projects and biogas generation programmes are among the longer-term investments being pursued
Perhaps the most human gesture of the entire operation came at the end Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced a special cash reward of Rs10,000 for each sanitation worker, on top of their regular salaries It was an acknowledgment of something that civic operations tend to obscure that behind every clean street is a person who made it so, often without recognition, often in punishing conditions Sanitation workers occupy a peculiar place in public life Their labor is noticed most when it is absent The smell of uncollected waste, the flies around a neglected market, the stained ground outside a slaughter site these register The person who prevented those things rarely does A government that pauses to name them and to compensate them is doing something that matters beyond the transaction Punjab s Eid campaign will not be remembered as a miracle It was the product of planning coordination and technology brought to bear on a predictable annual challenge But in a south asian region where such challenges routinely go unmet, competent execution is its own form of achievement and the people working in the heat deserve to be the headline
(The writer is a Lahore-based public policy analyst and can be reached at qudratu@gmail com)
PUNE A G E N C I E S
Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi s remarks about Operation Sindoor 2 0” appear to reflect a renewed display of war rhetoric aimed at projecting preparedness while analysts link the statement to efforts to deflect attention from the military setback of May 2025 Addressing the NDA passing-out parade in Pune, General Dwivedi said the armed forces were fully prepared for
another operation and highlighted synergy across land air sea space and cyber domains He described the current situation as a temporary cessation of hostilities and said the Army was actively preparing for the next phase of operations
Analysts noted that the reference to Operation Sindoor 2 0 comes months after the May 2025 military episode in which Indian forces reportedly faced operational setbacks and international scrutiny over escalation and miscalculations They said the renewed rhetoric appears aimed at diverting attention from those developments and managing domestic perceptions following the reported embarrassment The Army chief also stressed the importance of information warfare and national cohesion stating: “Victory is always in the mind It s not on the ground Observers said the emphasis on narrative control highlights New Delhi s increasing focus on psychological operations and media management alongside conventional military preparedness
General Dwivedi further outlined modernisation initiatives, including drone battalions, theatre commands and “Eagle on the Arm” training for troops, presenting them as key components of future force readiness Critics however argued that references to new capabilities and structures do not address the fallout from the May 2025 episode, where India s operational claims came under scrutiny amid battlefield realities
CORPORATE
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Sunday warned that smoking can be more dangerous than many fatal diseases describing tobacco consumption as a silent epidemic with severe consequences for public health, society and the economy, and saying every puff of tobacco
and rural areas
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari on Sunday announced that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved a cash reward of Rs10,000 each for Suthra Punjab workers in recognition of their performance during the province-wide Eidul Azha cleanliness operation
In a statement the minister said the Punjab government successfully completed a large-scale sanitation campaign across the province during Eid, ensuring timely disposal of sacrificial animal waste and maintaining hygiene standards in urban
According to Azma Bukhari Suthra Punjab workers disposed of 360 000 tonnes of animal waste during the three-day Eid operation which was carried out under the provincial cleanliness initiative
She said more than 184,000 workers participated in the drive, supported by 60 000 vehicles deployed across Punjab to ensure effective waste collection and disposal of sacrificial remains
The minister added that the sanitation fleet collectively covered six million kilometres during the operation with cleanliness activities continuing uninterrupted from La-
Furniture Council (PFC) has expressed concern over indications that the upcoming federal budget for fiscal year 2026-27 could impose additional financial burdens on businesses and ordinary consumers under commitments made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) PFC Director Shahbaz
hore to Attock and from Multan to Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad
To maintain hygienic conditions and reduce foul odours authorities used rose water phenyl and lime during the campaign These measures, she said, helped improve environmental conditions in areas where sacrificial animals were processed Azma Bukhari said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz personally monitored the sanitation operation throughout the Eid holidays In recognition of the workers efforts and dedication, the chief minister approved a Rs10,000 cash reward for each Suthra Punjab worker involved in the drive
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry s (FPCCI) Businessmen Panel (BMP) has expressed serious concern over the growing economic fallout of continued uncertainty in the Gulf region, warning that Pakistan s remittance inflows, exports and overall external sector could face increasing pressure if the situation persists In a statement issued here today FPCCI former president and BMP Chairman Mian
Anjum Nisar said that the Middle East remains one of Pakistan s most critical economic partners, providing a major share of the country’s remittances, energy supplies and export opportunities Any prolonged instability in the region he said would inevitably affect Pakistan s economic recovery efforts and weaken the fragile gains achieved in recent months
Aslam said that while fiscal discipline and economic reforms are essential for long-term stability excessive taxation and higher utility costs could adversely affect industrial activity investment and household purchasing power Referring to recent discussions between the government and the IMF regarding the upcoming budget strategy, he noted that authorities appear committed to achieving ambitious fiscal targets including higher revenue collection and a primary budget surplus However he cautioned that the method of achieving these goals would be critical for sustaining economic growth Gulf uncer taint y threatens remittances, economic stabilit y: BMP
range of relief measures for workers, low-income families and other underprivileged segments in the upcoming provincial budget, including a substantial increase in the minimum wage He said that as per the instructions of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
taken after a detailed review of the province s financial position and consultations with relevant stakeholders Sukhdev Hemnani said that Sindh has remained at the forefront of protecting workers rights and welfare He noted that since 2008 the minimum wage has increased from Rs6,000 to Rs40,000, while Sindh remains the only province in the country to have increased the minimum
Sindh Government has continued
for
ble workers through progressive legislation In
regard the Sindh Assembly recently passed the Domestic Workers Welfare Bill 2025 bringing domestic workers under a formal legal protection framework The law provides safeguards relating to working conditions regulated working hours and rest periods while prohibiting the employment of children in domestic work and ensuring greater dignity and security for household workers across the province
POWER SECTOR REFORMS SAVE TRILLIONS AS SUBSIDIES CONTINUE FOR PROTECTED USERS: LEGHARI
SC lays down ‘doctrine of complete justice’
Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel
Inam Memon reacting to the press conference of the MQM-Pakistan leadership said on Sunday that the party was unsuccessfully attempting to keep its politics alive through what he described as baseless allegations and outdated narratives
He said MQM’s politics had long revolved around slogans accusations and manufacturing crises adding that the same pattern was being repeated even today In a statement, the Senior Sindh Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit said MQM itself had previously made provincial autonomy constitutional powers and the local government system controversial He said ongoing development projects in Karachi were undeniable ground realities that could not be overshadowed by propaganda He cited the Yellow Line Shahrah-e-Bhutto and other devel-
opment initiatives as clear evidence that the Sindh government believes in practical work and tangible progress
Memon said that if any legal or administrative issue related to a public place exists it should be resolved through courts and relevant institutions in accordance with the law
He expressed regret that elements which, according to him, contributed to Karachi’s problems through failed governance and vested interests for years were once again attempting to project
themselves as saviours
The senior minister said the Sindh government had not only devolved powers to local bodies but had also provided them with financial resources and legal backing
He stressed that Karachi was not the domain of any single political party but the economic hub of Pakistan
He added that those who consistently criticise development initiatives as a political strategy were, in effect exposing their own political decline
Centre -JAAC talks end without breakthrough as June 9 strike remains in place
MUZAFFARABAD S TA F F R E
A lengthy round of talks between a federal ministerial delegation and the core leadership of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) concluded late on Saturday without an agreement after which the committee said its planned strike on June 9 would go ahead
The discussions were held to persuade JAAC to withdraw the strike call and to address its charter of demands The meeting lasted for more than nine hours with breaks in between and has added to concerns about the political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), where general elections are expected in the last week of July, although the election schedule has not yet been announced
Speaking to reporters after the talks ended at 11:20pm JAAC core member Shaukat Nawaz Mir said the committee had discussed all matters with representatives of the governments of Pakistan and
AJK including the issue of the 12 refugee seats
Today we held talks with the representatives of the governments of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir throughout the day on all issues including the 12 refugee seats " Mir said proposals were exchanged despite what he described as a breach of trust, and added that government representatives had asked JAAC to defer the strike He said the committee had decided to maintain its call for the protest while also indicating it remained willing to continue engagement Despite the breach of trust we had detailed discussions, and proposals were exchanged as well," "But we have decided to keep our strike call intact " Refugee seats remain key unresolved issue
Participants said 37 of the 38 points in JAAC s charter of demands came under discussion during the first session, which began shortly before 2pm and continued until 4pm The only issue left un-
resolved was the proposed abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for Pakistan-based refugees from India-held Kashmir, which remained the central obstacle in the negotiations
The PML-N’s AJK chapter is opposed to scrapping those seats partly because it expects to do well in the 10 refugee constituencies located in Punjab The PPP, which currently has the backing of five refugee lawmakers, is seen as less committed to keeping the existing arrangement The second session resumed at 6:10pm and continued until 11:20pm The federal team included Rana Sanaullah Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Ahsan Iqbal from the PML-N, along with former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former minister Qamar Zaman Kaira representing the PPP Also present were AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore PPP regional president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir and the party’s regional secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq
