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‘SCO PLUS’: PM CALLS WATER REGION’S ‘LIFEBLOOD,’ STRESSES TREATY COMPLIANCE Wednesday, 2 September, 2026 | 19 Rabiul Awwal, 1448
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PREMIER SHEHBAZ SAYS SHARED WATERS MUST NEVER BE WEAPONISED, CALLING FOR UN REFORM
URGES GLOBAL ACTION TO END PALESTINIAN SUFFERING IN GAZA, WEST BANK
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 158 | 8 Pages | Lahore Edition
VOWS PAKISTAN WILL CONFRONT TERRORISM, CALLS FOR AFGHAN SOIL NOT TO BE USED FOR ATTACKS
SAYS IT, AI, ENERGY, POVERTY REDUCTION AMONG PAKISTAN’S SCO PRIORITIES
BISHKEK SALEEM JADOON
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday declared water the “lifeblood” of the region and stressed that shared water resources must never be weaponised or used for political coercion, urging strict adherence to treaties governing transboundary waters. “Water is the lifeblood of our region that sustains millions of lives, nourishes our lands and secures the very future of our coming generations. It must never be weaponised or used for political coercion. The treaties governing our shared waters are binding commitments that must be honoured unconditionally both in letter and spirit,” the prime minister said while addressing the SCO Plus Format meeting here. His remarks came a day after the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains in full force and ordered India to limit ongoing hydroelectric construction in Kashmir. Addressing the meeting, themed “The UN as a Key Element of the Just World Order: The Contribution of the SCO Plus States to the Formation of a Multipolar World,” the prime minister said Pakistan, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, had been actively contributing to global peacemaking over the past two years.
Six security personnel, 21 terrorists killed as forces foil multiple terror incidents in Balochistan: ISPR RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
The meeting was chaired by President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, as his country holds the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation from 2025 to 2026. “Our humble peace efforts culminated in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. It provides the most viable and enduring pathway to end the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region, and offers a widely accepted basis for all parties to pursue peace through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
Petrol up Rs1.08, diesel Rs0.51 for September 2 PROFIT
AHMAD AHMADANI
Petrol price has been increased by Rs1.08 per litre while High Speed Diesel (HSD) has risen by Rs0.51 per litre for September 2, pushing their prices to Rs343.87 and Rs370.92, respectively. According to the Petroleum Division, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has revised the exdepot prices of petroleum products under the revised petroleum pricing mechanism. The ex-depot price of Motor Spirit (MS), commonly known as petrol, has increased from Rs342.79 to Rs343.87 per litre, reflecting a rise of Rs1.08 per litre. Meanwhile, the ex-depot price of High-Speed Diesel has been raised from Rs370.41 to Rs370.92 per litre, registering an increase of 51 paisas per litre. The revised prices will be applicable for September 2, 2026, under the revised daily petroleum pricing mechanism. The latest increase comes just a day after the previous revision, underlining the impact of the daily pricing system. For September 1, petrol had increased by Rs0.77 per litre, while HSD had declined by Rs1.03 per litre. With the latest adjustment, consumers will face another increase in the prices of both major transport fuels on September 2. Petrol users will bear the larger increase, with the price rising by Rs1.08 per litre, while HSD consumers will face a comparatively smaller increase of 51 paisas per litre. Petrol is predominantly used by motorcycles, private cars, taxis, rickshaws and other light passenger vehicles, making changes in its price particularly significant for millions of ordinary consumers. The latest increase will directly add to the fuel expenses of motorcycle and car users, while people operating taxis, rickshaws and other petrol-powered vehicles may also face higher daily operating costs. Petrol prices are particularly important for middle- and lower-income households, as motorcycles and small cars are widely used for commuting to workplaces, educational institutions, markets and other destinations. HSD, meanwhile, has a broader economic impact because it is extensively used by trucks, buses, commercial vehicles and other heavy transport equipment.
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PM engages world leaders, vows to deepen Pak-Belarus ties BISHKEK
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held informal meetings with several world leaders on the sidelines of the 26th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State here, discussing key bilateral, regional and international matters.
The prime minister interacted with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
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Dar steps up diplomacy with China, UN, SCO chiefs in Bishkek BISHKEK
STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday held separate meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting here, discussing bilateral ties, multilateral diplomacy, regional developments and Pakistan’s priorities for its SCO Chairmanship. In his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Dar discussed matters of mutual interest, including the 2026 United Nations General Assembly session in New York and the ongoing process for electing the next UN Secretary-General. The two foreign ministers held a warm and cordial exchange and reaffirmed the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China. In his separate meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Dar appreciated his leadership in advancing the United Nations’ role in addressing global challenges and promoting effective multilateralism. Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the UN and underscored the close and longstanding partnership between Pakistan and the world body.
– calls for 'sincere' implementation of Islamabad MoU to end US-Iran conflict BISHKEK
STAFF REPORT
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar underscored that sincere implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding of June 2026 by the US and Iran is the only way forward to end the conflict. He stated this during a meeting with Foreign Minister of Iran Seyyed Abbas Araghchi ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on regional developments, preparations for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and ongoing work at the UN Security Council. The Secretary-General appreciated Pakistan’s constructive and principled role in multilateral diplomacy and commended its contributions to promoting regional peace and security. Dar also extended an invitation to Guterres to visit Pakistan, which the UN Secretary-General accepted. According to a press statement issued by the Foreign Office, the Foreign Office of Pakistan will coordinate with the UN Secretariat to finalize the dates for the visit.
Bishkek on Tuesday. The DPM/FM underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remain essential to promoting peace and stability in the region. Dar also met with Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting. The two sides reaffirmed the close and growing Pakistan– Uzbekistan partnership and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.
In a separate meeting with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, Dar shared Pakistan’s priorities and proposed approach for its Chairmanship of the organization. The SCO Secretary-General conveyed his support and assured the SCO Secretariat’s full cooperation in advancing Pakistan’s priorities for the organization. Both sides agreed to remain closely engaged and coordinate efforts throughout Pakistan’s Chairmanship. Yermekbayev also congratulated Pakistan on assuming the Chairmanship of the SCO for 2026–27, according to a press statement issued by the Foreign Office Spokesperson.
Six personnel, including two officers and a Customs official, were martyred while 21 terrorists belonging to Indian-sponsored proxies — Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij — were killed in effective responses to multiple terror incidents in parts of Balochistan on the night of August 31-September 1, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the terrorists were eliminated during separate incidents in Nokcha, Chagai district, and Ziarat Cross, Pishin district, as security forces responded to attacks aimed at disrupting law and order and facilitating criminal activities in the province. “On the night of Aug 31-Sept 1, during multiple incidents in Nokcha, Chagai District, and Ziarat Cross, Pishin District, 21 terrorists belonging to Indiansponsored proxies of Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij were sent to hell due to effective responses by the Security Forces,” ISPR said in a statement. In one of the incidents, terrorists belonging to Fitna alKhawarij launched a coordinated attack in an attempt to breach the Customs House in Balochistan. “During the night of Aug 31-Sep 1, terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij launched a coordinated attack in an attempt to breach the Customs House,” the ISPR said. Security forces responded effectively and, following an intense exchange of fire, killed 10 terrorists, it added. Moreover, fleeing terrorists were also engaged by the security forces, inflicting further casualties, the military’s media wing said. “During the exchange of fire, six brave sons of the soil, including two officers and a government official from the Customs Department, made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and embraced shahadat,” it said. The attack on the Customs House was a “manifestation of the terror-crime nexus, orchestrated to prevent Customs officials from performing their lawful duties and thereby facilitate the continuation of criminal activities in the area”, the ISPR stated. It added that sanitisation operations were continuing in the surrounding areas to eliminate any remaining terrorists and ensure the safety and security of the local population as well as vital national highways. The state has designated the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fitna-al-Hindustan for Balochistan-based groups, highlighting what it describes as India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. Separately, on August 31, terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan attempted to disrupt the peaceful movement of commuters along the N-40 Quetta–Taftan Highway by establishing an illegal checkpoint for extortion, according to ISPR. “Security forces responded immediately and, after an intense fire exchange, 11 terrorists were killed on the spot,” the ISPR said. “A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the terrorists,” it added. The military’s media wing said the latest operations reflected the continued resolve of security forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism from the country. “The relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of ‘Azm-i-Istehkam,’ as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue with full resolve. Security forces and law enforcement agencies remain committed to eliminating the menace of foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR concluded. Naqvi commends security forces for eliminating 21 terrorists Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday commended the security forces for eliminating 21 terrorists in different operations in Chaghi and Pishin districts of Balochistan. The minister lauded the professional capabilities of the security forces for successfully conducting operations against terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij.
SCO leaders adopt Bishkek Declaration, pledge deeper security, trade and technology cooperation BISHKEK
MIAN ABRAR
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states on Tuesday adopted the Bishkek Declaration, reaffirming their commitment to stronger regional cooperation in security, trade, technology and sustainable development as the grouping marked its 25th anniversary. The declaration was approved at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in the Kyrgyz capital, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the 10member organisation. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to international law and the principles
of the UN Charter, while calling for a greater role for the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security and promoting sustainable development. They also backed efforts towards a more representative and equitable multipolar world order and called for reforms in global governance to ensure greater equality among states in international decision-making. The declaration emphasised that the SCO remained a non-military organisation and rejected bloc-based and confrontational approaches to international and regional affairs. It called for responsible development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), deeper cooperation in emerging technologies and reforms to global economic governance. The members also opposed what they termed double standards, particularly in matters
concerning human rights. The leaders signed more than 20 additional documents covering security, counter-narcotics, technology, transport, energy, environmental protection and other areas of cooperation. The agreements envisage stronger coordination against traditional and emerging security threats, including terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crime. They also seek to expand transport and logistics links, strengthen digital infrastructure and promote cooperation in energy and environmental sectors. The summit further approved enhanced cooperation between the SCO and the African Union Commission and designated Lahore, Pakistan, as the SCO tourism and cultural capital for 2026-27.
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02 NEWS
Wednesday, 2 September, 2026 | LAHORE
COURT OF ARBITRATION RULES INDIA CANNOT UNILATERALLY SUSPEND IWT, DEALING NEW DELHI A MAJOR LEGAL SETBACK
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RATLE DAM CONSTRUCTION CURBED PENDING NEUTRAL EXPERT'S DECISION, EXPECTED AROUND JULY 2027
The court noted that "abeyance" carries no technical meaning in international law and does not appear in the Treaty itself. Examining whether India's actions amounted to lawful suspension or termination, the court concluded neither was legally justified, noting the Treaty gives neither country a unilateral right to suspend or terminate it; the agreement remains in force unless both sides jointly modify or end it through a further treaty. The judges also rejected the argument that national sovereignty alone could justify abandoning treaty obligations, invoking the principle of pacta sunt servanda, that agreements must be kept. The court also examined India's allegations regarding Pakistan and cross-border terrorism. While treating the allegations seriously, it concluded that even if true, they would not constitute a material breach of the Treaty sufficient to justify suspension, since the agreement governs water rights on the Indus system and does not regulate terrorism or the use of force. The court found no evidence that the alleged terrorism had prevented India from developing its hydroelectric projects on the western rivers. The tribunal similarly rejected India's claim that Pakistan breached the Treaty by declining to negotiate proposed modifications, finding no such obligation existed and that Islamabad had in fact shown willing-
N international Court of Arbitration ruled on Monday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains fully in force and that India cannot unilaterally suspend or terminate the decades-old water-sharing agreement, delivering a major legal setback to New Delhi's decision to place the pact in "abeyance" last year. In a unanimous award, the Court of Arbitration in The Hague found that India's April 2025 decision to hold the 1960 Treaty in abeyance was not permissible under the agreement or applicable international law, meaning India remains bound by its obligations, including those governing its hydroelectric projects on the western rivers flowing into Pakistan. The ruling came in arbitration proceedings initiated by Pakistan under Article IX and Annexure G of the Treaty, according to a press release from the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The case centres on Indian hydroelectric projects on the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers and their tributaries, collectively known as the western rivers. The dispute escalated after India announced on April 23, 2025, following an attack in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, that the Treaty would be held "in abeyance" until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" abandoned what India described as support for cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan ranks third globally as 40 million crypto accounts drive virtual-asset market, says PVARA chairman
ness to discuss changes. It also dismissed India's objections to what it called Pakistani "legal roadblocks," noting the Treaty itself provides mechanisms for raising objections and pursuing dispute settlement. On India's argument that changing circumstances, including demographic shifts, clean energy needs, dam technology advances, escalating terrorism and climate change, justified suspension, the court found the legal threshold for a "fundamental change of circumstances" unmet, concluding the cited changes were largely foreseeable at the Treaty's signing or had not radically altered India's obligations. The tribunal further found no international armed conflict existed between the two countries at the time of its decision, adding that even such a conflict would not necessarily terminate the Treaty, which has survived several armed conflicts since 1960. Alongside the Treaty-status ruling, the court issued a second unanimous decision imposing interim measures on India's Ratle Hydroelectric Plant in Jammu and Kashmir, after Pakistan asked on March 4, 2026, to restrict construction pending a neutral expert's determination on the project's Treaty compliance. The court granted three of Pakistan's requested measures, with modifications. India is now barred from concreting the Ratle dam wall and power intake
structure above specified levels until the neutral expert rules on Treaty compliance, with the court noting that reversing noncompliant construction later could prove "extraordinarily difficult and costly." A third measure requires India to notify the court, the neutral expert and Pakistan of any changes to the Ratle construction schedule, after the court noted India had stopped voluntarily sharing this information. The court declined two further measures Pakistan sought, a formal declaration that India was proceeding "at its own risk," and a requirement that India return to full Treaty compliance pending the Treaty-status ruling, finding both unnecessary given the simultaneous decision and existing international law principles. The dispute now moves to separate proceedings before a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank, examining whether the Ratle and Kishenganga hydroelectric project designs comply with the Treaty, with a final decision expected around July 16, 2027. The interim restrictions on Ratle's dam wall and power intake will remain in place until 90 days after that decision, while the reporting requirement stays in force until the ruling is delivered. The arbitration dates back to August 2016, when Pakistan initiated the case under the Treaty's dispute-settlement provisions; India separately sought a neutral expert the same year.
FBR makes CRM approval mandatory for new income tax assessments from Sept 1 g
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Pakistan has emerged as the world’s thirdlargest crypto market, with around 40 million Pakistanis holding cryptocurrency-linked accounts, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal Bin Saqib told the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat. Briefing the committee, chaired by Senator Rana Mahmood-ulHassan, Saqib estimated Pakistan’s virtual-asset market at $250 billion, with between $10 billion and $20 billion of Pakistani money invested in the sector. He said most users were below the age of 40. Saqib said Pakistan was not seeking to promote cryptocurrency but was moving to regulate an activity that had already gained widespread use, particularly among young people. He said the State Bank of Pakistan’s restrictions on digital assets over the past eight years had limited the country’s ability to adapt to the technology. He said PVARA had established its virtual-asset regulatory framework within five months, describing it as one of the fastest such regimes in the world. The UAE, Hong Kong and Thailand were also developing regulatory frameworks for virtual assets, he added. The PVARA chairman said two international virtual-asset companies had been issued no-objection certificates and given until September 5 to complete their registration. Restrictions and enforcement action would be initiated against unregistered operators after the deadline. The cabinet secretary told the committee that cryptocurrency-related businesses would not be permitted to operate without licences. Saqib said regulation of virtual assets could also help Pakistan increase foreign exchange inflows by reducing the cost of remittances. Pakistan currently receives around $41 billion in remittances, and lowering transaction costs could potentially bring an additional $2 billion in foreign exchange, he said. PVARA is working with the SBP to identify more cost-effective remittance channels and shift virtual-asset activity currently taking place in the grey market into the regulated financial system. On taxation, Saqib said India had imposed a 30% tax on virtual assets, while Pakistan was still assessing an appropriate rate. He cautioned that excessive taxation could push investors and businesses towards offshore markets. The committee also sought clarification on religious concerns surrounding cryptocurrency.
FIELD FORMATIONS BARRED FROM INITIATING FRESH ASSESSMENT PROCEEDINGS UNLESS CASES ARE SELECTED AND ASSIGNED THROUGH COMPLIANCE RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Monitoring report
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made the use of its Compliance Risk Management (CRM) System mandatory for the selection of cases for new income tax assessment proceedings from September 1, 2026. The FBR issued Income Tax Circular No. 1 of 2026 under the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, directing all Inland Revenue field formations to follow the CRM-based process. Under the new instructions, no officer of Inland Revenue can initiate new or amend assessment proceedings, including those under sections 121, 122, 122A and 122C of the Income Tax Ordinance, unless the case has first been selected and assigned through the CRM System. Any proceedings initiated in violation of the circular will be considered unauthorised and may be declared void
ab initio by the competent authority. The FBR said the measure was aimed at introducing greater transparency, uniformity and objectivity in the selection of cases while advancing the digitisation and automation of tax administration. Assessment proceedings already underway as of August 31, 2026 may be completed under the existing framework. However, any fresh amendment, reassessment or show-cause notice issued in those cases from September 1 onward will also have to follow the CRM-based selection process. The FBR has allowed exemptions from the CRM process only in exceptional cases. Any such request must be submitted in writing to the Member (Inland Revenue - Operations) with complete justification, and an exemption will require specific written approval from the Member (IR Operations) or an authorised officer.
All Chief Commissioners Inland Revenue (CCIRs) have been directed to ensure compliance with the new instructions in their respective jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the Directorate-General (Compliance Risk Management) has been tasked with keeping the CRM System operational and providing technical support, training and guidance to field formations. Any system downtime or technical problem affecting the CRM System must be reported to the Member (IROperations) within 24 hours. The circular will override and supersede previous FBR or field-level circulars, instructions, standard operating procedures and administrative orders to the extent that they conflict with the mandatory CRM-based selection process. The FBR said the circular was issued under Section 214 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, along with the relevant rules and regulations.
Shipping costs from Pakistan to US surge over 200% as Iran war disrupts trade routes g
KARACHI-NEW YORK CONTAINER RATES JUMP FROM $2,000 TO $8,000-9,000, PRICING EXPORTERS OUT AGAINST VIETNAM PROFIT
Monitoring report
Freight costs for Pakistani exporters shipping to the United States have more than tripled on some routes, as the fallout from the Iran war disrupts shipping lanes and pushes up war-risk insurance and fuel costs. Ismail Suttar, founding chairman of the Salt Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SMAP), said a Karachi-toNew York container shipment that once cost around $2,000 is now being quoted at $8,000 to $9,000, a jump he warned could erode the competitiveness of Pakistani goods in the US market. He called on the government to take urgent notice and craft an emergency response to shield exporters from
the rising freight burden. "Shipping rates have increased globally, but the increase on some routes from Pakistan is disproportionately high," Suttar said, noting that exporters are absorbing much of the extra cost themselves. The Karachi-Jebel Ali route has been hit just as hard, he said, with freight charges that once ranged between $100 and $200 climbing to roughly $4,000-5,000 as vessel availability shrinks, a supply squeeze that has compounded the rate increases. Suttar drew a sharp contrast with competing export markets: a container travelling from Vietnam to New York currently costs about $3,000-4,000, less than half what Pakistani exporters are now paying for the same route.
"This creates a difference of around $5,000 for Pakistani exporters and puts them at a clear disadvantage when competing for international orders," he said. He also flagged a deeper structural weakness: Pakistan's lack of a national shipping carrier and an adequate containerised cargo fleet, citing countries like China and South Korea, whose state-backed carriers have helped cushion their trade during global disruptions. He called for the government to immediately form an inter-ministerial committee, bringing together exporters, shipping companies and relevant agencies, to examine the freight-rate surge and identify ways to ease the burden on exporters. Without timely intervention, he warned, Pakistan risks losing export orders, further straining foreign exchange earnings and weakening its standing in international markets.
Senate panel seeks lower mobile taxes to support 5G rollout g
SENATORS CALL FOR TAX RELIEF ON LOW-COST PHONES AND TABLETS AS PTA PUSHES LOCAL ASSEMBLY OF 5G-ENABLED DEVICES PROFIT
Monitoring report
The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has called for lower taxes on mobile phones and tablets, while directing authorities to address concerns over document verification fees and ensure timely completion of the Islamabad Club’s pending audit. The committee, chaired by Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan, discussed a wide range of issues, including taxation on digital devices, Pakistan’s preparedness for 5G technology, Islamabad Club membership, declaration of foreign citizenship by civil servants and proposed rules governing government employees’ use of social media. Senators Mohammad Abdul Qadir and Saadia Abbasi called for a reduction in taxes on digital devices, arguing that high taxation was increasing the cost burden on citizens and businesses. Chairman Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan
called for complete tax exemption on tablets and lower taxes on mobile phones, saying excessive taxation could hinder the rollout of 5G technology. Senator Dilawar Khan also advocated lower taxes on cheaper mobile phones, arguing that wider access to affordable devices could ultimately help increase government revenue. The PTA chairman informed the committee that locally manufactured mobile phones generally did not currently support 5G. He said local manufacturers were being encouraged to assemble 5G-enabled devices in Pakistan. According to the PTA chairman, 37 companies were currently assembling mobile phones in the country and faced different tax treatment from imported devices. He said 92% of mobile phones did not carry tax, while 8% were subject to taxation. The PTA chairman further informed the committee that 31 million mobile phones had been manufactured in Pak-
istan, while the PTA Member (Policy) said 95% of the population was using locally manufactured phones. The committee also raised concerns over the fees charged by offices linked to the Foreign Office for document verification. Chairman Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan said the charges had become excessive, alleging that people were being charged hundreds of thousands of rupees for verification services. Islamabad Club officials told the committee that membership costs Rs2 million for parliamentarians and government officials and Rs10 million for other applicants. The club’s membership is capped at around 10,000. The committee was informed that the Islamabad Club’s FY2024-25 audit had not yet been completed. It directed that the audit be finalised promptly and deferred the agenda item pending a further update. The Establishment Division briefed the committee on rules requiring civil ser-
vants to declare any foreign citizenship within 30 days. Officials who fail to comply with the requirement may face disciplinary action. Foreign-born recruits are required to disclose their place of birth, while civil servants who acquire foreign citizenship during overseas postings must relinquish it upon returning to Pakistan. Chairman Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan stressed the need for strict compliance with the rules. The committee also considered proposed rules governing civil servants’ use of social media, including plans to establish a monitoring cell. Under the proposed framework, government employees would be allowed to use social media privately but would be restricted from using platforms such as TikTok and YouTube for self-promotion in their official capacity. Officials said instances of exemptions had highlighted the need for clearer rules governing social media use by government employees.
The World Bank paused both processes in December 2016 before lifting the pause in 2022, after which the Court of Arbitration was constituted. The court rejected India's jurisdictional objections in July 2023 and has since issued rulings in phases, including an August 2025 award on Treaty interpretation, a November 2025 clarification, and a May 2026 award on maximum pondage. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed the ruling, writing on X that it "vindicates Pakistan's consistent position that a binding international treaty cannot be unilaterally suspended or set aside," and calling on India to fully comply with its Treaty obligations and dispute-settlement decisions. India, however, rejected the verdict outright. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the "so-called Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India's sovereign decisions" and that its rulings "will have no effect on India's actions," maintaining that India's decision to hold the Treaty in abeyance "remains in force." Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari called the ruling a major diplomatic victory for Pakistan, saying India's rejection of the verdict was further isolating it internationally and portraying it as an "extremist, aggressive and intolerant neighbour."
FBR collects Rs1.72trn in first two months of FY27, narrowly beats target despite growth slowdown PROFIT
news Desk
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs1.722 trillion in taxes during the first two months of the current fiscal year, narrowly exceeding its Rs1.71 trillion target despite a sharp slowdown in revenue growth and a decline in income tax receipts. The FBR beat its July-August target by Rs12 billion, driven mainly by stronger collection in July. Provisional data showed tax collection rose by Rs55 billion, or 3.3%, compared with the same period last year — a pace well below the 17.4% growth needed to meet the annual target of Rs15.263 trillion agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The tax authority missed its August target by Rs29 billion, collecting around Rs900 billion against a monthly goal of Rs930 billion, according to senior tax officials. Sales tax remained the primary driver of growth during the two-month period, with collection reaching Rs719 billion, Rs85 billion above target and Rs86 billion, or 14%, higher yearon-year. Around Rs496 billion, or 69% of total sales tax, was collected at the import stage. Income tax collection stood at more than Rs685 billion, falling Rs74 billion short of the two-month target and Rs29 billion, or 4%, below last year's level. Federal excise duty collection reached Rs118 billion, broadly in line with target and Rs3 billion higher than last year. Customs duty came in at Rs198 billion, slightly below target and largely unchanged year-on-year. Of total tax collection, more than Rs810 billion, or 47%, was collected at the import stage, where the scope for evasion is comparatively limited. The FBR issued Rs155 billion in tax refunds during the period, around Rs31 billion more than in the same period last year. The FBR’s efforts to broaden the tax base continue to face implementation hurdles. Tax officials said restrictions on economic transactions by ineligible persons had yet to be fully implemented because of political considerations and technical limitations in developing the required system. The FBR also made progress in integrating large retailers into its Point-of-Sale (POS) network. Around 17,337 retailers were integrated during FY2025-26, representing a 31% increase in the registered base within one year. However, the digital integration of several service sectors remains stalled because final income tax rules have not been notified. Tax officials said the draft Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) 288, issued by the FBR in February 2026, remained non-operational. As a result, at least 14 categories of service providers could not be connected to the FBR’s digital reporting system.
Internet services restored in eight AJK districts, restrictions remain in two PROFIT
Monitoring report
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani has restored internet services in the region, bringing relief to thousands of residents, students, freelancers and business owners after months of disruption. The AJK government has ordered the restoration of internet services across eight districts, with full services resumed in four, while broadband and Wi-Fi connectivity will be limited to educational institutions in the remaining four. According to a notification issued by the AJK Home Department, internet services will remain completely suspended in two districts of Poonch division — Sudhnoti and Rawalakot.
Wednesday, 2 September, 2026 | LAHORE
KP ACCUSES CENTRE OF FAVOURING PUNJAB IN NET HYDEL PROFIT PAYMENTS
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over the last three years, compared with Rs160.8 billion paid to Punjab. It said KP accounted for around 70% of total hydel generation, against Punjab’s 30%, but received a disproportionately smaller share of the profits. For the last fiscal year, KP claimed it received Rs30 billion against nearly Rs96.8 billion paid to Punjab. The Power Division rejected the figure, saying Punjab actually received Rs23 billion, while Rs33 billion was paid to KP. The Power Division spokesperson said billing data showed KP had an opening balance of Rs53 billion and accrued a further Rs33 billion, while Punjab had an opening balance of Rs44 billion and accrued Rs11 billion. The combined amount stood at Rs141 billion. Against this, Rs56 billion was provided to Wapda, of which Rs33 billion was paid to KP and Rs23 billion to Punjab as NHP, the spokesperson said. The KP government said Rs22.6 billion
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HYBER Pakhtunkhwa has accused the federal government of violating the Constitution by disproportionately releasing net hydel profits (NHP) to Punjab despite KP accounting for more than 70% of Pakistan’s hydropower generation, The Express Tribune reported. The allegation was rejected by the Power Division, which disputed the provincial government’s figures and said KP received Rs33 billion in NHP payments during the last fiscal year, compared with Rs23 billion paid to Punjab. The dispute centres on Article 161(2) of the Constitution, under which net hydel profits earned from hydroelectric power generation are to be paid to the province where the power station is located. According to the KP government, it received only Rs87.8 billion in NHP payments
in regular NHP up to August 2026 remained outstanding, along with Rs56.1 billion in arrears related to 5% indexation, taking total outstanding dues to Rs78.7 billion. It said the shortfall had affected the province’s fiscal position and urged the Power Division to ensure NHP was distributed in line with the Constitution and hydel generation. KP generated 21.4 billion units of hydel electricity in 2024-25, mainly from Tarbela Dam, Warsak, Khan Khwar, Allii Khwar, Duber Khawar and Golen Gol. Punjab generated around 8 billion units, with Ghazi Barotha accounting for most of its hydel output. The provincial government said the difference between hydel generation and NHP disbursements indicated that the federal government was not fulfilling its constitutional obligations. The KP government also cited delays in payments by the Central Power Purchase Agency Guaranteed (CPPA-G) to Wapda,
saying payments were being made only against invoices from December 2024, resulting in a gap of around 16 months. It said Wapda had requested CPPA-G to release Rs17 billion per month to reduce the outstanding position, while the monthly NHP requirement was approximately Rs3 billion each for KP and Punjab. The Power Division said CPPA-G provides NHP to Wapda as part of the overall
Pakistan could mobilise Rs1.2tr from Zakat, CSR, philanthropy for social sector PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan could mobilise up to Rs1.2 trillion through alternative financing sources, including Zakat, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy, to meet social-sector needs, a policy discussion was told. The amount is roughly equivalent to the resources utilised under the four provincial Annual Development Plans (ADPs) in previous years. The discussion, titled “Towards Integrated Financing for Pakistan’s Social Sector”, was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with Unicef and Germany’s GIZ on Monday. Speakers said greater transparency, accountability and public confidence were needed to unlock these resources. A LUMS study cited at the event es-
timated annual Zakat payments at Rs620 billion, while State Bank of Pakistan data showed only Rs11.77 billion was collected through bank deductions. SDPI Deputy Executive Director (Research) Dr Sajid Amin Javed said the gap demonstrated the need for stronger institutions and transparent mechanisms for Zakat collection and utilisation. Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said grants obtained by the Centre from provinces under Article 164 were a temporary arrangement and remained under discussion at the NFC forum. He also called the non-establishment of Provincial Finance Commissions (PFCs) an “incomplete” task. Kayani said greater devolution of authority could improve service delivery and welcomed efforts to develop Zakat, CSR and other alternative financing streams. He said recent National Assem-
‘SCO Plus’: PM calls water region’s ‘lifeblood,’ stresses treaty compliance CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
bly legislation on CSR aimed to encourage companies to increase and transparently report their spending. He also called for better coordination between the federal Public Sector Development Programme and provincial ADPs to avoid duplication and advocated greater resource distribution to districts and local governments.\\ Unicef Pakistan Deputy Representative Sharmeela Rasool said alternative financing should be predictable, equitable and transparent, with a focus on measurable improvements in children’s lives. She said a child born in Pakistan was expected to achieve around 41% of their productive potential by age 18, underscoring the need for greater investment in health, nutrition, education and social protection. Advisor to the Finance Minister Adnan Pasha called human development critical infrastructure and proposed
linking private financing to independently verified results. He also suggested directing revenues from selected taxes and levies, including those on sugary drinks, towards priority interventions in underserved districts. Unicef Pakistan Chief of Social Policy Sadaf Zulfiqar said declining traditional development assistance had increased the importance of corporate and individual philanthropy, public-private partnerships and impact investment. Citing a 2023 study, she said annual corporate philanthropy in Pakistan was estimated at around $300 million, but limited trust, weak transparency and fragmented coordination continued to constrain its potential. The event marked the first policy engagement under the Financing the Future initiative, part of Unicef Pakistan’s Public Finance for Children framework.
Finance Division sees inflation return to double digits in August, flags higher energy prices, flood risks
Prime Minister Shehbaz said Pakistan was also a signatory to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, which had further strengthened prospects for peace in the region by sending a message of unity and common resolve. He said the United Nations, established 80 years ago, had adopted collective approaches to deal effectively with poverty, hunger, disease, environment and many other challenges of the times, adding that Pakistan remained fully committed to the UN Charter. The prime minister said the emergence of a multipolar world presented an opportunity to build a more equitable, democratic and just international system. “But today, the UN is urgently in need of reform. It must become more accountable and responsive,” he added. Calling the situation in Gaza and the West Bank “deeply troubling”, Prime Minister Shehbaz urged the international community to act decisively to end the suffering of innocent Palestinians and uphold their inalienable right to self-determination. “The same rights must also be granted to all other oppressed nations,” he said. TERRORISM COMMON THREAT Highlighting terrorism as a common threat, the prime minister said Pakistan was fully committed to advancing shared objectives under the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) to deal with the three evils of “terrorism, separatism and religious extremism.” “Pakistan will continue to bravely confront and defeat the scourge of terrorism. With over ninety thousand lives lost and USD 150 billion in economic losses, our nation has stood resolutely in combating terrorism, not just for ourselves, but for the entire world,” he said. Calling for condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the vision of regional connectivity could only be achieved once there was peace and stability in Afghanistan. He called for an end to terrorist groups using Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries. PAKISTAN TO PRIORITISE IT, AI UNDER SCO CHAIRMANSHIP Prime Minister Shehbaz said that as Pakistan assumed the Chairmanship of the SCO, the country would be guided by the conviction that the organisation must deliver tangible dividends to its peoples.
PROFIT STAFF REPORT
The Finance Division, in its monthly economic update, expects consumer inflation to rise to 10%–11% in August 2026, up from 9.2% in July, as recent price pressures and fluctuations in international commodity and energy prices feed through to the domestic economy. The review also flags geopolitical uncertainty and the risk of heavy rains and flooding affecting the upcoming harvest. The division named global energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty as the principal dangers to both the inflation path and the external account, and said continued prudent management and reform would be needed to protect what has been gained. July's reading of 9.2% was itself a sharp step down from 11.1% in June, though it sits well above the 4.1% of July 2025. Prices rose 1.2% over the month, reversing a fall of 0.3% in June. Transport led the year-onyear increase at 15.1%, followed by communication at 13.6% and non-perishable food at 11.6%. Clothing and footwear rose 9.2%, education 9.0%, health 7.8%, housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels 7.1%, and furnishing and household equipment maintenance 6.9%. Restaurants and hotels added 5.7%, perishable food 5.2%, alcoholic beverages and tobacco 3.2% and recreation and culture 1.3%. The Sensitive Price Indicator edged up 0.05% in the week to 27 August 2026, with 20 of the 51 items tracked dearer, 11 cheaper and 20 unchanged. On the trade front, Washington has imposed duties of 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 countries, Pakistan among them, with effect from July 24, and a further 50% levy on Canadian goods from 19 August. The division said the US measures add another layer of uncertainty to the external trade outlook. Farming faces a separate hazard. The government said climatic threats including heavy rainfall and floods put the sector's growth targets at risk, even as it continues to supply seeds, credit, fertiliser and machinery. Oil markets carry a further risk. Renewed hostilities and maritime disruption during July and early August set back efforts to restore global supply, and the review said the need to reopen the Strait has grown more press-
ing as inventory buffers run down. Against those pressures, the review set out a run of firmer numbers from the closing months of FY2026 and the opening of FY2027. Pakistan entered FY2027 on a stronger macroeconomic footing, supported by strengthened fiscal buffers, enhanced economic stability, and improving growth prospects arising from sustained stabilization efforts. The fiscal deficit came in at 2.6% of GDP, or Rs 3,313.4 billion, the narrowest in over twenty years and down from 5.4% of GDP and Rs 6,168 billion a year earlier. The primary surplus was 2.9% of GDP, or Rs 3,634.2 billion, against 2.4% and Rs 2,719.4 billion, the third such surplus in a row. Revenue climbed 9.9% to Rs 19,773.9 billion while spending fell 4.5% to Rs 23,087.4 billion. Current spending was down 3.91%, chiefly on a 21.8% drop in mark-up payments, while development spending rose 14.9%. The Federal Board of Revenue collected Rs 820.9 billion in July FY2027, a gain of 8.4%. Direct taxes rose 3.0% and indirect taxes 11.9%, with sales tax up 18.3% and federal excise duty up 3.4%, while customs duties slipped 2.4%. Large Scale Manufacturing grew 4.98% in FY2026 after shrinking 0.7% the year before, with 16 of 22 sectors expanding. Automobiles contributed 1.6 percentage points, food 1.2, wearing apparel 0.9 and coke and petroleum products 0.7. The picture in the final month was weaker, with LSM down 3.5% year on year and 6.1% on the month in June 2026. Wearing apparel, textiles and pharmaceuticals accounted for roughly 4.6 percentage points of that fall, more than three-quarters of the total. Vehicle output surged in July FY2027, with trucks and buses up 100.4%, cars up 75.6% and two- and three-wheelers up 40.7%. Cement dispatches rose 6.02% to 4.5 million tonnes from 4.2 million tonnes, as domestic volumes climbed 17.3% to 3.8 million tonnes from 3.2 million tonnes. Exports went the other way, dropping 29.9% to 705,341 tonnes from 1.007 million tonnes. Farm inputs also picked up. Imports of agricultural machinery and implements rose 25.9% to $18.2 million from $14.4 million; tractor output reached 1,361 units and tractor sales rose 3.9% to 1,242 units.
NEWS 03
tariff, including operation and maintenance and other approved costs. Wapda allocates available resources, including NHP payments, according to its operational requirements.
The spokesperson added that CPPA-G transfers Wapda’s share under a mechanism approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).
SCO leaders adopt Bishkek Declaration, pledge deeper security, trade and technology cooperation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
The SCO traces its origins to the Shanghai Five, established in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to address border disputes and reduce military tensions following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Uzbekistan joined when the organisation was formally established in 2001. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, expanding the organisation's reach across much of Eurasia. The 10-member SCO now comprises Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Collectively, the members represent around 3.4 billion people and account for a substantial share of the global economy. Unlike NATO, the SCO is not a military alliance, nor is it an economic bloc similar to the European Union. Its consensus-based framework provides a platform for security coordination, economic cooperation and diplomatic engagement among countries with diverse political and strategic interests. The Bishkek summit came as the organisation entered its second quarter-century amid shifting global supply chains, growing economic activity in Asia and efforts by member states to expand trade and diplomatic partnerships. PAKISTAN ASSUMES SCO CHAIRMANSHIP Pakistan is set to assume the rotating chairmanship of the SCO for 2026-27, taking over from Kyrgyzstan. It will also host the next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in 2027. The chairmanship is expected to provide Islamabad with an opportunity to promote regional connectivity, economic cooperation, counterterrorism coordination and people-to-people exchanges within the SCO framework.
PM engages world leaders, vows to deepen Pak-Belarus ties CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
The informal interactions were held in a warm and cordial atmosphere, with the prime minister remaining a central figure in the engagements. Earlier, upon his arrival at the summit venue, Prime Minister Shehbaz was warmly received by President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov, followed by a handshake. He later joined other participating leaders for a group photograph of the leaders of the 10 member states before the formal proceedings of the summit began. PM, Lukashenko reaffirm resolve to take Pakistan-Belarus ties to new heights In a separate meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko reaffirmed their shared commitment to elevating the long-standing friendly relations between Pakistan and Belarus to new heights. The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and expressed satisfaction at the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Belarus relations and robust cooperation across political, trade, economic, defence and cultural fields, according to a press release issued by the PM Office Media Wing. Recalling President Lukashenko’s historic visit to Pakistan in November 2024, followed by Prime Minister Shehbaz’s memorable visit to Belarus in April 2025, the two leaders agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation in key areas. They identified trade, industry, agriculture, information technology and vocational training as priority sectors for expanding bilateral cooperation. As the incoming Chair of the SCO Council of Heads of State, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended a warm and cordial invitation to President Lukashenko to undertake a visit to Pakistan next year.
Unity Foods says FIR against officers does not implicate company CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Unity Foods Limited has clarified that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) FIR registered against certain current and former officers and directors concerns their individual conduct and does not name the company as an accused. In a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday, the company said the allegations in the FIR relate to matters covered by an ongoing regulatory referral by the Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion of Pakistan (SECP). The FIA Corporate Crime Circle, Karachi, registered FIR No. FIR-CCC-KHI15/26 on August 29, 2026, under Sections 406, 420, 477-A, 109 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, against certain current and former officers/directors of Unity Foods and its wholly owned subsidiary, Sunridge Foods (Pvt) Ltd., in their individual capacities. The case follows an SECP investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving Unity Foods’ former management. According to the FIR and an SECP statement,
investigators identified discrepancies of around Rs44.7 billion between figures reported in the company’s published financial accounts and its internal SAP records. The investigation also alleged that Unity Foods raised Rs3.75 billion from shareholders through a rights issue, of which around Rs2.87 billion was allegedly used for purposes other than those disclosed in the issue documents. Investigators further alleged that Rs5.318 billion in company funds was provided as a loan to the mother of the com-
pany’s former chief executive officer, while a Unity Foods subsidiary allegedly advanced Rs2.6 billion to two unidentified parties. The investigation also identified a difference of around Rs5.2 billion between inventory recorded in the company’s books and its physical stock, while investigators found an alleged lack of evidence establishing the supply of goods against old outstanding liabilities of around Rs5 billion. The FIA registered the case against the former management and other accused following the SECP’s referral.
Unity Foods, however, said the allegations remain unproven and have yet to be tested through due process, adding that they do not constitute findings of fact or an adjudication by a court of law. The company stressed that it is a separate legal entity from its officers and directors and has not itself been named as an accused in the FIR. Unity Foods said it is cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and will continue to comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
04 COMMENT
Why the ‘economic recovery’ isn’t reaching the kitchen table
Wednesday, 2 September, 2026
Food insecurity
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Too much hunger in a supposedly agricultural country
T is a truism that Pakistan is an agricultural country. Yet it is also a poor one, and it is also a truism that people have been hit hard by the inflation of the last decade. This newspaper’s Profit magazine has published a report in this week’s issue that shows how Pakistanis have been driven to eat less of every food category except vanaspati ghee. One of the more worrying developments has been that Pakistan is now having to import not just a staple like wheat, but also its pulses. From the self-suffiency of half a century ago, Pakistan now imports about twothirds of its annual demand for pulses. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ latest Household Integrated Economic Survey, people are eating less meat and drinking less milk per capita now than in 2019. It is thus perhaps no wonder that food insecurity now affects 5.04 percent of households, compared to 2.37 percent in 2019. Moderate to severe food insecurity has increased from 15.92 percent to 24.35 percent. And it is not as if there is a marked difference between rural and urban areas, which would indicate a distribution problem more than anything else. What seems to be happening is that food is not as plentiful as we think it is, and what there is, has been priced out of reach. Households are now being forced to make painful decisions about how to cut down on food. The tragedy is that this is happening to a young population. There has been much airy optimism about the youth dividend. However, even before the nation thinks of educating, clothing or housing them, it must feed them, and feed them adequately, lest they be left malnourished, and thus vulnerable to such effects as poorly developed brains, rendering them a permanent burden on society rather than the useful contributors to it the optimists predict. Food security does not just matter for the people who are suffering from their lack of it, but also for the state. Pakistan maintains an independent posture because it likes to think it can feed itself. If its enemies felt that the population was close to hunger, even starvation, would they take long to drive Pakistan along that road by manufacturing the crisis needed? It is perhaps no wonder that Pakistan takes the Indian attempt to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty so seriously.
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The figures don’t show the suffering of the common man Zain ali
AKISTAN’S economic managers have spent the last few weeks in a celebratory mood. Remittances are climbing, foreign reserves are stabilizing, the central bank has paused its rate-hiking cycle, and the International Monetary Fund is preparing to release another tranche of financing. On paper, this is the language of recovery. Yet for a household in Multan buying flour, or a small trader in Sindh watching his input costs rise, the distance between the macroeconomic press release and the price tag at the local market remains as wide as ever. This gap between certified statistics and lived economic reality is not a coincidence; it is the direct result of a recovery narrative built on aggregate numbers rather than distributional outcomes, and it demands the same rigorous, fact-based scrutiny that any claim of institutional success should receive. At the macro-level, the numbers genuinely support cautious optimism. Standard & Poor’s recently upgraded Pakistan’s sovereign credit rating to “B” from “B-,” and provisional estimates from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics put real GDP growth at roughly 3.7 percent for FY26, with the State Bank projecting a further rise to between 3.5 and 4.5 percent in FY27. The SBP has now held its benchmark policy rate steady at 11.5 percent for a second consecutive meeting, with headline inflation easing to 11.1 percent in June from 11.7 percent in May. a decline officials attribute to softer global energy prices and adjusted electricity tariffs. External accounts, historically Pakistan’s most persistent vulnerability, also look sturdier than in recent years: workers’ remittances rose 13 percent year-on-year to $3.6 billion in July 2026, building on a record $41.6 billion collected over the full FY26, and foreign exchange reserves climbed to a 39-month high above $20 billion, with the central bank’s own holdings surging by roughly $1.77 billion in a single week on the back of stronger inflows, particularly from the UAE. Meanwhile, Islamabad is preparing for the fifth review of its Extended Fund Facility program, with talks expected to unlock around $1.2 billion in fresh IMF financing, including $200 million tied to climate resilience under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility. These are not manufactured figures, and they should be acknowledged. But a recovery measured only in reserve balances and credit-rating letters is an incomplete recovery. It says nothing about whether a policy rate of 11.5 percent, among the highest real rates in the region once set against single-digit inflation, is still choking small businesses that cannot access formal credit. It says nothing about whether a household’s grocery bill has actually fallen in step
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
with the headline inflation number, or whether the relief is concentrated among exporters, banks, and dollar-earning households while wage earners in the informal economy continue to fall behind. And it says nothing about the structural fragility that a single bad monsoon season, an energy price shock, or a stalled IMF review can still expose within months, as it has repeatedly over the past three years. This raises three questions that deserve direct answers rather than another round of celebratory press briefings: First: If reserves have reached a 39-month high largely on the strength of remittance inflows rather than export competitiveness or domestic productivity growth, how durable is this stability once global labour markets in the Gulf or the UK soften, and what buffer exists beyond the next remittance cycle? Second: With the policy rate held at 11.5 percent even as inflation eases toward single digits, will the State Bank’s caution translate into a credible, pre-announced easing path that lowers borrowing costs for small and medium enterprises, or will monetary tightness continue to be treated as costless, ignoring its drag on private investment and job creation? Third: As the government prepares to brief the IMF mission on structural benchmarks, energy-sector reforms, and the privatization of state-owned enterprises, will the resulting agreement include enforceable protections for the bottom half of income earners, or will the burden of fiscal consolidation once again fall disproportionately on consumption taxes and utility tariffs that hit the poorest hardest? The pattern is a familiar one from Pakistan’s recent economic history: a stabilization narrative anchored in reserve accumulation and IMF approval, followed months later by a reminder, a flood, a currency shock, an energy price spike, that resilience was never built into the system, only borrowed against the next favourable data print. The 2025 monsoon floods, which displaced millions and wiped out standing crops across Punjab and Sindh, are barely a year behind us, and agricultural output remains one of the
Babar Nizami Editor Profit
The PIMS tragedy
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Dr Zafar Khan SafDar
T 6:45 last Wednesday morning, 15 newborns lay inside the nursery of PIMS Hospital in Islamabad. They could not walk, cry for help or escape. Then, reportedly, an air-conditioning compressor exploded and the room caught fire. Fourteen of those babies would never leave it alive. One was carried out by a doctor who happened to be present. Outside, parents waited, not knowing that their children, some in incubators, some on oxygen, some only hours old, were trapped inside a burning room. They had entered a hospital as newborns. For 14 of them, it became their first and final home. The Prime Minister called the loss irreparable and ordered an investigation. An inquiry committee was formed. The cameras arrived and somewhere in the administrative machinery of the state, another report is being written, one that may explain how this happened long after the country has stopped asking who should have prevented it. This is not the first time and not even a new warning. In June 2024, a fire triggered by an airconditioning failure at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital killed 11 newborns. There were inquiries, promises and solemn assurances of accountability. Then the country moved on. Fifteen months later, the same horror returned at PIMS. Another nursery. Another cooling-system failure. Another 16 helpless infants trapped inside. How many dead babies does it take before a government stops calling negligence an accident? How many inquiries must be announced before someone is held responsible? The most horrifying part is not that these fires keep happening. It is that we keep behaving as though they are unexpected. “Hospital fires are not uncommon in Pakistan”, CNN reported yesterday, citing outdated electrical systems in government hospitals. Those three words, ‘not uncommon’ should sear the national conscience. When deaths inside hospitals become predictable enough for the world to describe them as routine, the indictment is no longer of one building or one administration. It is of a system that has normalised preventable death. In functioning healthcare systems, a fire involving newborns would trigger immediate scrutiny and correction. In Pakistan, 15 dead babies trigger a committee. A newborn cannot run from flames. A pre-
mature infant on oxygen cannot detach itself from the equipment keeping it alive. In a neonatal ward, safety is not a luxury or a budgetary choice. It is the first duty of the state. Parents allege that no staff were present when the fire began. If true, who was watching babies who could not even cry for help? Where were the alarms, the evacuation plan and the trained staff who could have carried these infants to safety? When was the air-conditioning system last inspected and serviced? Were emergency exits accessible? Had staff practised evacuating babies who could neither walk nor breathe without assistance? These were not questions for an inquiry after the fire. They were duties that had to be fulfilled before it. A hospital entrusted with the most helpless lives cannot plead surprise when the safeguards meant to protect them fail. And when those safeguards are ignored, neglected or missing, the word ‘accident’ becomes a convenient way of avoiding responsibility. And there is another question the country must confront. Why must the dead become the evidence before the living are protected? Pakistan has no shortage of committees, reports or recommendations. What it lacks is the will to act before catastrophe forces action upon us. A warning is ignored, a fault is tolerated, a risk is normalised, and everyone moves on until the next siren sounds. That is how negligence becomes a system. In a neonatal ward, where a few seconds can separate life from death, every ignored warning carries a human cost. The tragedy is not only that these babies died. It is that many of the conditions that put them in danger may have been visible long before the fire began. PIMS is not an obscure or poorly equipped rural facility. It is one of the principal public hospitals in the capital, serving citizens for whom public healthcare is often the only afford-
Editor’s mail
able option. When parents carry a newborn into such a hospital, they surrender the child to its care in the most complete sense possible. They cannot inspect the wiring, test the alarms, examine the fire extinguishers, or ensure that someone is watching over the nursery at dawn. They can only trust. That trust was shattered yesterday not merely for fifteen grieving families, but for an entire nation forced to witness its own systemic failure. The government must now order an immediate, independent safety audit of neonatal, maternity, paediatric and intensive care units in every major public hospital in Pakistan. Its findings must be made public within 30 days, with a named official responsible for correcting every identified deficiency and a deadline for compliance. Fifteen newborns died yesterday before they had even learned what life was. They had no voice, no choice and no ability to escape. Their parents entrusted them to the one place where they believed they would be protected. Instead, 15 tiny lives became another entry in Pakistan’s ledger of preventable deaths. No inquiry can return those children. No report can explain their absence to 15 mothers waiting for a cry that will never come. When the same preventable failure is allowed to happen again after previous tragedies and warnings, it is no longer enough to call it negligence. Their first home was a burning room. Their last moments were spent waiting for the adults who were supposed to save them. And when a state fails the most helpless lives placed in its care, the only word left is shame. The writer has a PhD in Political Science, and is a visiting faculty member at QAU Islamabad. He can be reached at zafarkhansafdar@yahoo.com and tweets @zafarkhansafdar
Fifteen newborns died yesterday before they had even learned what life was. They had no voice, no choice and no ability to escape. Their parents entrusted them to the one place where they believed they would be protected.
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
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Karachi – Ph: 021-32640318 I
The writer is a freelance columnist
This is precisely where independent economic journalism has a role to play beyond repeating central bank statements and finance ministry press releases. Reporters and researchers need to track whether reserve gains and rate decisions are actually reaching small borrowers, whether remittance-driven stability survives a slowdown in Gulf hiring, and whether the next IMF-linked reform package protects.
Their first home was a burning room M. A. Niazi
Editor Pakistan Today
most climate-exposed components of the very GDP growth officials now cite as evidence of recovery. None of this means the recent data should be dismissed. Falling inflation, rising remittances, and an improved credit rating are meaningful, and they matter for a country that has cycled through more than twenty IMF programs since 1958. But meaningful is not the same as sufficient. Genuine recovery would be measured not by how quickly reserves rebuild, but by how quickly a labourer’s real wage recovers, how affordable staple food remains through the next flood season, and how many small enterprises can borrow at rates that do not price them out of existence. Until macroeconomic stabilization visibly narrows that gap, describing the current moment as “recovery” without qualification is, at best, premature, and at worst, another instance of official optimism substituting for structural reform. This is precisely where independent economic journalism has a role to play beyond repeating central bank statements and finance ministry press releases. Reporters and researchers need to track whether reserve gains and rate decisions are actually reaching small borrowers, whether remittance-driven stability survives a slowdown in Gulf hiring, and whether the next IMF-linked reform package protects, or further squeezes, households already stretched thin. Anything less leaves the public with a headline of recovery and none of the accountability needed to make it real.
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Beyond party lines
PATIENCE, criticism and differences of opinion are natural in politics; however, there are certain moments that rise above party lines and demand national appreciation. Recently, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a historic strategic defence agreement, strengthening bilateral relations and opening new avenues for regional peace, security and cooperation. This is undoubtedly a landmark step in Pakistan’s diplomatic and defence history. As a nation, whether political workers, party leaders or ordinary citizens, we carry a collective responsibility to acknowledge such positive developments. Criticism where due is fair, but it should not overshadow national progress. If development or a historic agreement serves Pakistan’s interests, it must be appreciated regardless of which political party happens to be in power. True patriotism lies in rising above personal and party preferences and recognising achievements that strengthen Pakistan on the global stage. The Pakistan–Saudi strategic defence agreement is one such achievement that deserves appreciation from all quarters. HAYAN AHMED KHAN ISLAMABAD
Digitise document verification
IN Pakistan, where students and fresh job applicants already struggle with job insecurity, limited opportunities and fierce competition, they are additionally burdened by an outdated and cumbersome requirement: getting all the documents attested by a gazetted officer and submitting character certificates. This rule is uniformly enforced across the country, regardless of regional accessibility or practicality. In today’s digital age, most academic documents and CNICs contain QR codes and can be easily verified online, not involving any lengthy process. Why are applicants required to chase government officers for basic attestations? This wastes time and often leads to delays due to the unavailability of officials. It even opens the door to unethical demands. Moreover, government departments also verify documents after a candidate is selected, making this pre-application attestation largely redundant. If some people submit fake documents, they will still be caught during the post-selection verification phase. Even more questionable is the requirement of a so-called character certificate. How can a gazetted officer, who likely has no personal connection with the applicant, credibly vouch for someone’s moral character? In many cases, such certificates are issued by clerical staff for a small ‘fee’, further undermining the credibility of the whole process. Recently, I personally experienced how dysfunctional this process can be. At the City Court in Karachi, I approached several public prosecutors for attestation of my documents. Despite the presence of public pro-secutors from multiple districts, none was willing to help. It became clear that this essential requirement depends not on merit, but on navigating bureaucratic roadblocks and arbitrary conditions. Therefore, to improve transparency, efficiency and accessibility, the government should implement a centralised digital verification system. Institutions such as Higher Education Commission (HEC), National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) and educational boards should directly validate documents online. This would eliminate the need for any manual attestation, reduce lowerlevel corruption, and save valuable time for thousands of applicants. Reforms in this area are long overdue, and must be prio-ritised to align Pakistan’s recruitment processes with global best practices. MUHAMMAD ISHAQUE GABOL KARACHI
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Wednesday, 2 September, 2026
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COMMENT 05
Domestic Pipelines of Southeast Asia’s Cyber Scam Economy Scammers will just relocate
dR imRAn kHAlid
HE US response to Southeast Asia’s industrial-scale scam compounds has been vigorous, even theatrical at times, yet it remains strikingly incomplete. In April 2026 the Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force seized 503 domains designed to impersonate legitimate trading platforms, restrained roughly $702 million in cryptocurrency linked to the fraud, and for the first time dismantled a Telegram recruitment channel that had drawn more than 6,000 followers toward employment in Cambodian compounds. By June, the Treasury Department and FinCEN had designated nine individuals and 26 entities connected to Cambodia’s Prince Group and moved to exclude the payment platform H-Pay from the US financial system. Subsequent actions in July added another $25 million in forfeitures, bringing the Strike Force’s cumulative recoveries past $800 million. These are not trivial numbers. They demonstrate capacity and political will. They also reveal the limits of an approach that continues to treat the problem as essentially an offshore-based enterprise operating on Burmese or Cambodian soil. The pattern of designations and seizures has so far focused almost exclusively on international operators and a handful of Cambodian financial nodes. That framing is convenient and partly accurate. It is also insufficient. The laboor that staffs the compounds and the financial corridors that move the proceeds after they leave a victim’s account both run heavily through South and Southeast Asian economies that export workers and, in some cases, tolerate or fail to police domestic mule networks. India and Indonesia sit at the center of both pipelines. Consider the workforce first. Indian government figures cited in early 2025 placed roughly 2,000 Indian nationals inside scam operations around Myawaddy, the Myanmar border town that, alongside Shwe Kokko, remains one of the industry’s principal hubs. Many had responded to fabricated job advertisements for computer operators or dataentry clerks circulating on Facebook groups and WhatsApp forwards, offers that promised monthly salaries of Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000. Some were trafficked in the classic
sense; others appear to have entered knowingly, or at least with eyes half-open, calculating that the risks were manageable. The distinction rarely survives media coverage, which prefers a single narrative of victims held under guard and awaiting rescue. India has repatriated more than 2,500 of its nationals from these compounds since 2022, with recent flights continuing into late August 2026. The foreign ministry still lists dozens as unaccounted for. Yet a labour force large enough to sustain round-the-clock English-language outreach across WhatsApp, Instagram, Tinder and LinkedIn cannot be assembled solely through kidnapping. Recruitment networks reach deep into Indian towns and cities long before any border is crossed. The Central Bureau of Investigation’s recent arrests of recruiters in Haryana and elsewhere underscore that the supply chain is domestic as well as transnational. Indonesia’s experience compresses the same story into sharper numbers. Jakarta’s Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection recorded more than 12,000 Indonesians entangled in Cambodia’s scam economy in the first half of 2026 alone, more than double the entire previous year’s count. The mechanics are nearly identical: fake job postings, brokers who undercut slower official channels, and workers who discover too late that the promised employment is forced cybercrime. Cambodian authorities claim to have closed hundreds of sites and deported tens of thousands, yet Amnesty International’s mid-2026 assessment found that more than 70 percent of the compounds it tracked had been bypassed or quickly reconstituted. UN experts, speaking in May and reiterated in subsequent reporting, described the situa-
tion as a humanitarian and human-rights crisis involving forced labor and forced criminality on an industrial scale. Compounds relocate faster than governments can announce their closure. The money moves in the opposite direction but follows a comparable geography. Stolen funds typically leave the compounds as Tether on the Tron blockchain, selected for low transaction costs and for operating outside the formal SWIFT system. From there they pass through mixers and decentralized exchanges before portions reappear, cleaned, inside domestic banking systems that ask too few questions. India’s cybercrime losses are no longer marginal. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre recorded losses of roughly Rs 11,333 billion, about $1.3 billion, in the first nine months of 2024, with a substantial share traced to Southeast Asian operations. Fullyear 2025 figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs reached approximately Rs22,495 billion, or $2.6 billion. Across all digital fraud the Reserve Bank of India estimated national losses near $25 billion in 2025, a dramatic rise from earlier years. The central bank’s subsequent discussion paper, proposing a one-hour delay on payments above Rs 10,000 and tighter scrutiny of accounts receiving unusually large credits, amounts to an official acknowledgment that mule accounts, ordinary Indian bank accounts rented or recruited to receive and forward stolen funds, have become working infrastructure. Many account holders were themselves deceived by fake loan applications; that fact does not alter the function those accounts perform once they enter the pipeline. American victims are not abstractions either. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded cryptocurrency fraud losses exceeding $11 billion in 2025. Within that
total, cryptocurrency investment fraud, the category that covers most pig butchering schemes, accounted for $7.2 billion, up 24 percent year-on-year. Average losses per victim in that category exceeded $117,000, frequently drawn from retirement savings accumulated over decades. The scams are engineered as prolonged relationships rather than one-off deceptions. A target does not surrender a life’s savings to a stranger; the money is handed to someone who has spent months performing the role of friend or trusted adviser. This points to some regional players as the architects of the scam economy. The ground on which the compounds sit is controlled by Myanmar’s Border Guard Forces and allied militias that extract rents for protection. Operators migrate to new domains within days of a seizure, as they did after the December 2025 takedown of a Tai Chang site and again after the larger April 2026 sweep. Capital that has learned to outlast local enforcement simply relocates. Nor does
The problem is structural. It is embedded in the political economy of labour migration, weak financial oversight, and the ease with which digital platforms can be weaponized across jurisdictions. Until the domestic segments of the pipeline receive the same sustained attention now directed at international operators and Cambodian payment platforms, the seizures and repatriations will remain necessary but ultimately insufficient measures against an industry that has already demonstrated its capacity to adapt.
Mecca and the mall As the writer and public intellectual Ziauddin Sardar puts it in The Sacred City (2014), the Kingdom has made a steel and glass heaven of consumerism in the name of extinguishing idol worship
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T is Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, and I am sitting in a rooftop café in Mecca, the holiest city of the religion. There are few words to describe the whiplash of coming face to face with a Joe & The Juice, a Sephora and a plethora of other shops and hotels and Times Square-style billboards after going through one of the most spiritually charged experiences of my life. To find myself in what seemed just like any other petrodollar-fuelled Gulf port instead of a sanctified land was jarring. I felt robbed of the romanticism I had expected after a childhood built on admiration for religious lore and high-flown notions of a fantastical divine city. I’d found myself in Mecca, trying to catch a break from the existential dread of my day-to-day life . My rationale for the trip was that the spiritual sugar rush would allow me to find my footing in the secular world. Islam is not an ascetic faith: interestingly, it prohibits monasticism. However, the state of being a pilgrim is the closest that one comes to forsaking the material world. Before entering the boundaries of the Holy City, dressed in a swishing white abaya with a prayer book hung on a lanyard around my neck, I had committed to a state of heightened spiritual purity known as the ihram. Accessing that spiritual world required me to suspend my disbelief – because, in 2026, even the Great Mosque is, like Mecca itself, very different from the one I had read about in prophetic traditions. In the past decade, the mosque has been subject to a massive expansion and renovation project. At a cost of nearly $26.6 billion, the Saudi government has rebuilt the complex, growing it from 414,000 square metres to 1.564 million square metres of space, in order to accommodate a growing number of pilgrims and to make the area more accessible. However, this has come at a great cost to the historicity of the space and, to an extent, to the otherworldliness that the line between sacred and profane demands.
The writer is a freelance columnist
The commercial onslaught, compounded by the active destruction of material history, gives the fringes of sacred space a particular tone. Irfan al-Alawi, a theologian and heritage preservation proponent, described this in The Guardian as the ‘Manhattanisation of Mecca’
Except for the Kaaba, all historically significant structures in the complex have been either modified or destroyed
AzAniA imtiAz pAtel
identifying recruitment networks and mule accounts imply that every participant is a willing collaborator. Many are trafficking victims in the fullest sense, held under threat of violence inside compounds such as Shunda Park. Yet an industry that extracts $10 billion a year from US households, and far larger sums globally according to recent UN estimates, does not function on Burmese or Cambodian territory alone. It requires bodies to staff the shifts and channels to move the cash. On both counts the trail returns repeatedly to the labour-exporting economies of South and Southeast Asia. Washington can continue seizing domains and restraining cryptocurrency. Delhi and Jakarta can continue flying nationals home. Neither approach addresses the pipelines that operate inside their own borders: the recruitment networks that feed Myawaddy and Cambodia’s border towns, and the mule-account networks that return the proceeds to circulation. Treat those networks as secondary or collateral, and the compounds will restaff and reroute faster than any sequence of press releases can keep pace. The problem is structural. It is embedded in the political economy of labour migration, weak financial oversight, and the ease with which digital platforms can be weaponized across jurisdictions. Until the domestic segments of the pipeline receive the same sustained attention now directed at international operators and Cambodian payment platforms, the seizures and repatriations will remain necessary but ultimately insufficient measures against an industry that has already demonstrated its capacity to adapt.
At a cost of nearly $26.6 billion, the Saudi government has rebuilt the complex, growing it from 414,000 square metres to 1.564 million square metres of space, in order to accommodate a growing number of pilgrims
in my commitment to giving up the mate-
When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) performed his final pilgrimage in 632 CE, an estimated 30,000 rial. Or perhaps it is just that I am of this time, and my prayers are subject to its followers accompanied him. When I performed my pilgrimage in February 2026, an estimated 1.68 whims. Indeed, perhaps it is in that very unease that ritual finds meaning – if all million people from abroad had been granted pilgrimage permits for the month of Ramadan the world were holy, we would not gravi-
Four floors of marble walkways now surround the Kaaba, allowing more people to circumambulate at once. The different floors are accessed through a network of escalators and ramps. The final walkway comes with tracks for golf carts – and, at the price of 300 Saudi riyals ($80), pilgrims can complete their rituals on wheels. Those on a budget, meanwhile, can spend half that amount to rent a wheelchair if they’re struggling with walking more than the 2.5 miles expected. In her travelogue Pilgrimage to Mecca (1934), Lady Evelyn Cobbold, the first British female convert to make the Hajj, wrote: Even the Ford Motor could not vulgarise the lovely moon-splashed desert, whose stillness was unbroken by a camel caravan we passed, silently treading its way Northward; mysterious phantoms of beasts and men of another world than ours – I inwardly prayed that the motor may never displace the camel. I wonder what she would make of the carts zipping through the mosque itself today. The consequence of these efficiencyoriented measures is that, except for the Kaaba, all historically significant structures in the Mecca complex have been either modified or destroyed. The path between the hills of Safa and Marwa, where Muslims believe that the Prophet’s wife Hagar foraged for water, before the spring of holy water, Zamzam, miraculously burst open, has now been flattened and reconstructed as a multistorey, air-conditioned enclosure. The structure that marked the well of holy water has also been demolished, with pilgrims now able to access the water only through taps and tanks. Canopies dedicated to influential classical scholars of Islam within the mosque complex have been dismantled, while neon lights have been installed to mark the point at which circumambulation is to begin. As I went through the rituals, the chasm between the sacred space in my mind and the very real, remade-for-modern-convenience one I occupied provoked a kind of grief. I mourned that these
weren’t the same floors the forebears of my faith had walked, nor were these the pillars they had leaned against. On one hand, that sense of communitas with the other pilgrims nourished my soul; on the other, I was palpably aware of how much of a disjuncture I was at with the past. When I completed my pilgrimage, I reached under the swathes of my hijab to snip off a few curls from my head with small metal scissors. Exiting the state of ihram and physically changed by my acts of worship, I was pushed into a painful awareness of the mundane, profane world. The disjuncture became significantly more pronounced when I stepped out of the mosque. In Cobbold’s memoir, written less than a century ago, Mecca is the city without walls, protected by mountains, with Bedouin caravans selling wares to pilgrims staying in modest homestays and camping on the desert trail. That Mecca no longer exists either. The homestays are gone, and the hospitable locals of yore now live on the outskirts of the city – their neighbourhoods swallowed up by hotels and shopping complexes. Some changes are unavoidable. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) performed his final pilgrimage in 632 CE, an estimated 30,000 followers accompanied him. When I performed my pilgrimage in February 2026, an estimated 1.68 million people from abroad had been granted pilgrimage permits for the month of Ramadan. These pilgrims need space not just to worship, but also to sleep and eat, and to do all that mortal bodies do – and so infrastructure should be built to support those needs. However, the de-historicisation of Mecca has been a calculated, ideological project, with what would be considered protected monuments in any other part of the world decimated to build vanity projects. Saudi Arabia’s premier religious ideology – Wahhabism – is an 18th-century revivalist movement that espouses a literalist, strict interpretation of the Quran, and it has encouraged the tearing down of historical sites such as the houses of early Is-
lamic figures, and the enshrined gravesites of the Prophet’s (PBUH) family, claiming that they’d invite idolatry otherwise. The refitting of Mecca is also deeply entwined with the rise of the petrodollar in the Kingdom, creating a tense intersection where ritual jostles with capitalism for space. As the writer and public intellectual Ziauddin Sardar puts it in The Sacred City (2014), the Kingdom has made a steel and glass heaven of consumerism in the name of extinguishing idol worship. So, now, a Hilton Hotel stands where the house of Islam’s first Caliph, Abu Bakr, once stood. A nondescript library stands in place of the home in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born, while an 18th-century citadel was torn down to make way for the Makkah Clock Tower complex, a collection of seven buildings that are part mall, part hotel. The tallest of these buildings is a Big Ben-esque structure, sporting a giant clock dial that overlooks the Kaaba. On the back of the oil economy, the Kingdom has exported its brand of Wahhabi Islam across the world. Traditional ways of believing have been homogenised, and a dogmatic, cookie-cutter version of the faith has been parcelled off. In return, the Global North has exported the phenomenon of placelessness to Saudi Arabia, whereby an influx of foreign brands has remade both the country’s high streets and consumer choices. The commercial onslaught, compounded by the active destruction of material history, gives the fringes of sacred space a particular tone. Irfan al-Alawi, a theologian and heritage preservation proponent, described this in The Guardian as the ‘Manhattanisation of Mecca’. As I walked through the grey concrete streets and glass malls of Mecca, I wondered if devotion here would have meant more when the skyline was dotted with sandy hills, and there was nothing but the House of God as your harbour against the angry desert. I contemplated whether my return to a comfortable hotel bed, and not a flimsy tent, implied something lacking
tate as we do to the omphalos (literally, ‘navel’). The sacred is significant because it disrupts the profane. Where those before us battled drought and death to find God, we must battle excess and the temptation of abundance. I can’t presume to know what God thinks of today’s Mecca. After all, to evolve is natural to the holy city; it has been moulded to dynasties and clerical moods over centuries. Belief continues to move past anachronisms, and yet, as one prays by the black-and-gold cloth-covered Kaaba, the shadow of the clock towers falls upon you – a too-obvious metaphor in action. Azania Imtiaz Patelis a writer and researcher based between Mumbai and London.
Canada to rename Gordie Howe bridge
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ANADA has, with a heavy heart, announced plans to rename the recently opened Gordie Howe bridge that links Canada to the US. ‘It’s not big, and it’s not clever,’ said Premier Mark Carney. ‘I feel that we are being dragged down to Trump’s level. But we have agreed to match tariffs dollar for dollar, so we can’t let the big orange man-baby rename Lake Ontario without a response. ‘From Monday, the Gordie Howe bridge will be officially renamed the Donald Trump Is An Economically Illiterate Bully And A Big Fat Loser And An Epstein Loving Pervert Bridge. We’ve already bought the web domain.’
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Xi UnveilS foUr-PoinT viSion for SCo AS PAkiSTAn TAkeS over BloC'S PreSidenCy
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HINESE President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to uphold the “Shanghai Spirit”, deepen development and security cooperation, strengthen people-to-people ties and promote a more equitable global governance system as the grouping marked 25 years since its establishment. Addressing the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Kyrgyz capital, Xi said the organisation had demonstrated “strong vitality and dynamism” over the past quarter century and evolved into a major regional cooperation platform spanning the world’s largest geographical area and population. He said the SCO’s most valuable achievement was its adherence to the “Shanghai Spirit” of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilisations and pursuit of common development. According to Xi, the organisation had also developed a distinctive model of coexistence based on non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, bringing countries together to build a common regional home. He said the SCO now faced a changing international environment marked by growing rivalry between dialogue and
confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum thinking, as well as multilateralism and unilateralism. “At the crossroads concerning the future of humanity, the SCO should shoulder its historic responsibility and take the initiative in steering the course of history,” Xi said. Under his four-point proposal, Xi first called on the SCO to put development first and open up prospects for shared prosperity. He urged member states to promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation and consolidate cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, energy and resources. At the same time, he called for greater collaboration in emerging fields including artificial intelligence, the digi-
tal economy, green industries and green mining. China, Xi said, would regard the SCO as a priority platform for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and implementation of the Global Development Initiative. He announced that China would establish an international cooperation centre on AI applications for SCO countries and a China-SCO port economy cooperation centre in Tianjin. Beijing would also jointly implement 100 technological cooperation projects with SCO countries over the next three years. Xi also pledged continued Chinese support for events including the SCO Digital Economy Forum and SCO Agricultural Expo. On security, the Chinese president called on the organisation to make secu-
rity a key goal and foster an environment of common security. He urged member states to coordinate efforts against traditional and nontraditional security threats, including terrorism, separatism and extremism, transnational organised crime, drug trafficking and telecommunications fraud. He also called for stronger cooperation in information security, biosecurity and outer space security, while urging SCO members to guard against external interference in their internal affairs and efforts to undermine political security and regional stability. China, Xi said, was ready to work with SCO members to implement the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and develop the organisation into an important platform for implementing the Global Security Initiative. He also expressed support for the early opening of the SCO’s “four security centres” to strengthen member states’ capacity to respond to emerging security threats and challenges. Xi’s third proposal focused on putting people first and strengthening the foundation for lasting friendship among SCO members. He called for greater cooperation among legislatures, political parties, educational institutions, think tanks, businesses and media organisations while promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Iranian president criticises UN response to Israeli actions in Gaza, Lebanon TEHRAN
AGENCIES
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday criticised the UN and its Security Council over their response to Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the international body had failed to effectively address major threats to the international order. Addressing the “SCO Plus” meeting held as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, Pezeshkian said the world is facing military aggression, genocide, war crimes, terrorism and what he
called illegal sanctions. “The performance of the United Nations and the UN Security Council in dealing with these developments, including in Gaza, Lebanon and the recent aggression against Iran, has been very disappointing,” he said. Pezeshkian accused the US and Israel of violating the UN Charter and international law during the recent conflict with Iran, citing attacks on civilians, educational and medical facilities, critical infrastructure and nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. He said Iran did not start the war but defended itself, while stressing that
Tehran still considers diplomacy and negotiations the main path for resolving disputes. “Diplomacy without good faith, without respect for commitments and without refraining from the use of force cannot create lasting peace,” he said. Pezeshkian also accused Washington of repeatedly violating commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US, saying pressure and threats could derail diplomacy even after parties reach a political framework for ending hostilities and beginning negotiations. The memorandum was reached in June following nearly three months of
Tehran will reciprocate if Washington honours interim deal commitments, Pezeshkian offers US olive branch BISHKEK
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Iran will immediately reciprocate if the United States returns to its commitments under an interim deal signed in June, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday. He made his comments at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek after the first exchange of direct attacks in the US-Iran conflict since late July, with the US striking Larak Island and Iran then launching attacks on two US air bases in Jordan. “I am stating clearly that if the US returns to its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by state media. He was referring to an interim deal signed in June between Tehran and Washington in efforts to end the war, which started with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The deal, meant to set the stage for final peace talks, later collapsed, with both sides accusing each other of violating its terms. Tehran has repeatedly said it will allow free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil supplies, only if Washington implements the terms of the agreement. Pezeshkian said in Bishkek on Monday that war was in no one’s interest and that Tehran was still open to a negotiated solution in its conflict with Washington.
negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar after 40 days of fighting between Iran and the US and Israel. The agreement provided a framework for ending hostilities and resuming negotiations, alongside provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Turning to the international system, Pezeshkian said the emergence of a multipolar world should not mean replacing one dominant power with another. He called for a more representative and effective UN and Security Council, arguing that a fair multipolar order should be based on effective multilateralism, sovereign equality and respect for international law.
Wednesday, 2 September 2026 | LAHORE
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Begin, Huawei Cloud and Allianz Hosting Announce Strategic Technology Partnership DUBAI/UAE
Begin, the global OTT platform focused on delivering premium entertainment and sports content, has announced a strategic technology partnership with Huawei and Allianz Hosting FZ LLC to strengthen its cloud infrastructure, content delivery capabilities and artificial intelligence ecosystem. The collaboration will support Begin's continued expansion across international markets while enhancing platform performance, scalability, content operations and digital content protection. Under the partnership, Begin will leverage Huawei's technology capabilities across cloud computing, storage, databases, content delivery networks (CDNs) and AI services. Allianz Hosting FZ LLC will support the deployment and commercial technology framework required to enable Begin's growth objectives. A key focus of the collaboration will be the adoption of AI-powered technologies across platform development, content management, analytics and operational workflows. Begin expects these capabilities to help accelerate product development, improve efficiency and deliver more personalised viewing experiences for audiences across multiple markets. The partnership will also support Begin's efforts to strengthen content security, digital rights management and anti-piracy initiatives as the platform continues to expand its content portfolio and distribution footprint. Muhammad Nabeel, Chief Technology Officer at Begin, said: "Delivering a high-quality streaming experience at scale requires a strong technology foundation across infrastructure, content delivery, data and platform operations. As Begin continues to grow, our focus is on building a platform that is resilient, scalable and adaptable to the evolving needs of audiences and content partners. This partnership strengthens that foundation while also creating opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, including AI, across key areas of the business." WHARTON HUANG, MANAGING DIRECTOR HUAWEI CLOUD UAE, SAID: The media and entertainment industry is evolving rapidly, where ultra-low latency, seamless scalability, and intelligent personalization define viewer loyalty. Through this strategic collaboration, Huawei Cloud is proud to provide Begin with robust, full-stack cloud infrastructure, high-performance content delivery networks, and enterprise-grade AI capabilities. Together with Allianz Hosting, we are committed to empowering Begin to scale securely across international markets and deliver immersive, next-generation viewing experiences to audiences in the region. JAVED KHAMISANI FOUNDER AND CEO ALLIANZ CLOUD HOSTING, SAID: The partnership marks another step in Begin's strategy to combine global OTT distribution, regionalised content experiences and advanced technology infrastructure within a single scalable digital ecosystem.
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Wednesday, 2 September 2026 | LAHORE
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Ufone and Telenor Pakistan secure nine awards at Dragons of Pakistan 2026
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Ufone and Telenor Pakistan have secured nine awards at the Dragons of Pakistan 2026, comprising two Gold, two Silver and five Black Dragons, across Marketing, Public Relations, Media, Digital, Content Creation and Small Budget categories. Ufone secured five awards, led by its campaign, “Babar Azam’s Lost Phone, Data Bohhaaat Hai,” which won Gold Dragons in both Marketing Discipline and Public Relations, as well as a Black Dragon in Media. The brand also received a Silver Dragon in Media for “Super 5” and a Silver Dragon in Digital for “5G Launch: It’s More Than Just Speed.”Telenor Pakistan added four Black Dragons to PTML’s tally, with its work recognized across Content Creation, Digital, Small Budget and Public Relations. The brand won for “Comic Feeds” in Content Creation, “Tension Ko Smash Karo” in Digital, “Karachi Ka Connection” in Small Budget, and “Influencer Tactical Campaigns” in Public Relations.Commenting on the success, Syed Atif Raza, Chief Commercial Officer, PTML said, “We are proud of the recognition received by Ufone and Telenor Pakistan at Dragons of Pakistan 2026.
HBL PMI: Manufacturing activity hits highest level since war began
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The HBL Pakistan Manufacturing PMI inched up to 51.8 in August 2026, from 51.7 in July, reaching its highest level since the onset of the war. Although the pace of expansion remained modest, underlying demand conditions continued to improve, supported by a combination of stronger domestic orders and sustained growth in export demand. New orders expanded at their fastest rate in five months, reflecting improved product quality and competitive pricing strategies. Export orders also strengthened for a fourth consecutive month, highlighting resilience in external demand. The improved order environment continued to support manufacturing activity, with output rising at a pace broadly similar to July. However, producers remained cautious in scaling up production amid lingering inflationary pressures. Manufacturers increased purchasing activity for the third successive month and continued to build inventories in anticipation of stronger demand ahead. Employment levels remained largely unchanged during the month, as selective hiring to meet higher order volumes was balanced.
Standard Chartered, Dolmen Group partner to introduce exclusive home ownership benefits for clients KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan and Dolmen Group have partnered to enhance access to premium home ownership through exclusive financing for clients interested in Grove Residency, Dolmen Group's latest residential development in Karachi. As part of the collaboration, eligible clients can benefit from savings of at least PKR 5 million on qualifying purchases, alongside access to tailored home financing solutions. Combining Standard Chartered's home finance expertise with Dolmen Group's experience in creating landmark developments, the initiative is designed to provide prospective homeowners with greater value and flexibility as they plan one of life's most important investments. Located near the KPT Interchange in Karachi, Grove Residency offers a modern, thoughtfully designed living environment in one of the city's emerging residential corridors. Eligible clients will also have access to Standard Chartered's Saadiq Home Finance solutions, offering competitive and flexible financing options tailored to support their home ownership journey.
CM ORDERS CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL RAMPS, ROAD OBSTRUCTIONS ACROSS PUNJAB
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MARYAM NAWAZ DIRECTS RECYCLED-PLASTIC DRAIN COVERS ALONG ROADSIDES LAHORE
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UNJAB Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday ordered the removal of illegal ramps constructed outside houses that obstruct roads and directed authorities to install drain covers made of recycled plastic along roadsides as part of measures to improve urban infrastructure and public spaces. Presiding over a special meeting to review development projects under the own-source revenue model in Sargodha and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions, the chief minister also directed authorities to display the names of cities on green, landscaped plots at their entry points. The meeting was informed that 20 development projects would be undertaken in Sargodha division through ownsource revenue, including eight in Sargodha district, six in Khushab and six in Bhakkar. Five major road projects involving construction, expansion and rehabilitation were approved for Sargodha city. These include Dairy Road, Azad Road, Urdu Bazaar Road, Pilot Chowk and Khayyam Chowk Overhead Bridge Road.
Six road construction and rehabilitation projects were approved for Khushab, including those at Jahaz Chowk, DPS School, Sehgal Chowk, Mianwali Road, Main Bazaar Quaidabad and Noor Pur Thal Road. The chief minister also approved six own-source revenue projects in Bhakkar, including GPO Chowk Road, TDA Road, Kallur Kot Road and Mankera City Road. For Rajanpur, six own-source revenue projects were approved, including
the Kotab Canal-Indus Highway link, Post Office Road, Aqilpur and Fatehpur Road. Ms Sharif also sought additional development projects for Rajanpur city and its tehsils. The chief minister approved sewerage and drainage schemes for rural areas, including Rojhan, Kot Mithan, Jampur and Dajal, and directed authorities to complete the projects on a priority basis. She also ordered the installation of electronic traffic signals on congested
General Hospital staff put out Gynaecology Ward fire within minutes: Azma Bokhari LAHORE
Nawaz herself is monitoring the rain situation in Rawalpindi. Rescue, WASA, Para Force and district administration personnel are present in the field. She said that the water would be cleared immedi-
KE investing Rs15b to ensure uninterrupted power supply to industries: Chishti
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
foodpanda launches Panda Academy to empower delivery fleet KARACHI
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Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari said that a fire broke out in the Gynaecology Ward of General Hospital this morning, which was brought under control by the hospital staff within a few minutes. She said that no patient, attendant or member of the medical staff present at the hospital sustained any harm. On the directions of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz, fire alert arrangements have been completed in all government hospitals. “Whatever Maryam Nawaz orders, implementation is visible,” she said, adding that the timely control of the fire at General Hospital was a major proof of this. Azma Bokhari said that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam
roads in Bhakkar and other cities to improve traffic management. The meeting further agreed to prohibit the placement of concrete flowerpots along roadsides and on road medians. CM directs MPAs to monitor ongoing development projects In a related development, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday directed members of the provincial assembly from Dera Ghazi Khan to closely monitor ongoing development projects in their respective constituencies. The chief minister held a meeting with MPAs from Dera Ghazi Khan, including Ahmed Khan Leghari, Ali Ahmed Leghari, Osama Abdul Karim, Hanif Pitafi, Osama Leghari and Salahuddin Khan. The meeting discussed the country’s political situation, law and order and public issues being faced by the people. The MPAs congratulated the chief minister on her successful visit to China and paid tribute to her for launching the electric bus service in Dera Ghazi Khan. They termed the electric bus service a “game changer” project and said the people of Dera Ghazi Khan were grateful to CM Maryam for the initiative.
K-Electric Board Chairman Shaheryar Chishti has said the company is investing Rs15 billion to improve the power infrastructure and ensure reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply to Karachi’s industrial sector. The investment will include laying new cables and wires, upgrading grids, bifurcating feeders and undertaking other infrastructure improvement measures.He said industry is the backbone of Karachi’s economy and employment, adding that if industries do not operate, neither employment nor the city’s economic activity can continue. He expressed these views while speaking to industrialists during his visit to the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI). K-Electric CEO Syed Muhammad Taha, KATI President Muhammad Ikram Rajput, Deputy Patron-inChief Zubair Chhaya, Chairman Standing Committee Danish Khan, Vice Chairman Standing Committee Rehan Javed, Senior Vice President Zahid Hameed, Vice President Muhammad Talha Ali, KITE CEO Saleem-uzZaman, former KATI presidents Sheikh Umer Rehan, Rashid Siddiqui, Syed Farrukh Mazhar, Ihteshamuddin and Junaid Naqi.
ately after the rain stops. WASA and other relevant institutions in Rawalpindi have all the necessary resources, and the water will be cleared from Rawalpindi within the next few hours.
Sharing Regional Experiences on the Digital Health Pathway
foodpanda, has launched its ‘Panda Academy,’ a specialised learning and development initiative aimed at empowering its delivery fleet through continuous education, knowledge sharing, and professional upskilling.“At foodpanda, our delivery partners are at the core of everything we do, and our commitment to their wellbeing goes far beyond flexible earning opportunities,” said Ahsan Malik, Director Logistics at foodpanda. The Rider Academy was created with the vision to boost personal and professional empowerment. By equipping our riders with practical skills, we are investing directly in their future and helping them build sustainable paths forward.”
FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan, Citi Pakistan Partner to Strengthen Supplier Financing and Supply Chain Resilience
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Globesight and the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) convened a technical working session, titled “Sharing Regional Experiences on the Digital Health Pathway,” bringing together government and private-sector stakeholders from Pakistan with regional healthcare experts from Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka to exchange lessons on digital health and integrated primary healthcare. The session was held as PDA advances work on Pakistan’s Digital Health Sectoral Plan and consults stakeholders on practical pathways for integrating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) into priority health areas under the Unified National Health Framework. The discussion provided an opportunity to complement Pakistan’s ongoing efforts with regional experiences of designing and implementing integrated health systems, particularly around digital infrastructure, interoperability, data use, and primary healthcare delivery. Opening the discussion, M J Sear, Vice Chairperson, PDA, said:
Zong Wins 5 Awards at Dragons of Asia 2026
ISLAMABAD: Zong, Pakistan’s leading technology services enterprise, has emerged as the only telecom operator to win Gold for its 5G campaigns at the Dragons of Asia Awards 2026, taking home 5 awards including 2 Gold, 1 Bronze & 2 Black Dragon Awards, celebrating the creative and marketing excellence behind its ‘5G Launch’ and ‘Aisa Hai Future’ campaigns, alongside further recognition for its ‘Zong My5 2025’ and ‘Pro Max Hattrick campaigns’.The achievement marks a significant milestone for Zong, reflecting the creative excellence driving its entire brand strategy and communication, as well as the company’s broader ambition to translate the possibilities of next-generation technology into meaningful experiences for customers, businesses and communities.Backed by the global scale, technology leadership and innovation capabilities of China Mobile, one of the world’s leading telecommunications and technology companies, Zong launched its 5G journey with a clear purpose: to demonstrate what 5G can truly mean for Pakistan, beyond faster speeds. Under the tagline ‘Aisa Hai Future,’ Zong has positioned 5G as an enabler of a smarter, more connected and digitally empowered future. STAFF REPORT
FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) partners with Citi Pakistan through the Citi® Supplier Finance digital platform for their suppliers, reinforcing a shared commitment to strengthening supplier relationships and enhancing supply chain resilience.The program aims to strengthen FCEPL’s supplier relationships by enabling them to receive early payments while allowing the company to maintain its agreed payment terms. This supports bilateral working capital strategy without impacting cash flow throughout the transition period. The initiative taken by the FCEPL team truly ensures that their Grass to Glass journey creates a robust environment for every stakeholder operating within their eco-system.
OGDC, US Energy Technology Company Baker Hughes sign contract to boost oil and gas production from mature assets
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC), Pakistan’s largest exploration and production company, has signed a contract with Baker Hughes, a leading US energy technology company, to deploy Mature Assets Solutions (MAS) aimed at revitalising ageing oil and gas wells and increasing Pakistan's indigenous hydrocarbon production.The contract signing ceremony was held at OGDC Headquarters in Islamabad.
PM SHEHBAZ URGES RESTRAINT, DIPLOMACY TO AVERT REGIONAL ESCALATION NEWS
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RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday stressed the importance of restraint and sustained diplomatic engagement for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region during his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek, as tensions escalated following the latest exchange of attacks between Tehran and Washington in the Gulf. “The prime minister emphasized the importance of restraint and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said following the meeting. The escalation began on Sunday night when US forces struck two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island, according to a US official, marking the first known American strikes on Iran since late July. Tehran responded by launching an attack on two US bases in Jordan, Iranian media reported. US President Donald Trump posted a one-line social media statement on Sunday night claiming that Iran’s crucial energy hub of Kharg Island had been bombarded. An Iranian official rejected the claim, while there was no other indication that Kharg, located hundreds of
an interim peace deal that Pakistan helped broker between the United States and Iran in June. He said the agreement offered the “only viable pathway” towards enduring peace in the region. The prime minister reaffirmed that Islamabad would continue its efforts to promote regional peace, saying that the recent visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s military chief and the “constructive engagements” held during the visit augured well for peace efforts.
kilometres from Larak Island, had also come under attack. Prime Minister Shehbaz arrived in Bishkek on Monday for a three-day visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting. Pakistan will assume the chairmanship of the council for 2026–2027. During his meeting with President Pezeshkian, Prime Minister Shehbaz underscored the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),
Mir Raza death probe: Judicial commission questions MLO over post-mortem 'discrepancies' KARACHI
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A judicial commission investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of young entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali on Tuesday recorded the statements of a medicolegal officer, police officials, charity volunteers, nursery workers, gardeners and members of the deceased’s family. The one-member commission, headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial, also summoned several other individuals, including Mir Raza’s business partner, friends and police officials, to appear before it on September 3. The Sindh government had constituted the commission to determine the circumstances surrounding the entrepreneur’s death, examine possible negligence by medical and police officials during the investigation and recommend further forensic, investigative or departmental action where necessary. Medico-legal officer (MLO) Dr Osama Sheikh, who conducted the first post-mortem examination, appeared before the commission and denied having been influenced or pressured while preparing his report. He also clarified that he had not declared the death a suicide. Dr Sheikh told the commission that he completed his MBBS in 2016, joined the police surgeon’s office in 2021 after being appointed through the Sindh Public Service Commission in 2019 and was posted as an MLO at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). He said he had conducted around 100 post-mortems and that a sweeper was usually present during such procedures. Justice Sial questioned the MLO about why burn marks allegedly observed on the deceased’s hands and other parts of the body, as well as fractures, were not mentioned in his report.
Police nominate three accused in Ch Abdullah Tahir murder case LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Police has nominated three accused in murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Chaudhry Abdullah Tahir in Lahore. Tiktoker Laraib and Abdullah Tahir’s driver, Asghar, have been nominated in the murder case. Laraib and Asghar have been charged of facilitation by sharing location of the murder victim with killers. The accused involved in the reconnaissance of the PTI leader has also been named in the case, police said. Police have, so far, detained five people on suspicion including the tiktoker.
According to the PMO, President Pezeshkian appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and security. He also underscored the enduring strength of Pakistan-Iran relations, rooted in centuries of shared history, culture and faith. “He stressed the need to forge unity among the Ummah to deal with contemporary challenges,” the PMO said. Pakistan’s mediation efforts Pakistan has been mediating between the United States and Iran since their war began in February. Islamabad hosted the first round of talks between the two sides in April, exchanged peace proposals in the following months and brokered the Islamabad MoU in June before the understanding fell apart weeks later. Islamabad has repeatedly called for a diplomatic settlement and maintained that it is using direct and indirect channels to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations. PM attends World Nomad Games Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games in Bishkek, where he was welcomed by Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov upon his arrival. The World Nomad Games is an international sports competition featuring traditional sports of Central Asia.
Sindh Cabinet approves experts for preparation of Provincial Finance Commission Award KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The Sindh Cabinet session, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday approved experts for preparation of the Provincial Finance Commission Award. Dr. Ashraf Wasti was appointed individual consultant to serve for six months for preparation of the award. A detailed financial analysis will be held for the new provincial finance commission award. The resources distribution model and the previous finance commission award will be reviewed. The stakeholders will be con-
sulted in the new finance commission award. Chief Minister of Sindh said that the finance award has been important for just distribution of resources among the local councils. Public Private Partnership The CM decided to make the Public Private Partnership system more effective. Sindh cabinet approved the Public Private Partnership second amendment bill 2026. Present PPP unit will be changed into the governmentowned private company, will be named Sindh Public Private Partnership (Pvt) Ltd. The PPP unit’s authority, functions and the staff will be transferred to
the new company. All record of the PPP unit and pending operations would also be transferred to the new company. The cabinet was informed that the PPP unit being reorganized for improvement in administrative and practical performance and timely completion of the partnership projects. Sindh cabinet approved the transformation of the PPP unit into a corporate entity. It was clarified in the session that the existing operations and employees’ services would continue despite the reorganization. The cabinet session approved PPP unit reorganization in the light of its decision taken on August 5, 2026.
Wednesday, 2 September, 2026
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DHA Apartment Brawl: Court seeks police response to plea for fresh FIR 5:00
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STAFF REPORT
A Karachi sessions court on Tuesday sought responses from the South senior superintendent of police (SSP) and Darakhshan station house officer (SHO) on a resident’s petition seeking registration of a case over a widely circulated video of a violent altercation between residents of two apartments in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase 6. The petition was filed by the woman who was allegedly assaulted in the incident. An FIR had already been registered on Aug 21 on the complaint of the woman accused of attacking her. Last week, footage of the confrontation emerged on social media, showing a woman wielding a dumbbell and striking another resident. Three police officials have also been placed under disciplinary proceedings over their alleged involvement in the episode. The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Muhammad Arif, told Dawn that his client had approached the sessions court seeking directions to police to record her statement under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and register an FIR against the other party. Taking up the petition, Sessions Court Judge Abdul Zahoor issued notices to the South SSP and Darakhshan SHO and directed them to submit their responses by Wednesday. The petitioner has named the Sindh government, Darakhshan SHO, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Imran, the South Investigation Wing SSP and the woman accused of assaulting her as respondents. She alleged that despite approaching police, authorities had refused to register a case against the other party, which she described as influential, while an FIR had already been lodged against her. “The victims feel severely unsafe after the torture and the case,” the petition stated. The petitioner also sought protection for herself and her family. Separately, Advocate Arif said the petitioner had approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking quashing of the FIR registered against her and her brother. He said the petitioners had joined the police inquiry into the incident and that the SHC had issued notices to the respondents, restrained the authorities from taking further action against the petitioners and directed them to submit the inquiry report before the court. The CCTV footage of the incident presents a dramatic sequence in which a woman is seen running down a staircase carrying a dumbbell before confronting and striking another woman.
Punjab Assembly seeks legal ban on social media accounts for under-16s LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Govt calls in Army as torrential rain triggers emergency in Rawalpindi RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Army has been called in to assist with rescue and relief operations in Rawalpindi as torrential rains inundated lowlying areas and raised the threat of urban flooding across the city. Army troops have reached several areas to assist authorities in ongoing emergency and relief operations, while the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has declared a rain emergency and placed its teams on high alert. WASA personnel and heavy machinery have been deployed in vulnerable low-lying areas, including Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk Underpass, Murree Road and Sadiqabad, according to WASA Managing Director.
Authorities are continuously monitoring Nullah Lai and other drains across the city amid rising water levels. The water flow at Kattarian reached 27 feet, while 21 feet was recorded at Gawalmandi. Warning sirens were sounded after the water flow in Nullah Lai increased, while residents living in surrounding areas were alerted about the possibility of a further rise in water levels. Rawalpindi received exceptionally heavy rainfall, with Shamsabad recording 195 millimetres, the highest amount reported. New Kattarian received 180mm, Golra 157mm and the Pakistan Meteorological Department recorded 146mm. WASA has urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and remain indoors as the city continues to deal with the
impact of heavy rainfall. Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Nadeem Nasir visited several affected areas and inspected the situation around Nullah Lai. Speaking to the media, he said Rawalpindi and Islamabad had received nearly 200mm of rain overall. The deputy commissioner said the administration had announced a holiday for public and private educational institutions in Rawalpindi due to the heavy rainfall. He urged parents to keep their children at home and avoid sending them outside unnecessarily while the weather situation remained hazardous. Nadeem Nasir said the Pakistan Army remained on standby to assist the civil administration in rescue and relief operations if required.
The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for effective legislation to ban social media accounts for children under 16 and establish a coordinated mechanism to protect minors from online risks. The resolution, submitted to the provincial assembly in July by Child Protection Bureau Chairperson Sarah Ahmad, highlighted growing concerns over children’s exposure to cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation, inappropriate content and mental stress through social media platforms. It urged the government to introduce effective legal safeguards for children, citing regulatory measures adopted by Australia, France, China and several states in the United States to restrict minors’ access to social media. The resolution called for coordination between federal and provincial institutions to ensure the effective implementation of safeguards, noting that regulation of telecommunications, internet services and digital platforms largely falls within the federal government’s legislative domain. The move comes amid growing international efforts to regulate children’s access to social media, with several countries considering agebased restrictions, stronger age-verification mechanisms and enhanced online safety measures for minors. The Punjab Assembly also adopted another resolution seeking equal opportunities for prisoners belonging to religious minorities to receive religious education and benefit from sentence remission available under the law.
IHC directs Adiala jail authorities to keep Imran, Bushra Bibi out of solitary confinement ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed Adiala jail authorities not to keep Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in solitary confinement and ordered the restoration of their meetings with family members. Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro also directed the jail authorities to facilitate telephone conversa-
tions between Imran Khan and his sons and submit an implementation report to the court within 15 days. The court disposed of petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of the former prime minister and his wife after declaring the petitions maintainable. The petitions had been filed by Imran’s sister Aleema Khan and Bushra’s daughter Mubashra Khawar Maneka, who had challenged the alleged isolation of their respective family members at Adiala jail.
In its detailed directions, the court ordered the superintendent of Adiala Jail to ensure that neither Imran nor Bushra was kept in solitary confinement. The court further directed that Imran be allowed to meet his family members in accordance with jail rules and be provided facilities to speak to his sons by telephone. However, the court observed that the telephone facility could be withdrawn if the conversations with his sons were used for political purposes.
Senate body seeks answers on PIMS fire, non-custom-paid vehicles, illegal hostels and visa policy ISLAMABAD RAJA KASHIF ASHFAQ
A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem, was held to discuss a wide range of issues, including the PIMS nursery fire, the use of non-custom-paid vehicles by FBR officials, illegal hostels operating in residential areas, blue passports, arms licences, passenger screening at airports, visas issued to Afghan nationals and the law and order situation in Gilgit-Baltistan. The committee sought details about the electrical and fire safety arrangements at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), with Chairman Faisal Saleem asking when the hospital was last inspected and when its most recent safety certificate was issued. The CDA chairman told the committee that the last audit of PIMS was conducted in September 2025. The committee chairman
directed that the audit report be presented before the committee. The availability of water for firefighting at PIMS also came under discussion. Senator Abid Sher Ali said there had been a shortage of water for firefighting at the hospital and called for a detailed explanation of the issue. The committee also took up the use of non-custom-paid vehicles by FBR officials. The chairman questioned why such vehicles were still being used when 1,000 new vehicles had already been purchased. FBR officials explained that some confiscated vehicles could not be auctioned because they had been cut and welded. The committee chairman observed that, under the rules, confiscated vehicles become government property, but said non-custom-paid vehicles should be auctioned. He made it clear that the use of confiscated goods would not be allowed, remarking that if gold were seized tomorrow, it could
not be treated as something officials were entitled to use. The issue of hostels operating in residential areas was also discussed, with the committee chairman directing that illegal hostels be shut down immediately. Senator Dilawar Khan said the CDA had previously promised action against such hostels. The CDA chairman said the matter was currently before the courts and that action would be taken in accordance with judicial directions, adding that the authorities would take 100 per cent action in the matter. Islamabad faces 125-million-gallon daily water shortfall The CDA chairman told the committee that Islamabad's daily water demand stood at around 250 million gallons, against a shortfall of approximately 125 million gallons. He said the capital was currently receiving five million gallons of water per day from Rawal Dam. Work on several dams was under way, while completion of Shah-
dara Dam would provide an additional 10 million gallons per day. A new water supply line was also being brought from Simly Dam, from which approximately 100 million gallons per day were currently being supplied. The CDA has also requested the Punjab government to increase Islamabad's share of water from Khanpur Dam. The CDA chairman confirmed that sewage was entering Rawal Dam at several points, including three to four locations around Bani Gala. He said the drain in E-11 was the largest of these, adding that three to four buildings had been constructed in front of it. 30,000 blue passports withdrawn Briefing the committee on blue passports, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that during visa-free agreements with various countries, foreign authorities often asked Pakistan about the number of blue passports issued by the country. Pakistan previously had around 75,000
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blue passports, he said, adding that the number had now been reduced by 30,000. A large number of the withdrawn passports, according to Talal Chaudhry, had been held by bureaucrats. He said blue passports had previously been issued to many people who were not legally entitled to them. Senator Abid Sher Ali complained that he had been asked to obtain a Ministry of Interior NOC for passports for his family members. He said he personally visited the passport office, where officials told him that the NOC was mandatory and that the instruction had come from the ministry. Director General Passports Muhammad Ali Dhandhawa told the committee that data concerning the families of parliamentarians was sent to the Ministry of Interior. The committee chairman expressed displeasure and demanded to know under which law permission from the minister or ministry had been made mandatory.