Monday, 19 October, 2026 | 7 Jumada al-Awwal, 1448
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 205 | 8 Pages Karachi Edition
PM STRESSES EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN EDUCATION TO REALIZE QUAID’S VISION
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PREMIER SHEHBAZ INAUGURATES DAANISH SCHOOL KURI, STRESSING QUALITY EDUCATION FOR EVERY CHILD FROM KP TO GB
OVER 40,000 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN DAANISH SCHOOLS; 28 MORE SCHOOLS UNDER CONSTRUCTION ACROSS COUNTRY
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ISLAMABAD SALEEM JADOON
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday stressed the need to ensure equal opportunities in education and healthcare for all citizens, saying Pakistan could not fulfil the vision of its founder, Quaid-eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, without providing every child with access to quality education, irrespective of their socioeconomic background. “Pakistan cannot reach its true destination without ensuring accessible, high-quality opportunities for
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QUESTIONS DUAL EDUCATION SYSTEM, CONTRASTING ELITE ACCESS TO TOP INSTITUTIONS WITH HARDSHIPS FACED BY UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN PAKISTAN ENDOWMENT FUND AIMS TO EXPAND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE IN LINE WITH QUAID-E-AZAM’S VISION
all citizens across every field. What we need is to equip every child from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to GilgitBaltistan with a quality education,” the prime minister said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of Daanish School Kuri. Reflecting on the sacrifices made during the migration at the time of Partition in 1947, he recalled that millions of people had left everything behind in the hope of building a nation founded on justice, fair play and merit. Nearly eight decades later, he said, the nation needed to pause and undertake honest introspection to assess
how far it had lived up to the dreams and aspirations of its founding fathers. “This might be some other Pakistan, but not Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan,” he remarked, referring to the existence of two distinct education systems in the country. The prime minister questioned whether the country's wealthiest citizens had accumulated their assets solely through hard work or otherwise, while enjoying access to the best educational institutions at home and abroad, including those in North America and southern France. He contrasted these privileges with the struggles of talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds, including a girl from Bahawalpur, a special child from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a boy who had become a doctor despite facing hardships. EVERY CHILD, FROM KARACHI TO PESHAWAR AND GB DESERVE EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION He emphasised that every child, from Karachi to Peshawar and from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to GilgitBaltistan, deserved equal access to quality education, regardless of family income or social standing.
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02 NEWS
Monday, 19 October, 2026 | KARACHI
SECP REVIEWS DISCREPANCIES IN SE FRUITS IPO, CALLS FOR STRONGER AUDIT OVERSIGHT
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PROFIT
GHULAM ABBAS
HE Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) is initiating regulatory action over material discrepancies in the initial public offering (IPO) prospectus of SE Fruits and Vegetable Limited, which relied on information contained in the company's audited financial statements. The regulator suspended further proceedings following the book-building process to protect investors. The company subsequently voluntarily withdrew its IPO, indicating its intention to resubmit the offering at a later stage with enhanced disclosures. Subscription money has been refunded to investors. Under the IPO framework, companies seeking to raise capital must disclose their financial position, business plans and associated risks to enable investors to make informed decisions. Companies are responsible for preparing accurate financial records and comprehensive business disclosures,
while external auditors audit their financial statements. Consultants to the issue conduct due diligence, prepare draft prospectuses and submit listing applications to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). The PSX listing committee reviews applications and invites public comments on draft prospectuses. Companies and their consultants must subsequently address observations, up-
Pakistan's weekly inflation falls slightly, energy prices push annual rate above 11% PROFIT
NEWS DESK
Pakistan's weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), declined by 0.04% during the week ended October 15, 2026, while prices of essential commodities remained 11.38% higher than the corresponding week last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The SPI fell to 372.43 points from 372.58 points in the previous week, compared with 334.39 points in the corresponding week ended October 16, 2025. The weekly decline was mainly driven by lower prices of tomatoes, onions, bananas, petrol, broken basmati rice, sugar and gur, although wheat flour, chicken and several pulses recorded increases. Of the 51 essential items monitored, prices of 23 items (45.10%) increased, seven items (13.72%) decreased and 21 items (41.18%) remained unchanged. The SPI is calculated using prices of 51 essential commodities collected from 50 markets across 17 cities. Weekly decline in essential commodity prices Tomatoes recorded the largest weekly decline of 23.05%, with their average price falling to Rs119.43 per kg from Rs155.21. Onion prices decreased 4.90% to Rs180.99 per kg from Rs190.31, while bananas became 2.59% cheaper at Rs131.26 per dozen, compared with Rs134.75. Petrol prices declined 0.70% to an average of Rs396.06 per litre from Rs398.87. Broken basmati rice fell 0.65% to Rs215.52 per kg, refined sugar declined 0.62% to Rs142.11 per kg, and gur decreased 0.36% to Rs227.62 per kg. Wheat flour, chicken and pulses become costlier Gram pulses recorded the largest weekly increase of 4.97%, taking the average price to Rs300.29 per kg from Rs286.06. The price of a 20kg wheat flour bag increased 3.36% to Rs2,946.72 from Rs2,851.04, while live broiler chicken rose 3.31% to Rs395.98 per kg from Rs383.31. Egg prices increased 0.99% to Rs263.39 per dozen, while washed mash and masoor pulses rose 0.98% and 0.95% to Rs469.06 and Rs268.53 per kg, respectively. Among non-food items, firewood became 0.69% more expensive at Rs1,513.18 per 40kg, while sh irting prices increased 0.58% to Rs548.58 per metre. High-speed diesel increased 0.47% to Rs398.89 per litre, while the average price of an 11.67kg LPG cylinder rose 0.42% to Rs5,154.16. Prices of cooked daal increased 0.55% to Rs178.73 per plate, while prepared tea rose 0.28% to Rs66.87 per cup. Other weekly increases included garlic at 0.27%, long cloth at 0.21%, vegetable ghee at 0.19%, curd at 0.12%, cooking oil at 0.10%, moong pulses at 0.08%, mutton at 0.04%, potatoes at 0.02%, mustard oil at 0.02%, plain bread at 0.02% and fresh milk at 0.01%. Annual inflation at 11.38% On a year-on-year basis, the SPI increased 11.38%, with onions, LPG, electricity, petrol, diesel and wheat flour recording substantial price increases. Onion prices surged 75.19% compared with the corresponding week last year, while LPG became 68.95% more expensive.
CITY NOTES M.A. NIAZI
HE world is going topsy-turvy. Strange things are happening, and the nature of nature is being violated. For example, there are many things for which Donald Trump can be accused, but the one recently chosen was putting out Public Service Announcement ads praising him. We are used to ads for the inauguration of a new ballbearing plant from a government ministry, dominated by a photo of a PM showing all his teeth. Or generally ads in his praise, with his photo dominant. When the federal and provincial ad budgets have run out, the local councils’ are brought into play. Thus spending the taxpayers’ money is a God-given right. Yet Trump is not being allowed to exercise it, out of a mistaken belief about separation of party and person. From one point of view, with an election coming in a couple of weeks, anything to boost Trump’s image is needed. After all, his approval rating ranges from 30 percent to 38 percent, depending on which survey you choose. It’s not the worst ever, for that was
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date disclosures and submit due diligence certificates before the exchange decides on listing applications. SECP then decides on the prospectus. Following approval, the prospectus is published through the PRIDE platform, allowing the book-building process to commence. Under Sections 134 and 136 of the Securities Act, 2015, fraudulently inducing securities transactions and making
false or misleading statements constitute criminal offences. SECP is reviewing the SE Fruits IPO to determine responsibility for procedural irregularities and said appropriate regulatory action would be taken wherever violations are established. The regulator stressed that accurate financial statements and reliable audits are essential for fair stock valuations, sound bank lending decisions and accurate tax assessments. Misleading financial reporting can undermine investor confidence, expose lenders to risks and affect government revenues. The case has also highlighted the need to strengthen the Audit Oversight Board (AOB), with SECP emphasising the importance of aligning its legal framework with international practices and the principles of the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR). SECP stressed that auditors serve as gatekeepers of financial integrity and that effective accountability requires the AOB to have adequate inspection and enforcement powers, qualified technical staff and stable funding.
Oman's SalamAir chief nominated as PIA's next CEO, expected to take charge by October-end PROFIT
MONITORING REPORT
Adrian Hamilton Manns, the chief executive of Oman's low-cost airline SalamAir, has been nominated to lead Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), with his appointment expected to take effect by the end of October, Business Recorder reported, citing sources familiar with the development. The nomination is awaiting security and other regulatory clearances, which have delayed a formal announcement. If confirmed, Manns would become one of the first major executive appointments at PIA since the airline's management was transferred to an Arif Habib Corporationled consortium on June 29, 2026. His expected appointment comes as the national carrier's new private owners seek to improve operations following decades of financial losses, operational inefficiencies, fleet-related challenges and political interference. Manns has extensive experience managing and developing low-cost airlines across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, although PIA operates as a full-service carrier. He has served as chief executive of Muscat-based SalamAir since July 2024. Before that, he was president
and CEO of Kazakhstan's FlyArystan from April 2020 to July 2024. Between 2012 and 2016, he served as the founding chief executive of flyafrica.com, a low-fare airline venture focused on African markets. Earlier, he held senior commercial roles at India's IndiGo, South African Airways, Pacific Blue, a Virgin Australia airline, and Indonesia's Mandala Airlines. Manns began his aviation career at Air New Zealand in 1997 and describes himself as an airline turnaround specialist on his professional networking profile. Earlier CEO candidate joins Air India The latest nomination follows an earlier attempt by PIA's new owners to recruit former Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam.
In July, reports indicated that Gebremariam had been selected or shortlisted to lead the newly privatised airline, although no formal appointment was announced. However, Air India subsequently named Gebremariam as its chief executive in August, ending the prospect of his taking charge at PIA. The development left PIA's new management continuing its search for an executive to oversee the airline's operational and financial restructuring. PIA's transition to private management PIA formally passed into private management on June 29, 2026, when the Privatisation Commission announced the completion of the first financial closing of the airline's privatisation transaction.
FBR fixes remuneration of up to Rs500,000 for tax dispute resolution committee chairpersons PROFIT
WEB DESK
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has prescribed one-time remuneration of up to Rs500,000 for chairpersons and Rs250,000 for members of Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees (ADRCs) constituted to resolve tax disputes. Under revised rules issued on Friday, the chairperson will receive Rs300,000 and each member Rs150,000 for disputes involving tax liabilities of up to Rs50 million. For cases where the disputed tax liability exceeds Rs50 million, the remuneration will increase to Rs500,000 for the chairperson and Rs250,000 for each member. However, an Inland Revenue officer of BS-21 or above serving on the committee will not be entitled to the prescribed remuneration. According to SRO 1927(I)/2026, the revised Rule 231C will apply to all disputes brought or specified for resolution under Section 134A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The rules define an aggrieved person as someone who has brought a dispute for resolution under the relevant section, while a committee refers to one constituted under Section 134A(3). The FBR has also prescribed travel and daily allowances for committee members. The chairperson may receive travel and daily allowances equivalent to those admissible to a BPS22 federal government officer, while committee members may receive allowances equivalent to those of BPS-21 officers. Under the amended rules, an aggrieved person seeking resolution of a tax dispute must submit a written application to the FBR using the prescribed form in Part I of the Schedule to Rule 231C. In addition to the documents required under Section 134A(2), the applicant must nominate a person under Section 134A(3)(c). The nomination must include a copy of the nominee's Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), telephone number, permanent address and email address.
Road crashes claim 17 lives in 24 hours across Punjab LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Govt reviews essential commodity stocks, warns of action against hoarding and overpricing
PROFIT WEB DESK
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Friday chaired a meeting of the Cabi-
net Committee to review the availability, supply arrangements and prices of essential commodities across the country. According to the Foreign Office, the committee was informed
that adequate stocks were available to meet domestic demand, with no shortages anticipated and prices showing signs of stabilisation. Dar directed relevant authorities to closely monitor supply chains and commodity prices to ensure uninterrupted availability and protect consumers, in line with the prime minister's directives. He warned that strict action would be taken against hoarding, artificial shortages and overpricing of essential commodities. The meeting was attended by the ministers for national food security and research and climate change, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the commerce secretary, and senior representatives of relevant federal and provincial ministries and departments.
The Emergency Services Department (ESD) responded to 1,526 road traffic crashes (RTCs) across all 38 districts of Punjab during the last 24 hours, leaving 17 people dead and 1,826 injured. Of the injured, 905 people who sustained serious injuries were shifted to different hospitals, while Rescue Medical Teams provided on-the-spot treatment to 921 victims with minor injuries, helping reduce the burden on hospitals. The majority of the crashes, accounting for 82 per cent, involved motorbikes, highlighting the urgent need for effective enforcement of traffic laws and adherence to lane discipline to curb the rising number of road traffic accidents. The analysis further showed that the victims included 1,030 drivers, 65 underage drivers, 194 pedestrians and 619 passengers. The statistics revealed that Lahore topped the list of districts, reporting 283 RTCs involving 346 victims. Multan ranked second with 88 crashes affecting 97 people, followed by Gujranwala, where 84 RTCs left 88 people affected. The details further showed that 1,843 victims were affected by road traffic crashes, including 1,446 males and 397 females. An age-wise breakdown revealed that 402 victims were under 18 years of age, 886 were between 18 and 40 years, while the remaining 555 were above 40 years.
The time is out of joint
Harry S, Truman at 22 percent in February 1952, at the beginning of the election year. He was eligible to run, but he didn’t. (Nixon had a rating of 24 percent just before he resigned in 1974 because of Watergate.) Another point of view is that he’s using the ads to stop his dismal ratings to stop the voters’ disapproval from affecting the results of the midterm. He’s become so unpopular that Republican candidates are trying to get him not to campaign for them. Yet he’s the dominant force in the party. Then there was the Christine Pike case, in Tennessee, USA< where she was injected with a poison, but didn’t die. She’s been discharged from hospital, but they haven’t decided what to do with her. Execute her again, this time by hanging or by firing squad? Well, she’s been executed once, so why again? Or maybe her sentence could be converted to life without parole. Some medical experts think she could have survived because of having too many platelets in her blood, because one of the poisons destroyed those platelets. Well, it’s a pity Tennessee didn’t have Imran Khan
available to take a look at the back of her head to pronounce the verdict. Remember how he diagnosed from a photo of the back of Mian Nawaz Sharif’s head that his platelets count was fine? Imran must have been pleased by the verdict in the Sharjeel Memon case, because it serves as a precedent for his pal Ali Amin Gandapur. Memon was acquitted of having liquor in his hospital room. The bottles contained honey and olive oil. I hope Sharjeel is not trying to build a reputation for himself on what would be a most unholy mixture, and one that could not be ingested except by the most jaded palate. Ali Amin, from whose car bottles of the Good Stuff were recovered in Islamabad, has pleaded that it was honey. Though both men are competing for the Liver of the Century Award, they tell the courts the same story: it’s honey. Once upon a time, honey was big in the alcohol business, being the main staple in Europe, a potent drink fermented from a mixture of honey and water. Was Memon trying a new thing by mixing in olive oil?
Imran might not want to know. There’s been a positive development for him: there’s a one-month remission instituted for originally illiterate prisoners who clear a literacy test, showing that, at least they became literate in jail. Imran has two problems. First, he has claimed that he has done a lot of reading, so he was presumably literate when he got in prison. Second, he would have to pass
the test himself. He couldn’t get someone else to take it for him. Meanwhile, virtually as soon as the PTI government was removed in KP, there was a rooftop collapse in a private school, but no one in the PTI blamed it on the government, nor has there been any claim of divine punishment. Clearly, the PTI spokesman is sleeping on the job.
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PAKISTAN EXPLORES PANDA BONDS, TOKENISED EUROBONDS IN TALKS WITH DEUTSCHE BANK
Monday, 19 October, 2026 | KARACHI
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classification criteria and concerns raised by foreign investors regarding foreign exchange arrangements, prefunding requirements, hedging facilities and pooled investments. The two sides also discussed repatriation arrangements through Special Convertible Rupee Accounts (SCRAs) and expanded access to Roshan Digital Accounts. Participants agreed to pursue technical follow-up discussions to address operational challenges and improve accessibility for international investors. In a separate meeting with Deutsche Bank representatives, Aurangzeb highlighted improvements in macroeconomic stability, foreign exchange reserves, sovereign credit ratings and investor confidence. He outlined Pakistan's plans to return to
PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
INANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held separate meetings with representatives of Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and Deutsche Bank on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings 2026 in Bangkok, discussing capital market reforms, foreign investment and options to diversify Pakistan's financing sources. During the meeting with MSCI, also attended by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor, Aurangzeb highlighted improvements in Pakistan's economic indicators and stock market participation. Discussions focused on MSCI's market
international capital markets through private placements, Panda bonds and Eurobonds, while exploring additional financing instruments, including Sukuk, rupee-denominated bonds settled in US dollars and the potential tokenisation of Eurobonds. The discussions also covered debt management, currency diversification and investor outreach in European and other international markets. Aurangzeb appreciated Deutsche Bank's longstanding presence in Pakistan and encouraged greater corporate engagement and support for foreign portfolio investment. The finance minister also welcomed Deutsche Bank's interest in providing strategic advisory support for Pakistan's privatisation programme, including power distribution companies and major airports.
Pakistan's current account deficit widens to $356m in September as imports surge PROFIT STAFF REPORT
Pakistan recorded a current account deficit of $356 million in September 2026, widening sharply from a revised deficit of $73 million in August, as rising imports outpaced growth in exports and workers' remittances, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday. The September figure marked a reversal from the $133 million surplus recorded in the same month last year. The central bank also revised the August 2026 deficit downward from its previously reported $98 million. Pakistan's combined exports of goods and services rose by more than 15% year-on-year to $3.95 billion in September, compared with $3.42 billion in September 2025. However, imports increased by more than 23% to $7.38 billion from $5.99 billion a year earlier, widening the gap between export earnings and import pay-
ments. Workers' remittances provided some support to external inflows, increasing nearly 13% to $3.59 billion during the month, compared with $3.18 billion in September 2025. For the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (3MFY27), Pakistan recorded
NBP signs MoU with PowerChina subsidiary to explore green financing opportunities PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PowerChina Integrity Energy Storage (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd. (I²-ESS), a subsidiary of PowerChina Group, to explore financing opportunities for businesses in renewable energy, energy storage and allied sectors. The agreement, signed on October 12, establishes a framework for collaboration in SME, commercial and corporate financing, lead generation and crossselling of banking products and services, NBP said in a statement. Under the arrangement, the two organisations will work to identify prospective borrowers, particularly businesses operating in the renewable energy and energy storage sectors, and connect them with NBP's banking and financing solutions. "The MoU reflects a shared interest in exploring business opportunities by connecting prospective borrowers, particularly businesses operating in renewable energy, energy storage and allied sectors, with NBP's banking and financing solutions," the bank said. The collaboration aims to identify commercially viable opportunities that support business growth and contribute to the development of sustainable energy-related industries. NBP said the partnership would also create opportunities to cross-sell its banking products and services, strengthen customer relationships and expand its business outreach. Both organisations will additionally explore potential collaboration in green financing and other commercially viable projects aligned with NBP's strategic priorities and business objectives.
a cumulative current account deficit of $874 million, up 16% from $755 million during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. Brokerage house Topline Securities projected that the current account deficit would reach $2 billion to $3 billion in
FY27, equivalent to 0.4% to 0.6% of gross domestic product (GDP). RUPEE'S REAL EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE RATE RISES Meanwhile, Pakistan's Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) index increased by 0.98% to 108.93 in September 2026, compared with 107.87 in August, according to SBP data. The REER measures the value of a country's currency against a tradeweighted basket of currencies, adjusted for relative price levels. An increase in the index generally indicates real appreciation of the rupee, potentially making Pakistani exports relatively more expensive and imports comparatively cheaper, other factors remaining unchanged. According to the SBP, the index compares the prices of baskets of goods in Pakistan and its major trading partners, with prices converted into a common currency and weighted according to their respective shares in trade.
Pakistan explores Sukuk, Panda bonds and gold-backed financing with Standard Chartered PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held discussions with Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) on potential Sukuk issuance, additional Panda bonds and alternative financing arrangements aimed at meeting Pakistan's external financing requirements and supporting infrastructure development. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also in attendance. According to the Finance Division, Aurangzeb acknowledged Standard Chartered's role in helping bridge Pakistan's external financing gaps and facilitating the country's return to international capital markets. Discussions focused on prospective Sukuk issuance, rupee-denominated bonds settled in US dollars, further Panda bonds and potential tokenisation initiatives as part of efforts to diversify the country's financing sources. The two sides also explored goldbacked liquidity arrangements and energy-price hedging mechanisms, with an emphasis on maintaining simple financing structures and competitive costs. Aurangzeb highlighted potential investment opportunities in refinery upgrades and welcomed follow-up proposals through the relevant ministries. The meeting also covered reserve management and additional deposit products proposed by Standard Chartered for overseas Pakistanis, alongside financing arrangements backed by rupee-denominated securities or cash.
PM stresses equal opportunities in education to realize Quaid’s vision DRAP tightens regulation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Highlighting the disparity between the educational opportunities available to affluent families and those accessible to children from impoverished households, the prime minister said exceptionally talented students from disadvantaged communities across Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan often could not even dream of attending elite institutions such as Aitchison College, let alone receiving education of a comparable standard. To bridge this divide, he recalled establishing the Daanish Schools network in 2010 with the mission of empowering underprivileged children and providing them with access to world-class educational opportunities. PRACTICAL REALISATION OF QUAID-E-AZAM’S VISION He said the Punjab Endowment Fund had now been transformed into the Pakistan Endowment Fund, describing the initiative as a practical realisation of Quaid-e-Azam’s vision that children across the country should have equal opportunities in education and healthcare. The ceremony was attended by federal ministers, parliamentarians, diplomats, relevant authorities, teachers and students. Citing the example of a special child from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the prime minister said she had never lost hope despite the difficulties she faced and continued to struggle against the challenges of life. He also referred to a girl from an underprivileged area of Punjab who graduated from a Daanish School and went on to become a doctor. He said the achievements of such students reflected the determination and resilience of children who overcame adversity through unwavering commitment and hard work.
“This was the vision that compelled me and my team back in 2010 to establish this family called Daanish Schools,” he said. The prime minister stressed that the Daanish Schools system had enabled the government to provide disadvantaged children with the gift of quality education comparable to that offered by leading institutions in Western countries. He said he was addressing the gathering not merely as the prime minister of Pakistan but, in his own words, as a true servant of the people. “What we have witnessed today is not only hearttouching but also awe-inspiring,” he remarked, expressing appreciation for the achievements and determination of the students. He expressed hope that graduates of Daanish Schools would not only transform their own lives but also use their ingenuity, hard work and untiring efforts to transform Pakistan into one of the most progressive countries in the community of nations. Earlier, the prime minister visited different sections of the school and interacted with students and staff members. Minister for Federal Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, in his remarks, described the occasion as a historic day for the education sector, reflecting a new vision for educating the country's future generations. He said the Daanish Schools initiative would pave the way for the country's progress and prosperity. Chairman of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan praised the prime minister for his public service during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab. He said that whether through scholarships for underprivileged children, the Punjab Education Endowment Fund or the Punjab Daanish Authority, the prime minister had consistently worked for the uplift of disadvantaged families.
of eight categories of health products ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has issued a new notification bringing eight categories of commonly used health products under stricter regulatory oversight to improve product quality and protect public health. According to official sources, the items including vitamins, dietary supplements, medicated soaps, shampoos and specialized infant milk. Under the revised regulatory framework, products covered by the notification will be subject to applicable registration, approval and quality-control requirements before they can be manufactured or marketed in Pakistan. The move is aimed at ensuring that products carrying medicinal or therapeutic claims meet prescribed quality and safety standards, helping consumers avoid substandard, counterfeit or potentially harmful items. Health professionals say the measure is particularly significant for specialized infant milk products, vitamins and dietary supplements, which are widely available in supermarkets, pharmacies and other retail outlets. They have highlighted concerns that consumers may find it difficult to distinguish between properly regulated products and those whose quality, ingredients or manufacturing standards have not been adequately verified. Stronger regulatory oversight is expected to improve scrutiny of manufacturing processes, product composition, labelling and quality standards in accordance with applicable DRAP regulations. The initiative may also help curb the marketing of counterfeit or substandard products sold under medicinal or antiseptic claims, while encouraging manufacturers and importers to comply with regulatory requirements.
Pakistan's IT exports hit $435m in September, second highest monthly figure on record PROFIT STAFF REPORT
Pakistan's information technology (IT) exports reached $435 million in September 2026, the second-highest monthly figure on record, reflecting an 18% year-on-year increase and 10% growth over the previous month, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Friday. In a post on social media platform X, Schehzad said September's exports were just $2 million below the all-time monthly high of $437 million recorded in December 2025. Cumulative IT exports during the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (JulySeptember) stood at $1.25 billion. Schehzad attributed the growth to targeted incentives introduced in the FY27 federal budget, particularly for exporters
and the IT sector, alongside the expansion of Pakistan's digital economy. He said these developments were supporting export growth, generating non-debt foreign exchange earnings, creating highvalue employment opportunities and strengthening Pakistan's integration with global markets. FREELANCERS' EXPORT EARNINGS HIT RECORD HIGh In a separate post, Schehzad said Pakistan's freelancers generated a record $197 million in export earnings during September 2026, marking the highest monthly level recorded. Freelancers' earnings increased 49% year-on-year and 11% month-onmonth, reflecting continued growth in Pakistan's freelance services sector. "Pakistan's growing freelance economy is increasingly translating its young digital
talent into exports, non-debt foreign exchange earnings, high-value opportunities and greater integration with global markets," he said. According to Schehzad, freelancers' exports reached approximately $550 million during the first quarter of FY27, representing a 46% increase compared with the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year. GOODS EXPORTS CROSS $3BN Separately, the adviser said Pakistan's goods exports exceeded $3 billion in September 2026, reaching their highest monthly level in 20 months. The figures indicate growth in both technology-related services exports and merchandise exports during the month, with digital services continuing to contribute to Pakistan's foreign exchange earnings.
04 COMMENT
Monday, 19 October, 2026
RISING CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL ECONOMIC RESILIENCE
Power tariff for computers
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A plea for industrial tariffs for the telecom sector raises the spectre of powering AI
Energy, El Niño and interest rates
number of CEOs of telecom operators have written to the Prime Minister asking that their sectors be given industrial electricity connections rather than commercial, as at present the commercial tariff is around Rs 45 per unit, while the industrial is about Rs 33 per unit. Clearly, this would make a big difference. However, the letter raises the question of Artificial Intelligence-related data centres. THey are mentioned along with 5G network s in which investment could be driven away if the tariff was not revised. The letter also mentions how the telephone companies are switching to solar power. This provides another example of how high tariffs are driving consumers off the grid. The letter contains two unspoken threats. First, telcos might go away from the grid if battery storage becomes feasible at scale. Second, data centres might only open if they had access to solar or wind power, whether direct or supplied through batteries. The telcos make a persuasive case. After all, they are recognized as an industry by the Income Tax Ordinance and thus are subject to it accordingly. The National Cellular Policy 2004, followed by the Pakistan Telecommunications Industry notification by the Industries Ministry. If the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority could extend the industrial tariff to the poultry and dairy industries, why not the telecom sector? It should be noted that there are protests in the USA by communities where data centres plan to be sited because of the environmental damage that would be caused by the necessary power plants. Data centres can thus either exploit existing power sources or should opt for renewable sources, preferably purpose-built. That is where both solarization and battery technology come in. The electricity distribution companies, as well as the anti-solar lobby should understand that power tariffs, driven up for a number of reasons, not least the panicstricken deals with the Independent Power Producers, are driving away what had been a captive consumer base. That base cannot be brought back by suppressing solarization, nut by rationalizing tariffs. The inexorable rise of the Fuel Adjustment Charge, is enough to explain that: the FAC is already at Rs 7.46 per unit, and would reach Rs 10.02 if the Cmtral Power Purchasing Agency-Guarantee proposal of an increase of Rs 2.56 per unit is approved at the NEPRA hearing on October 29. Unless the Middle East crisis is ended, and tariffs brought down, telcos will keep struggling.
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HE world is suffering from multiple crises, which requires a focused, purpose-driven global response, where a recently released report by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) titled ‘No time to recover: compounding crises, depleted fiscal buffers, and what it means for developing economies’ pointed out with regard to the consequences of particularly the conflict situation in the Middle East (ME), and the climate change crisis as follows: ‘This third update on the socio-economic effects of the military escalation in the Middle East describes a situation that has moved from a single shock to a compounding one. Seven months into the crisis, three global pressures are proving especially challenging in many countries: energy prices are surging again after the break down of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire in July; El Niño is on course to be the strongest on record with impacts that will not peak until early 2027; and global benchmark interest rates have reached multi-decade highs.’ Regarding the report, an October 11, Guardian published article ‘Developing nations face triple shock from energy crisis, El Niño and borrowing costs, UN warns’ pointed out ‘Speaking before the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok this week, the UNDP’s administrator, Alexander De Croo, called for “solidarity and global action”. “Developing countries, their hands and legs are being pulled in different directions: it’s truly hard for them,” he said. Before the meetings, the UNDP published a report, No Time to Recover, which lays out the risks of what it calls the “compounding crises” of energy, climate and debt.’ Here, particularly with regard to difficult debt situation, the same article indicated ‘De Croo said: “The cost today for bond financing for developing coun-
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
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tries, it’s 9%. That is really, really high.” He added that the situation was expected to deteriorate between now and the spring. “For each of the three things that we mentioned – fuel prices, El Niño and the bond markets – unfortunately for each of those at the moment, we don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.” His warning chimes with the findings of separate research published on Sunday by the campaign group Debt Justice, underlining the social impact of high debt servicing costs.’ This should spell all the more difficult debt situation for developing countries like Pakistan, which have been tapping into bond markets to manage an otherwise quite daunting gross financing situation, and where interest payments are a significant size of public expenditures. In addition to enhancing already difficult debt sustainability concerns, a highly challenging poverty, and climate change crisis situation requires significantly high climate, and welfare spending. With regard to Poverty, the October 2026 economic update by World Bank on the ‘Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan’ (MENAAP) region raised serious concern with regard to the poverty situation in Pakistan, as follows ‘MENAAP is the only region in the world in which poverty remains above pre-pandemic levels and continues to rise. Pakistan accounts for nearly half of the region’s extreme poor.’ Similar concerns with regard to the global economy are highlighted in the October edition of International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) flagship report ‘World Economic Outlook’ (WEO), where an October 13, Guardian published article ‘IMF warns global economy “could soon test the limits of resilience”’ indicated that the rising challenges to the global economy were likely to test the ‘limits of resilience’ in the
In addition to enhancing already difficult debt sustainability concerns, a highly challenging poverty, and climate change crisis situation requires significantly high climate, and welfare spending
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Editor Pakistan Today
DR. OMER JAVED
EACE in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is increasingly becoming an economic question as much as a security challenge. The resurgence of militancy, persistent attacks on security personnel and the recent imposition of emergency rule have exposed the costs of instability in a province already struggling with unequal development. The crucial question is not simply how Pakistan can restore security, but who will bear the economic burden of achieving it. The urgency is evident in recent developments. According to reports published in October 2026, terrorism incidents in KP have increased sharply over the past two years. The September attack on Kohat Police Lines, which killed 22 people, including 16 police personnel, illustrates the human and institutional costs of insecurity. Meanwhile, the federal government's imposition of emergency rule has brought security and political governance into the same debate. Yet extraordinary administrative measures alone cannot address the economic conditions under which instability persists. The economic consequences extend far beyond the immediate destruction caused by attacks. In insecure districts, businesses face interruptions, transport becomes risky, tourism declines, and investors hesitate to establish new enterprises. These disruptions reduce employment opportunities and household incomes, particularly where families depend on small businesses, agriculture, and daily wages. When insecurity forces people to leave their homes, the burden expands to include rent, education, healthcare, and the loss of productive assets. Security operations may be necessary to protect civilians, but without economic recovery and effective rehabilitation, affected communities can remain trapped in prolonged financial uncertainty. The distribution of these costs is particularly important. Residents of economically marginalized districts, including parts of the
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Abusive behavior of teachers in academic institutions
The Economics of Security and Unequal Development
former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), often have fewer employment alternatives and weaker access to public services than residents of more developed urban centres. The European Union Agency for Asylum's 2026 assessment documents the concentration of militant violence in southern and western KP, alongside displacement linked to security operations. Such geographical concentration means that the economic consequences of national security policies are not distributed equally across the province. Public finance reveals another dimension of this inequality. According to official figures reported in October, KP received approximately Rs 799.4 billion under the additional one per cent share of the federal divisible tax pool associated with the war on terror between 2010-11 and September 2026. The estimated allocation for 2026-27 is Rs 149.1 billion. These substantial transfers recognize the province's exceptional security burden. However, the central policy question is whether these resources produce measurable improvements in public safety, livelihoods, and development. Reports indicate that the allocation enters the provincial account without a separate fund head, complicating the tracking of its utilization. Spending alone cannot demonstrate success without transparent reporting of outcomes. The tension between security expenditure and development becomes more visible in the
Peace cannot be measured only by the number of operations conducted or attacks prevented. It must also be measured by whether children return to school, businesses reopen, displaced families rebuild their lives, and young people find alternatives to insecurity. The real test of Pakistan's commitment to peace in KP is whether the state distributes the costs of security fairly and delivers the economic opportunities that make peace sustainable Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
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merged districts. KP's proposed development outlay for 2026-27 allocates Rs 92.9 billion to these districts when the provincial development allocation and the Accelerated Implementation programmes are combined. Yet the province's broader development budget has declined compared with the previous year's revised outlay. Such figures do not, by themselves, establish that security spending has directly displaced development spending. They do, however, highlight the fiscal pressure surrounding competing priorities: policing, rehabilitation, schools, hospitals, roads and employment generation must all be financed within limited resources. Pakistan therefore needs a security strategy accompanied by an explicit economic recovery framework. First, federal and provincial authorities should publish district-level accounts of security-related transfers, expenditure, and development outcomes. Second, affected households and businesses should receive timely, independently verified compensation and rehabilitation support. Third, investment in vocational education, agricultural value chains, local infrastructure and small enterprises should prioritize the districts bearing the greatest costs of insecurity. These measures would not replace counterterrorism operations; they would help ensure that communities can rebuild their livelihoods alongside improvements in security. Finally, responsibility must be shared. The federal government cannot treat KP's security burden as a provincial administrative problem, while provincial authorities cannot escape accountability for how funds are spent. Political disputes must not obstruct coordination, transparent budgeting, or the delivery of public services. Peace cannot be measured only by the number of operations conducted or attacks prevented. It must also be measured by whether children return to school, businesses reopen, displaced families rebuild their lives, and young people find alternatives to insecurity. The real test of Pakistan's commitment to peace in KP is whether the state distributes the costs of security fairly and delivers the economic opportunities that make peace sustainable.
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
The writer holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund.Prior to this, he did MSc. in Economics from the University of York (United Kingdom), and worked at the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Statistics (Pakistan), among other places. He is author of Springer published book (2016) ‘The economic impact of International Monetary Fund programmes: institutional quality, macroeconomic stabilization and economic growth’.He tweets @omerjaved7
Editor’s mail
Who Will Pay for Peace in KP? LAIBA HUSSAIN
near future. The article pointed out in this regard ‘The global economy “could soon test the limits of resilience”, as emergency oil stocks run low and government budgets become overstretched, the International Monetary Fund has warned. In its twiceyearly World Economic Outlook, the IMF said global growth had withstood the Middle East conflict better than feared over the past six months. It said the rerouting of oil supplies away from the strait of Hormuz, and the release of strategic energy stocks, had helped to contain the impact on oil prices from the US-Iran war. However, it warned that emergency stocks are now depleted, and high debt levels and deficits in many countries could leave governments with little capacity to protect consumers from any future jump in prices.’ The WEO report pointed out in this regard ‘The global economy is again proving resilient, but unevenly so and with rapidly narrowing margins of adjustment in the near term.’ Moreover, the report indicated that while global growth projection for 2026 has not changed from the WEO’s April edition’s predictions, yet ‘The stable global aggregate masks a reallocation of growth across economies. Countries with limited direct exposure to the war shock and strong participation in the technology upturn are seeing activity hold up or strengthen. Energy exporters outside the immediate conflict zone benefit from favorable terms of trade. Conversely, energyimporting economies [like Pakistan] with little connection to the technology value chain face the most difficult configuration: higher import costs and exchange rate pressures, weaker real incomes, more constrained fiscal space, and fewer offsetting demand impulses. Many low-income and vulnerable countries belong to this latter group, increasing the risk that recent shocks will widen income gaps across and within countries.’
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TEACHERS play an important role in shaping students’ academic, social, and personal development. However, abusive teaching behaviors can negatively affect students and create an unhealthy educational environment. Abusive teaching behavior refers to inappropriate actions, words, or attitudes by teachers that cause emotional, psychological, or academic harm to students. Such behaviors may occur in different forms, including genderbased humiliation, psychological abuse, verbal abuse, and threatening behavior. These behaviors can make students feel unsafe, disrespected, and unsupported in academic institutions. Therefore, it is important to understand these behaviors and their consequences in order to promote a respectful, supportive, and healthy learning environment for all students. One of the forms of abusive teaching behavior is gender-based humiliation. It occurs when teachers humiliate, insult, or treat students unfairly because of their gender. Teachers may sometimes make inappropriate comments about the abilities, appearance, behavior, or personality of male and female students. For example, girls may be considered less capable in certain subjects, while boys may be criticized for expressing emotions or showing weakness. Such gender-based attitudes can make students feel inferior and uncomfortable in the classroom. When students repeatedly experience this type of humiliation, they may lose confidence and become reluctant to participate in academic activities. Teachers should therefore treat all students equally, respectfully, and fairly. Verbal abuse is another harmful form of abusive teaching behavior in academic institutions. It involves the use of insulting, disrespectful, humiliating, or offensive language toward students. Teachers may verbally abuse students by shouting at them, calling them insulting and inappropriate names, using sarcasm, making hurtful comments, or criticizing them in front of their classmates. Such behavior can cause embarrassment, fear, and emotional distress. Students who regularly experience verbal abuse may become silent and hesitant to participate in classroom discussions. They may also lose trust in their teachers and feel uncomfortable in the learning environment. Teachers should communicate with students respectfully and use constructive criticism rather than offensive language to correct their mistakes. Another significant form of abusive teaching behavior is psychological abuse. It involves behaviors that negatively affect students’ emotional and psychological well-being. Teachers may psychologically abuse students through constant criticism, humiliation, excessive comparison, intimidation, ignoring their efforts, or making them feel incapable and worthless. Such behavior can create fear, stress, and emotional insecurity among students. When students continuously feel that their teacher does not value or respect them, they may lose motivation and develop negative feelings about themselves and their academic abilities. Psychological abuse can also make students afraid of making mistakes or expressing their opinions. Teachers should provide constructive feedback, encouragement, and emotional support instead of using behaviors that cause psychological harm. Threatening behavior is another harmful form of abusive teaching behavior. It involves using fear, intimidation, or threats to control students or maintain discipline. Teachers may threaten students with punishment, poor grades, expulsion, public humiliation, or other negative consequences. Such behavior can create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity in the classroom. Students who experience threatening behavior may become anxious and hesitate to ask questions, express their opinions, or participate in academic activities. Continuous threats may also negatively affect their emotional well-being and relationship with teachers. Instead of using fear and intimidation, teachers should maintain discipline through clear rules, respectful communication, constructive guidance, and positive reinforcement. This can create a safer and healthier learning environment.
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LAYIBA TAHIR KARACHI
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
COMMENT 05
America Must Rebuild Within Monday, 19 October, 2026
The world’s dynamo must repair itself
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QAMAR BASHIR
N September 17, Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked the repair of New York city’s 200,000th pothole this year. That work represents essential public service, but its scale also reveals the maintenance burden. In Michigan, the 2025 roads and bridges report recorded 67 local agency bridges closed because of poor or severe conditions. Deterioration carries costs in disrupted journeys, damaged vehicles and lost time. Nationally, the engineering assessment is sobering. America’s infrastructure received a C in the 2025 report card, with roads graded D+. Bringing infrastructure into good repair would require an estimated $9.1 trillion over 2024–2033, against projected investment of $5.4 trillion if recent funding levels continue. The resulting $3.7 trillion gap measures the distance between acknowledged needs and resources expected to address them. These are conditions Americans have often associated with the developing world:
neglected infrastructure, persistent poverty, concentrated wealth and public institutions struggling to deliver essentials. “Third World” is an imperfect description, but the warning signs deserve attention. Their appearance within a wealthy superpower makes the question of priorities more urgent. Recognizing them is an expression of concern for the USA’s future. Those priorities become clearer when domestic needs are placed beside overseas commitments. The established US military assistance framework for Israel provides $3.8 billion annually. A June estimate put Iran war costs between $34 billion and $42 billion, including deployments, munitions, equipment losses and base damage. By September 25, senators demanding fuller accounts cited Pentagon spending of $42 billion. The ultimate bill remains unsettled. These commitments must also be understood within the wider budget. In fiscal year 2025, international-affairs spending amounted to $61 billion out of $1.9 trillion in discretionary spending— approximately three percent, and about one percent of total federal expenditure. This category supports diplomacy, development, humanitarian programmes and international security assistance; it is distinct from the Pentagon’s military budget. Over the past 50 years, international-affairs appropriations have ranged between 3.1 and 5.2 percent of discretionary spending. Spending rose by 20 percent in fiscal year 2022 and another 18 percent in 2023, primarily to support Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. These figures show that foreign assistance alone cannot explain the USA’s domestic investment shortfall. Military expenditure does not explain
A pothole is a small opening into a larger national question: how effectively does US power serve American life? The answer can change. This country retains energetic workers, inventive businesses and extraordinary resources. Directing those strengths toward productive livelihoods, sound infrastructure and responsible diplomacy would turn todayÊs warning signs into the starting point of renewal. The USAÊs future strength can be built from within
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every unrepaired street; responsibility for infrastructure crosses federal, state and local government. Nevertheless, the contrast in urgency is unmistakable. Prolonged deployments, replenished arsenals and damaged installations require resources and political attention. Every new commitment abroad entails choices about resources that could strengthen the productive foundations of American communities. National security also depends on what remains functional at home, while effective diplomacy and development assistance can help prevent more expensive crises. Poverty exposes another fracture. An official poverty rate of 10.2 percent in 2025 remains alarming for one of the world’s strongest military and economic powers. Its decline does not erase the hardship of approximately one person in ten. The broader supplemental measure stood at 13.1 percent, showing no statistically significant improvement over 2024. Prosperity measured at the national level still leaves substantial deprivation underneath. The fundamental challenge is whether people can earn a secure living. Assistance remains essential for those unable to work and can help others enter employment. But lasting poverty reduction requires skills, productive jobs, viable enterprises and earnings that meet ordinary expenses. Transfers alone cannot create the factories, services and capabilities on which shared prosperity depends. Economic policy must expand people’s capacity to generate wealth. The objective should be measurable: more households supported by adequate earnings, more workers advancing through useful training, and more communities attracting durable investment. Success would mean fewer families needing emergency assistance because their own economic position has improved, while protection remains available when illness or disability intervenes. China’s experience demonstrates the scale that sustained development can achieve. Nearly 800 million people escaped extreme poverty over four decades, according to the World Bank. Different poverty thresholds prevent a direct comparison with the USA, but the central lesson remains relevant: structural transformation can change living conditions on an enormous scale. The USA possesses the resources to pursue equally determined improvements within its own circumstances. Household fragility makes the need tangible. The Federal Reserve found that 63 percent of adults would cover a hypothetical $400 emergency entirely through cash or its equivalent. The remaining 37 percent would use other means or could not pay. A tire, medical bill or urgent repair can therefore disrupt an already constrained budget. Vast private fortunes coexist with insecurity over
rent, groceries, insurance and utilities. Fuel prices deepen that pressure. Late September national averages were approximately $4.48 per gallon for regular gasoline and $6.45 for diesel, compared with roughly $3.13 and $3.69 a year earlier. Diesel transmits costs through farming, trucking and distribution. Large domestic oil production does not protect American consumers from internationally traded prices, disrupted shipping and constraints on refining. These pressures could reshape the midterms. Disruption around Hormuz and threats to Red Sea shipping give regional actors influence over the economic circumstances confronting American voters. That influence is not control over election results, but prolonged energy inflation presents Republicans with serious political exposure. A changed Congress could strengthen oversight and restrict war funding, although ending hostilities would still require political decisions. Diplomatic credibility faces pressures of its own. The US military’s removal of Venezuela’s president, subsequent oil arrangements and mounting pressure on Cuba raise questions about sovereignty and coercion. Governments may yield under pressure while becoming less willing to trust Washington. Transactional diplomacy can secure immediate concessions at the expense of relationships that sustain influence over decades. Political money adds another concern. AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, spent $61.4 million in the 2024 cycle. Such spending does not itself establish bribery, but it illustrates the resources organized interests can bring to electoral competition. Presidential conflicts of interest also demand scrutiny; allegations of personal enrichment require evidence. Public confidence depends on officials demonstrably serving the country. The USA’s capacity for renewal remains immense. Manufacturing still employs roughly 12.6 million people, alongside sub-
stantial strengths in research, technology and enterprise. Expanding that base requires technical education, apprenticeships, dependable energy, modern transport and investment in competitive production. Infrastructure repair and industrial renewal reinforce each other: better systems help businesses operate, while productive employment broadens the revenues available to maintain those systems. With national debt around $40 trillion, priorities require discipline. Yet reducing international-affairs spending, at about 1 percent of the federal budget, cannot resolve the fiscal imbalance. Its deeper causes include rising healthcare costs, an aging population, growing interest payments and revenues insufficient to meet existing commitments. Rebuilding the USA therefore requires sustained investment alongside credible decisions about spending and taxation. The dollar rests on productive capacity, financial depth and institutional trust. Its international position cannot substitute indefinitely for strengthening those foundations. The USA must also distinguish its interests from Benjamin Netanyahu’s ambitions and pursue an end to a war whose costs reach into American households. Strategic independence includes the ability to refuse an ally’s destructive course. A pothole is a small opening into a larger national question: how effectively does US power serve American life? The answer can change. This country retains energetic workers, inventive businesses and extraordinary resources. Directing those strengths toward productive livelihoods, sound infrastructure and responsible diplomacy would turn today’s warning signs into the starting point of renewal. The USA’s future strength can be built from within. The writer retired as Press Secretary the President, and is former Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France and former MD, Shalimar Recording & Broadcasting Company Limited
Israel must explain why it failed to prevent attacks on diplomats JERUSALEM POST EDITORIAL
TTACKS on Palestinians, Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, and European visitors during the West Bank olive harvest expose a failure of protection. Israeli authorities anticipated unrest. They must now explain why preparations failed to prevent these assaults. On Friday, masked Israeli extremists attacked Palestinian olive harvesters near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. Levine, wearing clearly marked press gear, was beaten and hospitalized. She underwent surgery for a severe hand injury. A journalist documenting violence became its victim, while Palestinians gathering their crops were terrorized. On Saturday, masked Israelis reportedly attacked a delegation visiting olive groves near the Palestinian Christian village of Taiba. Diplomats from Belgium, France, and Poland were present. A Belgian consular ve-
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hicle was damaged, and visiting French Mayor Bernard Baudoux was reportedly assaulted. Police opened an investigation, and the IDF condemned the attack. On October 8, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed officials to pursue administrative removal orders against activists deemed threats to public order during the harvest. The Yesha Council, which represents Israeli settlements, had requested action, citing concerns about provocations and confrontations. The directive focused on left-wing and foreign activists accompanying Palestinian farmers. Katz’s instructions demonstrate that the government expected confrontation. The IDF had also prepared for nationalist violence, clashes, and terrorist attacks. Officials could not have predicted either assault’s exact location. They must establish where protection and the response fell short. The IDF is reportedly preparing to reinforce its West Bank presence. Reinforcements may be necessary, but authorities should explain what forces were available, when warnings arrived, and how units re-
sponded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to Saturday’s incident on X/Twitter by declaring: “Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable.” It also stated: “The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence.” The statement noted an ongoing police investigation and argued that video footage did not establish the complete sequence of events. Yet the PMO also singled out Baudoux as “a French Communist Party mayor who previously raised the Palestinian flag over his municipal building, prompting French authorities to order its removal.” His politics provide no justification for an assault. Introducing them without establishing their relevance weakens the office’s appeal for objectivity. The PMO also suggested the reports reflected a campaign to smear Israel and Jewish residents of the West Bank. ISRAEL MUST PROTECT ALL, REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL VIEWS Investigators must establish individual responsibility. Authorities must protect farmers, journalists, and visitors regardless of their po-
What’s really behind the fertility gap? THE GUARDIAN MYTHILI RAO
ON’T be weird about this,” representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laughed into the camera as she prepared to jab a hormone-filled needle into her midsection, adding that she knew full well that, yes, people were definitely going to be weird about it. At 36, the congresswoman had begun freezing her eggs, and was making a point of bringing her online audience along with her as she did, stepping directly into the fraught question of how an ambitious woman should manage her fertility. It’s a live concern: around the world, birthrates are falling sharply. “Only the Black Death in the 14th century is comparable to what is happening now,” Financial Times journalist Camilla Cavendish notes in a new book examining why. Setting aside the most toxic gender-war narratives, “the standard explanation is that as women get educated, they choose freedom and autonomy over family”. As Cavendish explains, however, that is “not the whole story”. Drawing on a wealth of reporting, her book seeks to present a more nuanced picture. Cavendish begins with the “fertility gap” – the official name for the difference between the number of children people say they want and the number they actually go on to have – and works her way backwards, focusing on the lived experience of men and women who find themselves with fewer children than they expected. What stopped them? For some, the main barrier is finding the right partner in time. For others, it
comes down to the increasing costs of raising a family (where housing specifically can be a factor) and the enormous difficulty of balancing a career with caregiving, particularly when it takes longer to establish a professional foundation in the first place. There’s more: a “rational pessimism about prospects for the next generation” in an unstable world, the stigma of embracing motherhood, the shortage of stories glorifying fatherhood, a pressure to perform “intensive parenting”, the lure of well-compensated but all-consuming “greedy jobs”, and so on. There’s also the sheer exhaustion that comes with caring for a small child. The headwinds are strong. Taken together, “the joyous, messy, life-giving task of raising a family has become something that feels more like a daunting, lonely, and expensive chore,” Cavendish observes. “We’ve shifted, slowly but surely, into treating parenthood like a self-indulgent lifestyle choice. The onus is on you to cope.” These aren’t abstract observations. Cavendish herself is a working mother of three, well acquainted with the difficulties of supporting a family and managing a career. She has no illusions about how hard it can be, and no interest in pretending otherwise. “I am struck by how little has changed in the workplace in the last 20 years, despite the rhetoric about flexibility,” she notes. “What has changed, I think, is how grimly realistic young women now are about the trade-offs.” “Reproduction is kind of the whole ballgame,” the trailblazing feminist Gloria Steinem told David Remnick in a 2015 interview, “and who controls it is the most fundamental question.” Generation Maybe charts
how authoritarian governments in China, Russia, Iran and elsewhere have responded to falling birthrates with a variety of repressive pronatalist policies – sanctioning child marriage, making divorce more difficult and denying abortion access. The Trump administration’s attacks on reproductive rights and federal childcare funding follow this trend, conscripting women into domestic roles. A simple solution to the problem of birth deficit
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litical views. President Isaac Herzog struck a different tone on Saturday, calling Levine to apologize. “I was morally tormented during Shabbat when I thought about it, and I express deep sorrow and apologize for what you went through,” he told her, according to his office. Herzog urged law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those responsible. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, an outspoken supporter of Israel and its settlements, has previously been just as clear. Condemning a separate West Bank incident in August, he called violent intruders “Israeli terrorists” and said there was “no excuse for such thuggish behavior.” Condemnation by Israel’s allies should reinforce the urgency of action. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned Saturday’s assault but suggested advance coordination with the IDF could have helped protect the delegation. Coordination can materially improve protection. Its absence leaves authorities responsible for intervening when an assault occurs. The IDF said an alert during the Taiba incident reached a brigade operations room
intended for security personnel rather than civilians. If reporting channels fail to get urgent warnings to those able to intervene, they must be fixed. This past week’s reported warning of a planned Hamas attack underscores the continuing threat of Palestinian terrorism. The extremists attacking Palestinians do not represent the vast majority of Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria, whose safety must remain a priority for Israel’s security forces. Israel faces real West Bank security threats, including Palestinian terrorism. Commanders must protect Israeli communities while ensuring Palestinian farmers can harvest safely. Violence by Israelis undermines state authority and complicates soldiers’ work. Prevention requires patrols in known hot spots, prompt intervention, arrests, and credible prosecutions. Officials must account publicly for any failures identified and explain how they will protect the remaining harvest. Farmers should be able to gather their crops, and journalists to document events, in safety.
is to force women to breed. It may not be easy to create effective pronatalist policy interventions that encourage, rather than entrap – but it’s not impossible. Cavendish looks at what’s worked and what hasn’t in Singapore, Scandinavia and France, and outlines just shy of a dozen ways to help people choose children, from building more housing to offering parents benefits and even giving children themselves the vote: “Almost all policies which may help to lift birthrates are also ones which could enable human flourishing,” she notes.
There is no hectoring or finger-wagging in this book. What’s offered instead is an empathic and curious approach to an entirely rational ambivalence. In so doing, Generation Maybe illuminates the enormous gulf between popular talking points about fertility and the actual conversations potential parents are having. For Cavendish, the real goal isn’t to persuade anyone to have kids; it’s simply “to make children a genuine choice”. Generation Maybe: Why We’re Having Fewer Children, and What It Means for Us All by Camilla Cavendish is published by Bodley Head (£25).
SATIRE
What to know about Trump’s Russia diesel deal THE ONION
N an effort to lower gas prices ahead of the midterm elections, President Trump agreed to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports. The Onion shares everything you need to know about the energy deal struck with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Q: What brought the deal about? A: Trump recently learned that something called “farmers” subsists by drinking diesel, and he knew he had to act. Q: Won’t this inject muchneeded money into the Russian economy to fuel its war machine?
A: No, in fact it will be coming right back to the U.S. in the form of campaign donations. Q: What is Russia getting in return? A: Ukraine. Q: What is diesel for? A: Diesel is for ruining your car because you weren’t paying attention at the gas station. Q: Is Russian diesel different from normal diesel? A: Yes, it has a nutty aftertaste. Q: Isn’t Russia currently at war with a U.S. ally? A: Wait a minute… Yeah, you’re right! Huh. Q: How has Congress responded? A: Members of both parties have strongly denounced Hasan Piker.
Trump hires saluki as new White House press secretary NEWS BISCUIT JEREMYNH
"The President is delighted to announce that he has appointed a golden-haired saluki as his new press secretary, in place of Katie Zacharia," said a White House kennel maid. "The saluki, chosen at random from Four Legged Friends of Earscratch, Virginia, has all the qualities Mr Trump is looking for. "She is blonde, doesn't mind being stroked, clams up when asked questions, has zero legal qualifications and can run like hell out of the press room when things get tough. "The saluki also exhibits dog-like degrees of loyalty and devotion, is dumb enough to support Trump's policies without realising how criminal and stupid they are and, like the President himself, she is completely barking. "And even if the saluki lasts only a single day in the post it'll be longer than Zacaharia lasted - when measured in dog years."
06 NEWS
SIX INJURED AS HOUTHI PROJECTILE HITS NAJRAN, SAYS SAUDI CIVIL DEFENCE
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AUDI Arabia: Six Saudi citizens were injured, and three homes and three vehicles sustained material damage when a projectile launched by the Houthis struck a residential area in the city of Najran, Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defence stated, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday. According to the SPA, the directorate stressed that attempts to target civilian objects were a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, further adding that teams responded to the incident and followed standard procedures. Saudi-led coalition says helicopter crash in Najran kills two crew members A reconnaissance AH-6i helicopter crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia, killing its two crew members, the Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on Sunday. The helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction in an area under the jurisdiction of the Saudi National Guard Ministry, the statement added. Yemen's Houthis released footage later on Sunday of what they said was a Saudi AH-6i helicopter being shot down by a missile while carrying out what they described as hostile activities near Najran.
Monday, 19 October 2026 | KARACHI
The footage did not clearly show the incident, and Reuters could not immediately verify the Houthis' claim. There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities. On Saturday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the group had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near Najran. It was not clear if that referred to the same incident. Al-Maliki commented on Saree's post on Sunday with a photo of several Apaches lined up, saying: "You claim to have shot it down, but it will enter the battlefield soon." Egypt says it will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary support Egypt will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible support to defend its security and stability, its presidency said on Sunday. Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted 2 Houthi ballistic missiles headed for southwestern Saudi Arabia The Saudi-led coalition said on early Sunday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Coalition spokesman Turkial-Maliki announced the interceptions in a statement on US social media platform X. Shortly before the announcement, Saudi Civil Defense issued "potential danger" alerts in the capital Riyadh and the southwestern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait
through its national early warning system. The agency later announced that the danger had passed. On Saturday, al-Maliki said coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed four drones over several hours in the Riyadh region, Eastern Province and southern Saudi Arabia. The coalition also released footage it claimed showed strikes destroying two ballistic missile launchers in Saada, northern Yemen, after they had been used to fire missiles toward Saudi Arabia. Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi Apache helicopter near Yemen border Yemen's Houthi group claimed on Saturday that it shot down a Saudi Apache military helicopter near the Najran region in southern Saudi Arabia while it was targeting Houthi positions. In a statement carried by the Houthi-run version of Yemen's Saba news agency, the group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed that Houthi forces shot down the helicopter while it was carrying out "hostile operations" against their positions along the border. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials on Saree's remarks. The claim came amid continued military escalation in Yemen and strikes by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia since July, including attacks on civilian aviation facilities and energy infrastructure inside the kingdom.
Cairo vows support for Riyadh as 2 Saudi officers killed in helicopter crash near Yemen CAIRO
AGENCIES
Egypt is ready to provide Saudi Arabia with the support it needs to defend its security and stability, the presidency said on Sunday. Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said two officers were killed when their helicopter crashed near the Yemen border, after the rebel group claimed it shot the aircraft down. The coalition blamed a “technical malfunction” for the helicopter crash, which inflicted its first military fatalities since the long-running conflict with the Houthis reignited in July. The incident comes a week after strikes by the Houthis killed 13 people at Riyadh’s international airport, the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Saudi Ministry of National Guard crashed “inside Saudi territory in Najran Region due to a technical malfunction”, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. “The accident resulted in the martyrdom of its aircrew, consisting of two offi-
France erupts in second day of unrest as looting, clashes and mass arrests intensify REPUBLIQUE CENTRAL PARIS: AGENCIES
French police battled protesters and looters for a second day on Sunday as the country reeled from the violent chaos left by a day of cost-of-living demonstrations in which around 2,000 people were arrested nationwide. Paris city workers had not finished clearing up the torched cars, smashed shopfronts and burnt debris from Saturday’s unrest when the new troubles started and political recriminations erupted. AFP journalists said several hundred people gathered in the Republique square in the capital following social media calls for a gathering that authorities said had not been approved. Television footage showed the looting of a clothing store and bikes were also set alight nearby. The Paris police prefecture said security forces moved in when “faced with the initial signs of tension”. AFP journalists saw police firing tear
gas and stun grenades at hundreds of people gathered in the square. Bottles and rocks were hurled at police who made several arrests. Some 550 people out of 855 arrested in Paris remained in detention from Saturday’s troubles and police stations were struggling to cope, according to the Legal Team Paris group of lawyers. GOVERNMENT UNDER PRESSURE Six months from a presidential election, the government faced opposition attacks over preparations for the nationwide day of action that followed weeks of mounting student protests over conditions in schools. President Emmanuel Macron, who on Saturday vowed that anyone who engaged in vandalism or looting would be prosecuted, was to address the nation on Sunday evening at 1800 GMT. Marine Le Pen, the far-right presidential candidate for the National Rally party, said the troubles showed that Macron’s administration was “running on
fumes, exhausted and disoriented”. “We are experiencing a profound crisis of trust and authority, which poses a threat to democracy,” said Le Pen, who leads opinion polls ahead of the election. Le Pen has blamed ultra-left groups, while Jean-Luc Melenchon head of the far-left France Unbowed party accused authorities of inflaming tensions. With images of French town halls burning and shops being looted grabbing headlines around the world, US President Donald Trump waded into the debate, blaming immigration for the unrest. “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” Trump said in a social media post. Looting rampages were reported on Saturday in Paris and other cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, on the margins of protests over the cost of living. Around 1,500 businesses were damaged with losses estimated at hundreds of
millions of dollars, according to the Retail and Trade Federation. One person died during the main march in Paris, but officials said the case was health-related. “It’s like we had a war,” a 78-yearold Paris resident Mehmet Ozeden told AFP amid burnt street barricades from the protests. ‘ANIMALS’ Another resident, Anita Gras, said she saw young men loot a sports shoe retailer.“It’s appalling, terrifying — groups of young people came here yesterday, looting, smashing everything, with total impunity,” said 57-year-old Cecile Rogue surveying a pile of charred bicycles. The city of Limoges lost its 19th-century town hall to a fire that local prefect, Maurice Barate, told news channel LCI had been deliberately set by “a wild horde”. About 7,000 people staged a march in the central city on Sunday to show their anger at the devastation. In Lyon, a store owner, Jean-Christian, said those behind the violence were “animals”.
Trump endorses Netanyahu in Israeli election WASHINGTON, DC AGENCIES
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed his ally Benjamin Netanyahu as the longtime Israeli prime minister struggles for an edge in next week’s parliamentary election. Trump praised Netanyahu as a “great warrior prime minster” and peace partner, crediting him with joining the United States in launching strikes on Iran in February. The conflict, in its seventh month, has disrupted energy markets globally and wreaked havoc across the Middle East, damaging critical infrastructure and destabilising regional economies. “Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Despite all of that, he has endured and, in fact, he has thrived! I have watched Bibi under the most trying of
times. Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today.” In his message, addressed to “the Great People of Israel”, Trump added,
“Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel.” The Trump endorsement is not certain to give Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party a boost in the Oct 27 national
election, as Israeli public support for Trump has diminished amid Israeli-US disagreements over Iran. Polls have suggested no candidate has a clear path to power. Israel’s prime minister is chosen through coalitionbuilding in parliament rather than by direct popular vote. It will be Israel’s first vote since the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023. Israel has launched an assault on Gaza and carried out strikes in Lebanon and Iran since. The election could determine whether Netanyahu remains in power after one of the most consequential periods in Israel’s history, or is defeated by centrist rivals promising to usher in a new era. Netanyahu promptly expressed his thanks to Trump on X, saying, “Together we will complete the mission!” Trump has broken with longtime US tradition by endorsing candidates in elections in foreign countries, including Hungary, Colombia, Argentina, Japan and Honduras.
cers.” Late on Saturday, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group had “downed an Apache helicopter belonging to the Saudi enemy” in the same area. EGYPT READY TO GIVE ‘ALL NECESSARY AND POSSIBLE FORMS OF SUPPORT’ Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had requested an urgent parliament session to authorise the military, one of the region’s largest and most powerful, to help defend Saudi Arabia if the kingdom requested its support. “Egypt will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability, protect its resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement on Sunday. It followed a meeting of Egypt’s National Defence Council chaired by Sisi and attended by the parliamentary speaker, the prime minister and the army chief. A parliamentary vote had been expected on authorising the request for military support on Sunday, but discussions were due to continue on Monday, two lawmakers and local media reports said.
12 killed as truck runs over devotees near temple in central India: police MADHYA PRADESH AGENCY
At least 12 people were killed and dozens of others injured when a truck hit devotees near a temple in India's central Madhya Pradesh state, a police official said early Sunday. The accident occurred in Gwalior when a truck loaded with paddy lost control on a steep road and crashed into the outer wall and gate of the Sheetla Mata Temple, senior police official Dharmveer Singh said. He said 39 people were taken to a hospital, of whom 12 died. Ruchika Chauhan, a local civil official, said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident. A day earlier, at least 17 people were killed and several others injured in a stampede at a religious festival in north Kolkata in India, NDTV reported. Durga Puja, the biggest annual festival of Hindus in India's eastern state of West Bengal, draws thousands of devotees to temporary structures known as pandals, which house idols of the goddess Durga. A police statement said the stampede occurred in the evening due to "heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall." All injured persons were rescued and shifted to hospital. Besides the dead, 25 people were injured, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. According to eyewitnesses, many festivalgoers lost consciousness, and some were taken to the hospital on motorcycles. One witness said that the entrance to and exit from the pavilion were very narrow and that there was no lighting there.
Actor Imran challenges 'leave India' notice in HC MUMBAI
AGENCES
Actor Imran Khan has challenged in the Mumbai High Court a notice directing him to leave India by October 28, arguing that the order provides no reasons for the decision and denies him an opportunity to respond to the alleged violations. The actor received the “Leave India” notice from the Mumbai office of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) following his participation in a protest in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The notice identifies the 43-year-old actor as a US citizen and warns that legal action could be taken against him if he fails to leave India by the specified deadline. In his petition, Imran Khan has described the notice as illegal, unreasonable and unconstitutional. The notice alleges that he violated provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
Vance acknowledges ‘failures’ in US handling of Iran war NEW YORK
AGENCIES
US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged “a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures” in the handling of the Iran war, as he faced questions over the conflict’s rising human and economic costs during a CBS News town hall on Sunday. Vance made the remarks in response to Joey Amor, whose wife, Master Sgt Nicole Amor, was among six US Army Reserve soldiers killed in an Iranian strike on a military site in Kuwait in the opening hours of the war that began in late February. At least 21 US service members have been killed and hundreds wounded so far. Amor questioned reports that the facility had not been adequately secured, demanding accountability from the Trump administration. “Though the Iranian drone was the weapon that killed my wife, there were a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures that led up to that,” Amor said. Vance acknowledged that there were shortcomings. “Sometimes information doesn't filter up to me,” he said, pledging to “take every single failure extremely seriously.” The vice president also admitted that the positioning of US troops exposed weaknesses in the military’s approach. “I know that there are some issues with, for example … where troops were located that we realised was a huge mistake and that we could do better on. And we have changed that,” he said. Vance pointed to the growing threat posed by inexpensive drones, saying the US military had altered its tactics to better protect troops and prevent further casualties.
Asked why Washington had still not secured a decisive victory despite President Donald Trump’s initial expectations, Vance argued that the US had “in some ways … won decisively,” but acknowledged the outcome also depended on Iran’s actions. “The enemy gets a vote here,” he said. Vance defended the administration’s strategy, saying Washington was seeking a “final firm commitment from the Iranians that they're not going to rebuild their nuclear program.” Iran’s president hopes defence minister nominee can ‘survive,’ cites US ‘assassination list’ Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that he hopes his US-sanctioned defence minister nominee can “survive,” claiming that he is also on a US “assassination list.” Pezeshkian made the remarks in a virtual address to parliament during a session considering Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi’s nomination as minister of defence, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. Pezeshkian said Akhlaqi is under US sanctions and claimed that he is also on a US “assassination list.” He expressed hope that the nominee would “take care of himself” and, with support from the country’s institutions, “remain alive” and continue working to strengthen Iran’s defence capabilities. Pezeshkian urged lawmakers to give Akhlaqi a strong vote of confidence, saying he enjoys support across Iran’s armed forces, including the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the defence ministry and security institutions. Akhlaqi, a longtime senior defence ministry official, previously headed Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organisation and the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBIG),
which has been linked to the country’s ballistic missile program. He has been subject to US sanctions over his involvement in Iran’s missile-related activities. Akhlaqi was nominated to replace former Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed during US-Israeli attacks on Iran earlier this year. Pezeshkian said Iran does not seek to attack other countries but would respond strongly to any attack against its territory. “Our defence is not only missiles; our defence is the people and the unity and cohesion we have in the country,” he said. He added that Tehran would not back down in the face of what he described as pressure and “bullying” by countries that attack Iran. IRANIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES MEHRDAD AKHLAQI AS NEW DEFENCE MINISTER Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as the country’s new defence minister on Sunday, the state broadcaster IRIB reported. Akhlaqi received 237 votes in favor and 15 against, with no abstentions, out of 277 votes cast during a parliamentary session held via video conference. Lawmakers voted after hearing arguments from supporters and opponents of Akhlaqi and reviewing his plans for the Defence Ministry. In his first remarks after securing parliamentary approval, Akhlaqi said Iran had taken measures to counter the possible use by the US of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against the country. “We have taken the necessary measures to counter such an action and are continuing our work with confi-
dence,” he told reporters. Akhlaqi also warned that US President Donald Trump should be concerned about getting American forces out of the region safely.
NEWS 07
PUNJAB LIVESTOCK EXPORTS SURGE DWP Technologies, Gnext 43%, FARMERS SET TO EARN RS11B explore Future of Digital
Monday, 19 October 2026 | KARACHI
CORPORATE CORNER
Learning at ‘Teaching Beyond Textbook’
LAHORE STAFF REPORT
DWP Technologies, an Apple Authorised Reseller, together with GNEXT, an Apple distributor in Pakistan, hosted Teaching Beyond the Textbook at the Ramada Hotel, Lahore. The session brought together IT and academic leaders from 15 universities, school networks and education foundations. The message was clear: Technology alone does not transform how students learn. Real impact comes from combining the right technology with welltrained teachers, effective device management and a long-term education strategy. Attendees saw how Mac and iPad can build creativity, coding and problem-solving skills. They also covered practical topics such as teacher training, zero-touch deployment and managing devices at scale. The session set out separate approaches for K–12 schools and for universities, followed by an interactive Q&A. "Schools and universities across Pakistan want to modernise learning, but they need a partner who supports them well beyond the purchase. That is the role DWP Technologies is committed to playing,” said Hassaan Saqib, DWP Technologies. “Students are most engaged when they are creating, not just consuming. Our aim is to give educators the tools, training and local support to make that happen in every classroom,” added Shahrukh Rohilla, General Manager, GNEXT Technologies. The initiative reinforces DWP Technologies’ commitment to supporting educational institutions in their digital transformation journey by delivering innovative technology solutions, strengthening digital capabilities and enabling the adoption of modern teaching and learning practices. Through its technology expertise and collaborative approach, DWP Technologies continues to help institutions build more connected, engaging and future-ready educational environments.
Arif Habib Limited Named Pakistan's Best Broker at Euromoney Markets Awards 2026
LIVESTOCK CARD SCHEME OFFERS RS27,000 PER ANIMAL FOR FEED AND FODDER, WITH 400,000 ANIMALS PREPARED FOR EXPORT IN A YEAR
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LAHORE
SALEEM JADOON
UNJAB’s livestock sector has recorded a 43 per cent increase in animal exports, with 400,000 animals prepared for export within a year and rural livestock farmers expected to earn Rs11 billion, according to a provincial government handout. Under the Livestock Card scheme launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, farmers are receiving Rs27,000 per animal to meet feed and fodder expenses, the handout said. The provincial government has notified eight Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) compartments and plans to establish seven more this year to facilitate livestock exports to China, Europe and the United States. So far, 129,581 animals reared under the Livestock Card scheme have been exported, it added. As part of its efforts to expand the livestock and meat export sector, the government plans to establish five meat-processing plants and five modern slaughterhouses, along with meat-packing facilities and commercial and corpo-
rate feedlots. The provincial government will provide Rs19 billion in financing subsidies for investments in the integrated livestock value chain, while private investment worth Rs65 billion is expected in the meat value chain. Punjab will also establish its first Foot-and-Mouth Disease vaccine production unit through a public-private partner-
ship, attracting private investment of Rs28 billion, according to the handout. The district-wise export figures include 20,000 animals from Lahore, 24,297 from Bahawalpur, 12,529 from Faisalabad, 21,000 from Gujranwala and Gujrat, 27,000 from Multan, 22,000 from Sargodha and 2,661 from Sahiwal. Under the Livestock Connect system, the government has established direct
Azma says youth need laptops, AI skills, not long marches and sit-ins LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has formally launched the second phase of the laptop and scholarship scheme, aimed at securing a brighter future for the province’s youth through educational opportunities and access to modern technology. In a statement, Azma Bukhari said the future of the country's young generation lay not in containers, long marches and sit-ins, but in modern technology, artificial intelligence and contemporary skills. She said the Punjab chief minister was addressing the educational and social needs of all the province’s sons and daughters as if they were her own children, reflecting her commitment to the welfare and development of young people. The provincial information minister said Maryam Nawaz’s popularity among the youth was increasing day by day due to her welfare and educational initiatives. She claimed that certain elements, fearing her growing popularity, were resorting to personal attacks against her. She added that even those who professed to champion morality and
education were displaying prejudice in their opposition to the chief minister. In contrast, Azma Bukhari said the Punjab chief minister’s performance was receiving widespread appreciation at the international level. Commenting on the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial information minister claimed that the era of so-called change and hollow slogans had come to an end in the province. She held the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) primarily responsible for the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alleging that the party had supported terrorists instead of prioritising the national interest and maintaining peace in
the province. Azma Bukhari also paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Pakistan Army and other security institutions, saying the country's security forces were continuing to make significant sacrifices to eliminate terrorism completely. She said issuing negative statements against security institutions amid the prevailing sensitive circumstances amounted to undermining the morale of the brave personnel engaged in safeguarding the country. The entire Pakistani nation, she added, stood united like an iron wall alongside its courageous security personnel in the fight against terrorism.
Punjab Police seize 27,000 firearms, 145,764 bullets in province-wide crackdown LAHORE STAFF REPORT
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Arif Habib Limited (AHL) has been named Pakistan's Best Broker at the Euromoney Markets Awards 2026. Euromoney is the world's leading platform for evaluating financial institutions, and its awards are widely followed by investors, issuers and market participants as a benchmark of performance. AHL attributed the achievement to the continued confidence of its clients, investors and partners, alongside the dedication of its team. The Best Broker recognition marks a further milestone for AHL as it continues to serve investors and corporate clients in Pakistan's capital markets. The company said its focus remains on strengthening client relationships, maintaining high professional standards and supporting the development of the country's financial markets.
Under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Safe Punjab Vision, Punjab Police has continued its province-wide crackdown on illegal weapons, recovering thousands of firearms and a large quantity of ammunition linked to heinous crimes, the display of arms and other violations. During operations across the province this year, police recovered 760 Kalashnikovs, 26,897 pistols, 1,342 rifles, 2,096 shotguns, 592 revolvers and 145,764 bullets. In Lahore, various operations led to the recovery of 22 Kalashnikovs, 118 rifles, 140 shotguns, 4,915 pistols, 108 revolvers and 24,331 bullets. Inspector General of Police Punjab Abdul Kareem directed police officers to continue indiscriminate legal action against individuals
involved in possessing illegal weapons, displaying firearms and resorting to aerial firing. He also ordered strict action against those involved in the illegal sale, purchase and transportation of weapons. The IG instructed police authorities to conduct regular checks of arms dealers’ licences, weapon stocks and sales and purchase records to curb the illegal trade in firearms. Abdul Kareem further directed that legal action be taken against individuals who display weapons or promote illegal firearms on social media. Punjab Police on high alert during Christian prayer services at churches Meanwhile, Punjab Police officers and personnel remained on high alert and performed security duties diligently during Christian prayer services at churches across the province, including Lahore. Earlier, Inspector General of Police Punjab Abdul Kareem had directed regional police officers
(RPOs), district police officers (DPOs) and senior police officials to further strengthen security arrangements at churches. He instructed supervisory officers to personally inspect security arrangements at churches and other important and sensitive locations to ensure effective protection. The IG directed that additional police personnel and snipers be deployed at sensitive churches, while teams of the Dolphin Squad, Police Response Unit (PRU) and Elite Force were tasked with ensuring effective patrolling around churches. He further directed all deployed police officers and personnel to remain highly vigilant and maintain a close watch on suspected miscreants. Abdul Kareem also ordered the continuation of search and sweep operations around churches, Christian localities and other sensitive locations to strengthen security and prevent any untoward incident.
CDA chairman reviews progress on Islamabad jail project ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Sohail Ashraf, visited the Islamabad Jail project site to review the progress of ongoing construction work and assess the project’s status and timeline for completion. During the visit, the Chairman CDA was accompanied by the Director General (Services), CDA, the concerned Assistant Commissioner, and senior officials of Islamabad Jail. He inspected various sections of the facility and reviewed the progress of construction work and the development of essential infrastructure. Chairman CDA was briefed on the
project’s progress and held discussions with the relevant officials regarding the quality of construction and adherence to the prescribed standards. He directed the concerned officials to ensure the timely completion of the project in strict accordance with the approved timelines while maintaining high standards of quality. The visit of Chairman CDA Sohail Ashraf reflects CDA’s commitment to closely monitoring key infrastructure projects and ensuring their timely completion through effective coordination and supervision. Chairman CDA emphasised the importance of completing the project within the stipulated timeframe, maintaining construction quality, and ensuring the provision of all necessary facilities.
links with 1,725 fattening farms, 20 export slaughterhouses, 88 meat exporters and 34 meat traders to strengthen connections across the livestock supply chain. The number of rural women livestock farmers registered under the Livestock Card scheme has risen from 90 to 1,107, the handout said, highlighting the scheme’s expanding reach among women in the rural economy. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the government aimed to connect Punjab’s livestock farmers with national exporters and international websites to broaden their access to markets and establish the province as a regional livestock hub. CM lauds security forces for eliminating eight terrorists Meanwhile, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Sunday commended security forces for their successful operations against terrorists in Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar, expressing satisfaction over the outcomes. In a statement, the chief minister paid tribute to the security forces for eliminating eight terrorists during the operations and appreciated their efforts in combating terrorism.
‘Where Excellence Inspires Purpose’: AKU-EB celebrates high achievers 2026
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) celebrated its High Achievers of 2026 under the theme The Light Within, recognising students whose academic accomplishments reflect their dedication, potential and aspirations for the future. The ceremony marks an important milestone in AKU-EB’s journey towards its Silver Jubilee in 2027, when it will celebrate 25 years of advancing educational quality, strengthening assessment practices and expanding pathways to higher education for students across Pakistan. In 2026, more than 26,000 students appeared in AKU-EB examinations. Among them, the Board recognised 124 national and regional high achievers, including two national position holders, one each at the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) levels. A further 450-plus students received recognition for outstanding performance in individual subjects across Pakistan. At the event, Dr Naveed Yousuf, CEO of AKU-EB, welcomed Chief Guest Professor Dr Huma Baqai, Rector of the Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (MiTE), and Guest of Honour Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah, CEO of the Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC), alongside donors, educators, parents and students. “These students deserve to be celebrated not only for their academic achievements, but also for the skills they have developed to succeed beyond school,” said Prof Dr Huma Baqai on recognising high achievers. “I am confident that these young achievers are well equipped to take this next step and embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead.” “There are brilliant minds across interior Sindh whose potential is immense,” said Hafsa Bugti, National High Achiever at the HSSC level from IBA Community College, Kairpur, reflecting on her educational journey. “Greater access to quality schools and strong examination systems that uphold high standards of assessment could unlock that potential, expand merit-based opportunities and empower young people to compete confidently on the international stage.” The impact of AKU-EB’s approach is reflected in its annual University Destination Survey, which indicates that 90 per cent of its HSSC graduates gain admission to universities. Its graduates have progressed to more than 200 international universities, while approximately half attend leading higher education institutions in Pakistan.
AU hosts int’l conference on statistics, data analytics KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
Department of Statistics and Data Analytical Sciences (SDAS) at Air University (AU), Islamabad, will organise the 3rd International Conference on Recent Trends in Statistics, Data Analytical Sciences and AI Tech Expo on October 19–20. The two-day academic event will be held at the university’s main auditorium, bringing the conference and technology exhibition under one platform. The event aims to provide an opportunity for academic and professional engagement in the fields of statistics, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), according to the invitation issued by the university.
Monday, 19 October, 2026
PRAYER TIMINGS
DAR STEPS UP REGIONAL DIPLOMACY, HOLDS TALKS WITH IRANIAN, EGYPTIAN FMS ON PEACE EFFORTS NEWS
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DPM DAR, ARAGHCHI DISCUSS REGIONAL SITUATION, OIC MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BAGHDAD; AGREE TO MAINTAIN CLOSE CONTACT ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
EPUTY Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday held telephone conversations with his Iranian and Egyptian counterparts to discuss the evolving regional situation, diplomatic efforts to promote peace and the ongoing meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad, according to the Foreign Office. In a post on X, the FO said DPM/FM Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi discussed “the evolving regional situation” and “the ongoing OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad”. Dar “underscored the importance of continued dialogue and diplomacy in addressing regional challenges”, the statement said, adding that the two foreign ministers also “agreed to maintain close contact”. Pakistan and Iran were expected to hold further consultations on regional peace efforts on the sidelines of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad on October 17–18.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that the meeting would provide an opportunity for consultations among key regional players, including Islamabad and Tehran. Pakistan has continued to advocate a negotiated settlement to the conflict involving Iran and the United States. On October 9, the military’s media wing chief, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Pakistan remained committed to a “negotiated and peaceful outcome” and warned against the conflict spreading further across the region. He said Pakistan had condemned attacks on Iran by the United States and Is-
rael, as well as Iranian attacks on Arab and Gulf countries. Dar, Egyptian Counterpart Discuss Upcoming R-4 Meeting Earlier on Sunday, Dar also held a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, during which he strongly condemned Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Pakistan’s full solidarity with the Kingdom and support for its sovereignty, territorial integrity and security. In a post on X, the Foreign Office said the two leaders also discussed the next meeting of the R-4 grouping, comprising Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
“The two leaders exchanged views on recent regional developments,” the ministry said, adding that both looked forward to holding the next R-4 meeting soon to “further strengthen mutual ties and to coordinate on the regional issues”. According to the FO, the R-4 framework brings together Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia to strengthen relations and coordinate positions on regional issues. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt held the latest round of high-level consultations in Istanbul late last month, as Islamabad stepped up diplomatic coordination with key regional powers following the signing of a landmark defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The four countries have been coordinating under the R-4 framework, launched earlier this year to intensify consultations on regional crises, particularly the conflict involving the United States and Iran, and broader efforts to promote regional stability. The grouping has held several meetings since March, with its fourth ministerial meeting taking place in Cairo in June.
PM pledges wider access to breast cancer screening, treatment across country ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan’s first astronaut set for Chinese space mission on Nov 25: Iqbal NAROWAL
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan’s first astronaut is scheduled to undertake a space mission from a Chinese space centre on November 25, as the country aims to land on the Moon by 2035, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Sunday. The astronaut will be selected from two pilots — Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud — whom China chose in April this year as candidates for its manned space programme. Both have been undergoing intensive training in Beijing. Addressing the concluding ceremony of World Space Week in Narowal, the minister said Pakistan was targeting a lunar landing by 2035, expressing hope that the country’s cooperation with China would help it “reach new heights in space exploration”. The World Space Week was organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), according to a statement issued by the Planning Ministry. Addressing the ceremony, Iqbal highlighted the importance of space technology in agriculture, communications, climate monitoring, education and national security. He stressed that scientific research and space exploration were essential for technological advancement, the ministry’s statement said. The planning minister also recalled the significant contributions Muslim scholars had made to astronomy and scientific discovery, calling for renewed efforts to restore Pakistan’s leadership in knowledge and research. China has not announced which of the two pilots will undertake the mission or confirmed the final selection. However, speaking to Reuters last month, Amer Gilani, who oversees human spaceflight cooperation at Suparco, said the final decision on the astronaut was expected in mid-to-late October. According to another Suparco official quoted by Reuters, the selected pilot will carry the title of “payload specialist” during the mission. In practical terms, this means the astronaut will conduct Pakistan’s scientific experiments in orbit rather than pilot the spacecraft. The astronaut will travel aboard a Chinese-built spacecraft launched from a Chinese site, having trained under Chinese instructors and communicating in Mandarin while in orbit.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said the federal government is working to ensure access to essential healthcare services, including specialised cancer treatment facilities, across the country in collaboration with provincial governments and relevant local institutions. In his message on Breast Cancer Awareness Day, observed on October 19, the prime minister said Pakistan was joining the international community in raising a collective voice to address serious health challenges facing women, particularly breast cancer. “Today, on Breast Cancer Awareness Day, Pakistan joins the international community in raising a strong and collective voice to address the serious health challenges facing women, particularly breast cancer,” he said. He said breast cancer awareness, early detection, timely treatment and continuity of care were matters of profound concern for every nation that valued the health and lives of its daughters, mothers
and sisters. As part of concerted efforts to raise awareness about the disease, the prime minister said, a comprehensive strategy had been developed to promote early detection, ensure timely medical examinations, facilitate access to quality treatment and maintain continuity of care across the country. He emphasised that public awareness, a supportive environment and easy access to healthcare were crucial to ensuring women received the medical attention they needed without delay. Women living in rural and underprivileged areas, where access to healthcare facilities was often limited, deserved particular attention, he said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensuring that no Pakistani woman was deprived of timely and quality treatment because of her geographical location or financial circumstances. The prime minister appreciated the tireless efforts and dedicated services of Lady Health Workers in remote areas, saying their role was instrumental in extending healthcare services to women. He said their invaluable contributions de-
served the nation’s deepest appreciation and recognition. As part of breast cancer awareness initiatives, particular emphasis had been placed on training Lady Health Workers to educate women about breast self-examination, recognising symptoms, seeking timely medical advice and consulting appropriate healthcare facilities without delay, he said. He added that healthcare personnel at primary healthcare centres in both urban and rural areas were also receiving specialised training to strengthen their capacity for early breast cancer detection. The Federal Breast Cancer Screening Centre established at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) was providing free screening, diagnostic services and medicines, while ensuring the timely referral of suspected cases for further medical evaluation and treatment. The government was also taking steps to expand access to breast cancer screening through public health and social protection programmes and in collaboration with private organisations, the prime minister said.
Maldives President to visit Pakistan as both countries mark 60 years of ties ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
President of the Republic of Maldives Dr Mohamed Muizzu will undertake a three-day state visit to Pakistan from October 20 to 22 at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marking the first visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in a decade. President Muizzu will be accompanied by First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed and a high-level delegation comprising Cabinet ministers and senior officials, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office. During the visit, President Muizzu will meet the President of Pakistan, who will also host a state banquet in his honour. He will also hold restricted and delegationlevel talks with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral re-
lations and explore avenues for further strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, health, education, tourism, agriculture, defence, maritime security, climate change and people-to-people exchanges, the statement said. They will also exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest. As part of the visit, a Pakistan– Maldives Business Forum will be held to promote greater interaction between the business communities of the two countries and explore new opportunities for trade and investment. A number of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering diverse areas of bilateral cooperation are also expected to be signed during the visit, the statement added. The state visit assumes special significance as Pakistan and the Maldives commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations in 1966. The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan and the Maldives enjoyed warm and fraternal relations rooted in shared faith, mutual respect, longstanding goodwill and close cooperation at regional and international forums. The forthcoming visit reflects the shared commitment of the two countries to further strengthening their bilateral partnership and opening new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation, the spokesperson added. A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting to review preparations for the forthcoming visit of the Maldivian president to Pakistan. The meeting reviewed the bilateral agenda, with a particular focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, health, education, climate change, tourism and civil aviation, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release.
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President Asif Ali Zardari, Sunday, paid tribute to the martyrs of the Karsaz tragedy on its 19th anniversary, saying that their supreme sacrifices form a bright chapter in Pakistan’s national history. In his message commemorating the tragic anniversary, the president said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto remained steadfast despite grave threats to her life, adding her courage and ultimate sacrifice served as a guiding light for all champions of democracy, peace, and justice. “The sacrifices of the Karsaz martyrs will continue to serve as a perpetual source of inspiration for future generations in building a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Pakistan,” President Secretariat Media Wing in a press release, quoted the president as saying. He further emphasized that upholding the
supremacy of the constitution, ensuring the rule of the people, and safeguarding democratic values are the true embodiment of the sacrifices rendered by the Karsaz martyrs. President Zardari reiterated that these sacrifices further strengthened the nation’s resolve to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the country. The president prayed for the highest ranks of the martyrs in Jannah and for the grant of patience and fortitude to their bereaved families. Sindh CM pays tribute to Karsaz martyrs Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah while paying tribute to the martyrs of the Karsaz tragedy, said their sacrifices strengthened Pakistan’s democratic foundations. On October 18, 2007, streets of Karachi ground to a halt to welcome the return of Benazir Bhutto, after an eight-year self-imposed exile during which she lived in Dubai and London. Two explosions occurred in
front of the rallying truck, from which she greeted supporters and party members, about halfway from the airport to Quaid-e-Azam’s tomb, just after the truck crossed a bridge. In the terrorism incident around 180 workers of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) were martyred in the attack on the popular political leader of the country. In a statement marking October 18, the chief minister said the day served as a reminder of the enduring sacrifices made for democracy. He described the attack on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supporters who had gathered to welcome former prime minister Benazir Bhutto upon her return to Pakistan as a cowardly act. Murad Ali Shah said the martyrs of the Karsaz tragedy had written a new chapter of courage through their sacrifices. Despite the deadly explosions, PPP supporters risked their lives to protect Benazir Bhutto, he added. The chief minister said the sacrifices of
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‘Merely in Transit?: Kh Asif questions bureaucrats’ loyalty, alleges exodus to Portugal ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday questioned the commitment of senior bureaucrats to Pakistan, alleging that a significant number of government officers had planned to settle abroad while still serving the country, with Portugal emerging as a destination for what he described as a bureaucratic exodus in recent years. In a statement on X, Asif said that while Pakistan’s bureaucracy included capable and honest officers, many officials had made Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries their permanent homes over the past several years. He alleged that some officers had prepared for their relocation under a deliberate plan while employed by the Government of Pakistan, raising questions about their commitment to the country and their official responsibilities during their tenure. Asif said Portugal had emerged as a destination for what he described as a bureaucratic exodus in recent years, adding that he had raised the issue on social media a few months ago. The defence minister said the officers whose names had surfaced in connection with the matter had held important positions and remained close to successive governments. He further alleged that an individual who facilitated permanent residency (PR) arrangements had fled after collecting substantial sums of money from several influential bureaucrats. Asif said several troubling accounts were circulating in connection with the matter, although he did not provide details or identify the individuals allegedly involved. Questioning the commitment of senior officials who had occupied high offices and enjoyed the privileges and respect associated with public service, Asif asked whether their loyalty to Pakistan had remained beyond suspicion throughout their careers. He also questioned the conduct of officials who, he said, had enjoyed opportunities to accumulate wealth through both legitimate and illegitimate means while remaining favoured by politicians. “Does it rise above all doubt and suspicion, or are they merely in transit?” Asif asked, questioning whether such officials considered Pakistan their permanent home or merely a temporary stop before settling abroad. His remarks have renewed attention to questions surrounding the overseas settlement plans of serving and retired civil servants, particularly those who have held influential positions in the government. The allegations have not been independently verified, and Asif did not provide names or documentary evidence in his statement to substantiate the claims concerning Portugal’s residency arrangements.
Security forces kill eight militants in Balochistan operations QUETTA
STAFF REPORT
Security forces killed eight militants during separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan, the military said. The operations were carried out after intelligence indicated the presence of militants in the targeted areas. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, security personnel engaged the militants during the raids and killed eight of them. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the sites. The military described those killed as being backed by India, an allegation New Delhi has previously denied in relation to militancy in Balochistan. Security forces also launched sanitisation operations in the surrounding areas to search for any other militants who may have been present. Pakistan has stepped up intelligence-based operations in Balochistan amid repeated attacks targeting security personnel, civilians and infrastructure. The military said operations against militant groups would continue as part of efforts to maintain security in the province.
President Zardari pays tribute to Karsaz tragedy martyrs on 19th anniversary STAFF REPORT
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the martyrs would not go in vain and that the PPP remained committed to carrying forward its mission. He further stated that President
Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were continuing the democratic struggle initiated by the party’s martyrs.
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