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By our correspondent ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim countries have strongly condemned Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in Gaza. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar expressed deep concern over Israel’s actions. They criticized what they described as illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful sovereignty, entrenching settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. The ministers reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the Palestinian territories. They warned that the Israeli government’s continued expansionist policies and illegal measures in the West Bank…

By S.M. Inam World Bank President Ajay Banga’s recent remarks on Pakistan’s economic trajectory have cast a stark and urgent light on the country’s long-term challenges, highlighting a reality that many analysts have long feared but few have articulated with such clarity. Speaking with characteristic candor, Banga warned that unless Pakistan generates at least three million new jobs each year over the next decade, the country faces a convergence of pressures that could prove destabilizing. The growing youth population, he noted, is a double-edged sword: a demographic dividend if harnessed through employment and skill development, yet a potential source of…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi The nationwide strike called by opposition parties this week failed not because of government strength or coercion, but because of a profound and growing erosion of public trust. Across Pakistan, the streets remained largely silent, markets stayed open, and the wheel-jam protests that were supposed to paralyze daily life barely materialized. This muted response is not a reflection of indifference; it is the consequence of a deep disillusionment that has spread through every layer of the political landscape. Ordinary citizens no longer believe that politicians, judges, or institutions like the Election Commission act in the nation’s…

By Atiq Raja Steven Pinker’s When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows is deceptively simple in its premise, yet profoundly unsettling in its implications. On the surface, it is a book about psychology, language, and human behavior. Beneath that, it is a mirror reflecting the hidden dynamics of society, revealing how silence, acknowledgment, and shared awareness shape the world around us. At its core lies a deceptively straightforward idea: the gap between what people know privately and what they acknowledge publicly drives power, politeness, politics, and even injustice. Pinker begins with the concept of “common knowledge,” a term that carries more…

Negotiations over Pakistan’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup reached a tense and unusually high-stakes conclusion this week in Lahore, bringing together the International Cricket Council, the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board in a prolonged session that lasted more than five hours. Sources familiar with the talks suggest that a breakthrough could emerge within the next 24 hours, but the significance of the discussions extends far beyond the question of a single fixture. In many ways, what is unfolding in Lahore is as much about geopolitics and national pride as it is about the sport itself.…

By Uzma Ehtasham The fallout from the American withdrawal from Afghanistan continues to ripple across South Asia, and nowhere is its impact more immediate and alarming than in Pakistan. A recent CNN report paints a stark picture: modern weaponry left behind in Afghanistan is now in the hands of terrorist groups within Pakistan, fundamentally altering the landscape of militancy and counterterrorism. Rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and other sophisticated arms, initially supplied to support the Afghan military, were abandoned in vast quantities as US forces departed. Former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko estimates that roughly 300,000 modern…

PCB, ICC talks conclude; PM’s advice sought on India match After ICC request, PCB leadership was set to seek political clearance as Mohsin Naqvi planned consultations with PM Shehbaz over a sensitive international decision By Asghar Ali Mubarak LAHORE: A meeting between senior officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) was concluded in Lahore to discuss Pakistan’s decision to skip its T20 World Cup 2026 match against India. The board said that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam was also present at the meeting. Sources claimed that the possible breakthrough has been reached…

In what authorities in Pakistan described as a significant breakthrough, the alleged mastermind behind Friday’s devastating suicide bombing in Islamabad was taken into custody on Saturday, alongside a network of facilitators believed to have orchestrated the attack. The news came as a relief to many still reeling from the horror of one of the deadliest assaults the capital has seen in recent years. The bombing, which targeted an imambargah in the Tarlai area during prayers, left at least 33 people dead and scores more wounded, plunging the city into mourning and raising urgent questions about the protection of religious sites.…

By S.M. Inam Pakistan’s economy is navigating a precarious path, with debt obligations continuing to cast a long shadow over both defence and development spending. Data released on Friday by the Ministry of Finance reveals that in the first half of the current fiscal year, debt servicing consumed more than double the combined allocations for defence and the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), highlighting the persistent fiscal squeeze under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. Between July and December, the country’s accumulated public debt demanded Rs3,563 billion in interest payments alone. In contrast, allocations for defence stood at Rs1,044 billion…