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By Chirir Bloom (Nayat Karim) Motorcycles have become a fixture of daily life in Pakistan, offering an affordable and flexible way for millions to move through crowded streets and rural roads alike. In cities and villages, two-wheelers provide a lifeline for workers, students, and small business owners. Yet, while motorbikes have transformed mobility, their rapid proliferation carries consequences that extend far beyond mere convenience. Social, environmental, and governance challenges are mounting, leaving public safety, urban order, and health under sustained pressure. Across developing Asia, motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles dominate roadways, often accounting for up to 95 percent of registered vehicles.…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has recently drawn attention to the extraordinary sacrifices borne by the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, casting their resilience not merely as a provincial achievement but as a national asset that underscores the costs and responsibilities inherent in defending Pakistan. Speaking at a national workshop attended by officials and citizens from across the province, Sharif framed their struggle against terrorism as a testament to courage, endurance, and civic commitment. His remarks went beyond commendation; they were a reminder that national development is incomplete when the burdens of conflict and neglect are unevenly distributed across the country. Khyber…

By Uzma Ehtasham The fire that engulfed Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping mall on M.A. Jinnah Road is more than a local disaster; it is a stark reminder of the fragile safety net that governs urban life in Pakistan’s major cities. In the span of hours, what should have been a hub of commerce and community was reduced to rubble, claiming six lives, including that of a firefighter, and injuring twenty more, eleven critically. Fifty-eight individuals remain unaccounted for. Beyond the human toll, over 1,200 shops, and the livelihoods contained within them, were obliterated. The preliminary assessments, submitted to Sindh Chief…

By Atiq Raja In the autumn of 1917, a vessel bound for New York bore hundreds of souls seeking a better life, each carrying fragile dreams across the treacherous Atlantic. Among them was Antonio Russo, a 28-year-old Italian carpenter, alone with his five-year-old daughter, Maria. For Antonio, this journey was not a simple migration. It was the culmination of loss, hardship, and hope. Having lost his wife during childbirth and finding himself cornered by poverty, Antonio’s entire existence had narrowed to a single purpose: to secure a future for the little girl who had become his whole world. What transpired…

The army chief and chief of defence forces visited the National Police Academy in Islamabad, where he met officers of the Police Service of Pakistan By ISPR RAWALPINDI: Field Marshal Asim Munir said a professional, accountable and citizen-focused police force was essential to Pakistan’s internal security, describing law enforcement as a “sacred trust” and assuring officers of the armed forces’ full backing as they confronted evolving security challenges across the country. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army chief and chief of defence forces visited the National Police Academy in Islamabad, where he met officers…

By Uzma Ehtasham US president Donald Trump’s announcement of what he calls the second phase of his Gaza peace plan arrives wrapped in the familiar language of grandeur and self-congratulation. Yet before examining the details of this latest initiative, an awkward and unavoidable question demands an answer: what happened to the first phase? The ceasefire that Trump proudly claimed as a diplomatic achievement three months ago has never truly materialized. Instead, Gaza has remained under fire, with Israeli airstrikes continuing and Palestinian civilians paying the price. In this context, talk of a second phase feels less like progress and more…

By S.M. Inam An influential American journal rarely devotes sustained attention to south Asian water politics, let alone takes a position that aligns so clearly with Pakistan’s long-standing concerns. That is what makes the National Interest’s intervention on the Indus Waters Treaty both striking and consequential. Its warning that India’s actions could trigger a humanitarian crisis across south Asia forces an uncomfortable issue into the international spotlight: water, once a shared necessity governed by law, is being recast as a weapon of state policy. For more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty has survived wars, crises and diplomatic breakdowns…

By Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal In childhood, if we stepped out of the house for an errand and failed to return at the appointed hour, the entire household would sink into a quiet unease. Mothers would pace, fathers would cast repeated glances toward the gate, and when we finally returned—dusty and carefree—we were met with a barrage of questions that felt little short of a formal interrogation. Irritation often overcame us in those moments, only for a grandmother’s gentle yet resolute voice to remind us that one day we would understand it all ourselves. Time, as it invariably does, proved her…