Author: Uzma Ehtasham

By Uzma Ehtasham Tarique Rahman was sworn in as Bangladesh’s prime minister on Tuesday, marking a dramatic political shift after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a commanding parliamentary majority. His ascent to office signals not merely a change of administration but a reordering of a political landscape unsettled by years of confrontation, protest and institutional strain. Rahman assumes leadership at a moment charged with expectation. Bangladesh, long lauded for steady economic growth and the dynamism of its garment exports, now finds itself seeking renewed political equilibrium and investor confidence. The symbolism of the swearing-in was unmistakable. Breaking with precedent, the…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: Karachi witnessed a significant display of solidarity with Iran on Tuesday, as religious scholars, political leaders, and representatives of Christian, Hindu, and Sikh communities joined prominent social figures in a mass rally expressing support for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and condemning recent threats from the United States. Following the demonstration, participants proceeded to the Iranian Consulate in Karachi, where they met with Iran’s Consul General, Akbar Eissa Zadeh. Addressing the gathering, Consul General Zadeh welcomed the attendees and praised their commitment, describing the rally as a “powerful symbol of unity and enduring harmony” between…

New initiative promises daily school meals for children and take-home rations for families, aiming to tackle hunger and improve nutrition nationwide By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: The Sindh government has entered into a landmark agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide free cooked meals to more than 200,000 pupils in 1,300 public primary schools across the province. The program, funded with $80 million through the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, aims to tackle widespread undernutrition while improving school attendance in some of Sindh’s most deprived communities. Under the initiative, children will receive daily…

By Uzma Ehtasham When Syed Asim Munir arrived in Bavaria between 12 and 14 February, he did so at a moment when the vocabulary of global politics had once again turned to war, deterrence and uneasy ceasefires. The annual Munich Security Conference has long functioned as a kind of diplomatic seismograph, registering the tremors of an unsettled international order. This year, with Ukraine grinding through another winter of conflict and the Middle East mired in violence, the atmosphere was predictably taut. For Pakistan’s army chief and chief of defence forces, attendance was not ceremonial. It was a calculated signal that…

By Uzma Ehtasham Bangladesh has spoken with unusual clarity. The sweeping victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has not only redrawn the country’s parliamentary arithmetic but has also altered the tenor of its politics. For a nation accustomed to prolonged periods of bitter rivalry between two dominant camps, this was no incremental adjustment. It was a rupture. With more than 200 seats secured by the BNP and its allies, and the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh emerging as the second largest bloc, voters delivered a verdict that resonated far beyond the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad. At the center of this political turn…

By Uzma Ehtasham Pakistan and Indonesia have taken significant strides to elevate their long-standing preferential trade agreement into a full-fledged economic partnership by 2027, signaling a deliberate effort to deepen ties that have historically rested on shared faith, culture, and historical connection. The announcement comes amid growing recognition in Islamabad and Jakarta that conventional trade frameworks, while useful, have often limited the potential of bilateral economic engagement. Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif underscored Pakistan’s commitment to this goal during a meeting with a five-member Indonesian delegation led by Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani, framing the dialogue as part of a broader…

By Uzma Ehtasham The prominence of Pakistani defence manufacturers at the World Defense Show in Riyadh is not simply a matter of display space or diplomatic choreography. It signals a deeper shift in how Pakistan is perceived within the global arms market – and perhaps more importantly, how it sees itself. The Riyadh exhibition, sprawling across some 900 stalls representing 80 countries, is a reminder of how crowded and unforgiving the international defence industry has become. Competition is no longer limited to a handful of traditional powers. Established Western producers, emerging Asian manufacturers and regional players now compete fiercely for…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: A ceremony to mark the 47th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution was held at the Iranian consulate in Karachi, drawing senior Pakistani officials, foreign diplomats and business leaders. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori attended as chief guest and was joined by PPP’s MNA Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Sindh government spokesperson Syeda Tahseen Abidi, and several consuls general based in Karachi, including representatives from Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Thailand, Afghanistan, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Turkey, Vietnam and Kuwait. Addressing the gathering, Iran’s Consul General in Karachi Akbar Eissa Zadeh welcomed the guests…

By Uzma Ehtasham The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has sounded the alarm once again over what it describes as a troubling rise in attacks against religious minorities in India, drawing attention to incidents that seem to test the boundaries of constitutional guarantees in the world’s largest democracy. In its latest report, the commission highlights what it considers an escalation in aggression targeting Christians, citing the alleged assault on a priest in Odisha as emblematic of a broader pattern. Beyond acts of violence, the commission notes detentions and harassment of minority community members under allegations of forced religious…

By Uzma Ehtasham The announcement of the first Gaza Peace Board meeting in Washington on 19 February has been framed as a diplomatic breakthrough, a moment when the international community, led by the United States under President Donald Trump, might finally begin to chart a way out of one of the most enduring and morally charged conflicts of our time. Pakistan’s expected participation, at either prime ministerial or deputy prime ministerial level, alongside confirmed attendance from Hungary and Romania, lends the gathering an appearance of global engagement. Yet history counsels caution. Middle East diplomacy is littered with conferences that generated…