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- Makkah’s new security equation
- The high cost of endless war
- Polio, prejudice and political failure
- Pakistan, partners and perception
- The promise of independence
- Sindh governor looks to youth to lead future
- Maryam vows reforms to strengthen women’s rights
- Zardari calls for stronger Pakistan-UN partnership
Author: admin
The defence and strategic agreement concluded in Makkah between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye has attracted attention well beyond the three countries that signed it. That is itself an indication of its importance. In a region accustomed to military alliances, shifting partnerships and strategic rivalries, a new security arrangement is bound to be examined through the prism of the conflicts already shaping the Middle East. Yet the more important question is not whether the agreement will change the regional balance of power. It is whether it can help change the political habits that have kept the region trapped in insecurity…
By Dawood Khan Batozai For more than three decades, Pakistan has fought a disease that should have been consigned to history. Polio is preventable, the vaccine is inexpensive and effective, and repeated campaigns have brought the world close to eradication. Yet Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus continues to circulate. That failure is usually described in terms of missed children, refusals, insecurity and weak campaign performance. Those explanations matter, but they do not tell the whole story. The deeper problem is trust. Polio cannot be eradicated by vaccines alone when the communities that need them most…
By Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal Time is a stern teacher of nations. It changes the character of alliances, reshapes national priorities and repeatedly reminds states that geography is destiny only when political wisdom knows how to use it. Countries may differ in ideology, resources and ambitions, yet history repeatedly brings them to the same conclusion: in an uncertain world, security and prosperity are rarely achieved in isolation. Sixty-two years ago, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey confronted a similar question. In July 1964, the three regional members of the Central Treaty Organization established the Regional Cooperation for Development, or RCD, through the Istanbul…
By Abdul Rehman Patel Pakistan’s Independence Day is usually a time for flags, familiar speeches and memories of the sacrifices that accompanied the country’s birth. Yet as the country approaches its 79th year, August 14 should also be a moment of uncomfortable reflection. Independence gave Pakistan the right to determine its own future. The harder question is whether, after nearly eight decades, we have used that freedom wisely. The contrast with Singapore is instructive. When Singapore became independent in 1965, its future looked deeply uncertain. It was a small country with limited resources, unemployment and social tensions, and its first…
By Akhlaque Ahmad Chandio QAMBAR: Leaders of Islahi-ul-Fuqara Hussainia Naqshbandia have urged the divisional and district administrations to convene an urgent meeting on security and administrative arrangements ahead of Rabi-ul-Awwal. District president Maulana Ghulam Sarwar Soomro, general secretary Faqir Arshad Nazir Hussaini, vice-president Maulana Ghulam Mustafa Chandio, Maulana Abid Hussain Mugheri and Allah Dino Mugheri said Rabi-ul-Awwal was a sacred month for Muslims, during which religious gatherings, programs and processions were held. They said the district administration should have consulted religious scholars, community leaders and organizations in advance to finalize arrangements for the month. The leaders expressed concern over what…
There is something revealing about the way states behave when political relationships begin to change. Governments that once relied heavily on a particular leader rarely abandon that relationship overnight. They usually begin by protecting institutional links, maintaining discreet channels and testing whether old networks can survive under a new political order. This appears to be the question now hanging over India’s relationship with Bangladesh. The reported visit of the chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, R&AW, to Dhaka deserves attention for precisely this reason. The visit, reportedly made at the invitation of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence rather…
By Atiq Raja If Pakistan’s governance system has effectively failed, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently suggested, the answer cannot simply be to redraw the map. His call for more provinces or administrative units has opened an important debate, but Pakistan must first ask a more fundamental question: why does the existing state struggle to deliver? The argument for smaller provinces is not without merit. Pakistan’s administrative structure was designed for a very different country. Its population has grown beyond 250 million, cities have expanded dramatically, regional inequalities have deepened and the demands on government have become increasingly complex. Four…
By Dr Zawwar Hussain If Sindh is seen only through the Indus, the Thar Desert, Mohenjo Daro, Kot Diji Fort, the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Ajrak and the Sindhi Topi, much of the province’s character remains unseen. Sindh is not merely a repository of history and culture. It is a landscape in which rivers, deserts, forests, wetlands, agricultural plains, ancient settlements and wildlife exist in a remarkable geographical relationship. The Mehrano Wildlife Sanctuary in Khairpur Mirs is one of the clearest examples of this forgotten richness. Near Kot Diji, Mehrano brings together nature, history and generations of conservation.…
By Dr Shaikh Akram Ali Courage is one of the most important qualities a political leader can possess. It is not simply the willingness to confront danger. It is the moral strength to make difficult decisions, withstand pressure and remain committed to what is believed to be right. For nations facing uncertainty, this quality can be decisive. History repeatedly shows that countries rarely find their way through crises by avoiding difficult choices. They do so when their leaders remain calm, act with conviction and put national interests above political convenience. Bangladesh is now facing one of the most complicated moments…
