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By Atiq Raja There is a familiar reflex whenever organizations underperform or individuals fall short of expectations. We look for more effort, more motivation, more grit. We arrange training sessions, deliver stirring speeches, and urge people to “try harder”. Dan Heath’s Reset asks us to pause and consider a more uncomfortable possibility: that the problem is not the people at all, but the systems we have quietly accepted as normal. At its heart, Reset is a book about design rather than discipline. Heath argues, with disarming clarity, that most failures are not moral shortcomings or lapses of willpower. They are…

Prime minister briefed by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi on fraught ICC and Bangladesh talks, as Pakistan weighs diplomatic, sporting and political consequences of regional cricket negotiations By Asghar Ali Mubarak ISLAMABAD: In light of the outcomes of multilateral consultations, and following requests from friendly countries, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Pakistan national cricket team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Earlier, the Prime Minister was formally briefed by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, on the outcome of high-level discussions involving the PCB,…

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 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…

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…

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…