Author: Uzma Ehtasham

By Uzma Ehtasham Karachi’s trajectory has become one of the most unsettling paradoxes in Pakistan’s urban story. It is a city expanding at a pace that outstrips most official projections, a commercial engine that continues to anchor national revenue, and yet a place where governance appears increasingly absent from daily life. As its population edges towards a scale that could soon rival the rest of Sindh combined, the question is no longer whether Karachi is growing, but whether the state has any meaningful capacity—or willingness—to govern what it has allowed to become its most indispensable yet most neglected metropolis. Across…

By Uzma Ehtasham The latest claims emerging from Iranian state media, suggesting that Tehran’s response to American proposals on ending the conflict has been transmitted via Pakistan, underline how diplomacy in the Middle East continues to rely on indirect channels at moments of acute tension. If accurate, the involvement of Islamabad is not incidental but illustrative of a longer pattern: when formal dialogue between adversaries collapses, intermediary states become the fragile scaffolding on which communication is tentatively rebuilt. At the heart of this episode lies an increasingly brittle exchange between Iran and the United States. The reported framework of discussion,…

By Uzma Ehtasham The latest engagement between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund arrives, as so often before, at a familiar intersection of urgency and unease. On one side sits a government still grappling with fragile macroeconomic stability, constrained fiscal space and a persistent external financing gap. On the other is an institution that has become an increasingly central architect of Pakistan’s economic policy direction, insisting on discipline, reform and price correction as preconditions for continued support. In its most recent assessment, the IMF has urged Pakistan to widen its tax net and press ahead with structural reforms that have…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: The Pakistan–ASEAN Economic Dialogue 2026 was held in Karachi under a framework aimed at strengthening economic engagement between Pakistan and Southeast Asian economies, with organizers describing it as part of broader efforts to deepen regional cooperation and trade linkages. The event was organized by the Pakistan–Malaysia Friendship Association (PMFA) in collaboration with the Consulate General of Malaysia in Karachi, bringing together diplomats, policymakers and business representatives to discuss emerging opportunities for economic collaboration between Pakistan and ASEAN member states. Director General Foreign Affairs Muhammad Irfan Soomro attended the dialogue as chief guest, where he also distributed…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told the provincial assembly that Pakistan’s armed forces deserve full tribute for their performance in recent regional tensions, while delivering a sharply worded critique of India. Presenting a resolution in the Sindh Assembly linked to what he described as “Operation Haq”, he praised the Pakistan Army and paid homage to martyrs, saying the house stands in solidarity with the country’s security forces. Referring to India’s nuclear history, he said New Delhi had conducted its first nuclear test in 1974 and a second in 1998, while accusing it of repeatedly engaging…

By Uzma Ehtasham In Pakistan’s official military and political discourse, the events of 10 May last year have increasingly been elevated beyond the immediacy of operational reporting into something closer to a defining national reference point. The day is now frequently described in official language as a moment of decisive confrontation, in which Pakistan’s armed forces are said to have successfully repelled Indian aggression through a combination of conventional military readiness, cyber capability and advanced technological systems. Within this framing, the narrative extends across multiple domains of modern warfare, suggesting disruption of adversary systems, neutralization of aerial assets and a…

By Uzma Ehtasham The Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has issued a stark message to India, saying that Pakistan is prepared for any form of confrontation, whether conventional or unconventional, and will respond with full force if challenged. He reiterated that Pakistan had been ready before and remains ready now, insisting that the country stands firm and would respond decisively to any threat. He also rejected what he described as India’s narrative on terrorism, arguing that Pakistan would defend its security “at any cost” and stressing that no one would be allowed…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: Senior figures from the University of Karachi’s Department of Persian Language and Grammar have met Iran’s consul general in Karachi, Akbar Isa Zadeh, in discussions focused on strengthening Persian studies and expanding academic ties between Pakistan and Iran. The meeting, held at the Iranian consulate in Karachi, brought together academics and diplomats who reviewed the historical role of Persian in South Asia’s education system and its continuing cultural significance. Participants from the university outlined the department’s current teaching activities and proposed new initiatives, including the introduction of additional courses aimed at encouraging wider uptake of Persian…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: Commemorations marking Victory Day were held on Friday as Russian diplomatic representatives in Karachi paid tribute to the sacrifices made during the second world war and reflected on the enduring significance of 9 May in global history. In a message issued on the occasion, Nikita Kosiakov, Vice Consul and Director of Russian Friendship House Karachi, extended greetings to those observing the anniversary, describing the day as a solemn reminder of courage, sacrifice and collective resilience in the fight against fascism. He said Victory Day remained one of the most significant moments in modern history. On 9…

By Uzma Ehtasham The deepening crisis in the Middle East has once again reminded the world how fragile international stability becomes when confrontation overtakes diplomacy. For weeks, the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran appeared to be moving steadily towards a dangerous and unpredictable phase. Military threats, strategic signaling and fears of direct confrontation had begun to dominate the global conversation, reviving memories of earlier conflicts that left the region fractured for decades. Yet amid the rhetoric of power and retaliation, there are now cautious indications that diplomacy, however fragile, may still prevent another catastrophic conflict from engulfing…