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• Thousands attend funeral prayers offered at Quetta’s Ayub Stadium amid strict security arrangements
• Koila Phatak, police stations, educational institutions renamed after martyrs
• Bugti reaffirms commitment to ensuring timely implementation of accord

QUETTA: The pol­icemen who were martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack were buried in their native towns on Saturday after their funeral prayers were offered at Ayub Stadium, Quetta, attended by thousands of people following the culmination of a 10-day-long sit-in by their relatives.

The sit-in committee agreed to call off the protest after a Friday-night agreement with the provincial government, in which all of their demands, including the call for a judicial probe, were accepted.

Besides other measures, the government also agreed to constitute a judicial commission to probe the attacks in Ziarat and Hanna Urak, in which a total of 32 people — 27 policemen in Ziarat and five civilians in Hanna Urak — were martyred.

Their bodies were brought to the stadium from the Shuhada-i-Ziarat Chowk (formerly Koila Phatak Chowk) for funeral prayers in a big procession. The funeral was attended by thousands of people, including politicians, provincial ministers, tribal elders, and the family members of the deceased, amid strict security arrangements. They were later sent to their native towns for burial with state honours.

The district administration deployed a heavy contingent of security forces, including police and the paramilitary forces, in and around the stadium. It also deployed snipers on the rooftops in the area.

The families of the slain policemen had been holding the sit-in at Koila Phatak since July 9, along with the bodies of the martyrs. It may be noted that 27 policemen were martyred in a terrorist attack on a police post in Ziarat on July 6: nine police personnel were killed on the spot, while 18 were killed by the terrorists after being kidnapped. The attack came a day after armed men attacked the Hanna Urak Valley area on the outskirts of Quetta, killing five people. In response to these attacks, security forces responded with a days-long clearance operation, named Operation Shaban, during which 91 terrorists were killed.

Police stations renamed

The Balochistan government started immediate implementation of the agreement’s provisions. As a “token of acknowledgement of the invaluable sacrifices” of the martyred policemen, it was decided to rename Koila Phatak Chowk as Shuhada-i-Ziarat Chowk with immediate effect, as per a July 17 notification that was issued right after the agreement.

Similarly, it was decided to rename government buildings, police stations, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities in the Ziarat district after the martyrs, who laid down their lives while performing duties in the fight against terrorism. In this regard, the principal secretary to the Balochistan chief minister directed the home, education and health departments to complete the process of renaming the relevant government institutions and obtain approval from the competent authority.

Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated that the government was ensuring full implementation of all commitments and provisions of the agreement made with the families of the martyrs. He said that the martyrs who sacrificed their lives “in defence of the country, for the establishment of peace, and for the protection of the lives and property of the people are a source of pride for the entire nation”.

“Naming public institutions after them is a meaningful tribute that will preserve their legacy and inspire future generations with their courage, dedication, and sense of duty,” he remarked.

The chief minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to honouring the martyrs and their families, promoting their welfare, and ensuring the timely implementation of all commitments made under the agreement.

On Friday, the Balochistan government accepted all demands of the protesters, including the formation of a judicial commission to probe both attacks.

The agreement was signed by Health Minister Bukhat Muhammad Kakar, while Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Secretary General Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal signed on behalf of the protesting families.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026

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England beat France 6-4 in a chaotic World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday as Kylian Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

Both teams had higher aspirations at the 2026 tournament but suffered painful semi-final exits — France were outplayed by Spain while England suffered a late collapse against Argentina.

Both coaches made multiple changes for the match in the oppressive heat of Miami, with a host of stars on the bench at the start.

England boss Thomas Tuchel left out Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham from his starting line-up while Deschamps, stepping down after 14 years at the helm, omitted Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice put England ahead with a goal from distance in the third minute and Ezri Konsa headed home to make it 2-0.

Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise were a threat as France searched for a way back into the game but they found England’s second-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson in top form.

The game threatened to become embarrassing for France when Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 after a swift break.

And it was 4-0 in first-half stoppage time when Saka scored his second goal of the game, celebrated with a fist pump by Tuchel.

France coach Didier Deschamps told French TV channel M6 that the first-half display had been “catastrophic”, urging his men to show pride.

He made four changes, bringing on Dembele, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne and Barcola and was rewarded almost instantly when Mbappe scored his ninth goal of the tournament to move clear of Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings.

The game had now totally changed complexion and Barcola pulled another goal back, with Deschamps clenching his fist on the bench.

Mbappe then netted his second of the game to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 22 goals — slotting home from Olise’s pass.

That put him two ahead of Messi in the race to finish as top scorer at the 2026 tournament.

France squandered several chances to equalise and England were handed a chance to extend their lead when Malo Gusto brought down Djed Spence in the penalty area.

Saka stepped up to the spot and converted to complete his hat-trick.

There was still time for Dembele to grab a fourth for France but Bellingham then strode forward to score the 10th goal of the match with an individual effort.

In doing so Bellingham became the first England player to score seven goals at a World Cup.

By finishing third, England secured their best result at a World Cup since winning the tournament in 1966, though they will carry bitter memories of their defeat by defending champions Argentina.

Deschamps led France to World Cup glory in 2018 and finished as runners-up four years ago.

Les Bleus were favourites to win the 2026 tournament after a sensational start but were well-beaten 2-0 by Spain in the semi-finals.

Three-time champions Argentina face European champions Spain in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.

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A 17-year-old Palestinian footballer died on Saturday, a week after he was shot during an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to officials and relatives.

Dozens of mourners dressed in black carried the body of Fadi Hamdallah al-Nassan — a player for Al-Mughayyir Club and a member of the Palestinian national youth team — from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to his village for burial.

The Palestine Football Association accused Israeli forces of shooting Nassan while settlers were attacking the village on July 11.

The young player was reportedly shot in the thigh during the attack. His leg was amputated, and he later died from his injuries, the association said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment Saturday.

“He loved football,” his father, Hamdallah Al-Nassan, told AFP.

“When the settlers attacked, he heard the screams of the girls and women,” he said. “He went to the scene of the attack and was killed.”

The teenager’s mother, Hanan al-Nassan, said her son was well-liked in the village.

“He was a good student, good in sports, and loved playing football.
Everyone loved him,” she said.

“May God accept him as a martyr.”

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported that Nassan was wounded and his leg amputated, adding that two other residents were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces, while a 10-year-old boy was hit on the head by a stun grenade.

Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the United Nations has reported a sharp increase in violence attributed to Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,088 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data.

Earlier this week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a budget of $434 million for establishing 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.

UN bodies, Palestinians and most countries view the settlements as illegal under international conventions and a primary obstacle to peace.

Smotrich , who has long opposed Palestinian statehood, is head of the Reli­gious Zionism party that draws much of its support from settlements and is running in the upcoming legislative election on Oct 27.

The planned settlements would bring the total established under his four-year tenure to 103.

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Spanish elan meets Argentinian steel in a historic World Cup final on Sunday which sees the reigning champions of Europe and South America battle for football’s ultimate prize.

Holders Argentina are bidding to become the first team in 64 years to successfully defend the title, in what is almost certainly the final World Cup match of captain Lionel Messi’s career.

Spain are aiming to thwart those ambitions by clinching the country’s second World Cup crown following their maiden victory in 2010.

US President Donald Trump will be among a star-studded crowd of just over 80,000 spectators at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford as the largest World Cup in history reaches its climax.

World Cup officials have said they are “monitoring closely” air quality from Canadian wildfires affecting the region around the final, which kicks off at 12am PST.

The final will also see an unprecedented 25-30 minute half-time interval for a Super Bowl-style concert featuring the likes of Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber.

But the real action will unfold on the pitch in a cross-continental clash of footballing titans that bristles with sub-plots.

At the centre of the drama will be Argentina’s Messi, the 39-year-old genius regarded by many as the greatest football player in history.

The veteran superstar will become only the second man ever to play in three World Cup finals, matching the achievement of Brazilian great Cafu in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Messi has enjoyed a vintage World Cup campaign and is on course for the Golden Boot after scoring eight goals in Argentina’s journey to the final.

Repeated escape acts

More significantly, the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner has repeatedly rescued Argentina at moments when they appeared headed for the exit.

Messi was the driving force of an incredible comeback victory over Egypt in the last 16, when the South Americans trailed 2-0 with 11 minutes to go before eventually winning 3-2.

He then provided two assists in a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 defeat of England in Wednesday’s semi-final in Atlanta.

That victory embodied Argentina’s dogged, never-say-die approach, a rugged resilience forged under head coach Lionel Scaloni.

Scaloni, who has led Argentina to back-to-back Copa America wins either side of a 2022 World Cup triumph, attributes his team’s success to fearlessness.

“This group is difficult to explain,” he said. “It is a show of the collectiveness, the brotherhood that we are in, the willingness to fight to the very end.

“I know the guys. They fear nothing.” Argentina’s astonishing fortitude is likely to face its most searching examination of the tournament in Sunday’s blockbuster.

Spain have gradually built momentum in the early rounds before arriving in the final with a magnificent performance to defeat favourites France 2-0 in the semi-finals.

That performance underscored the strengths of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad, who neutralised France’s potent attacking arsenal with their trademark brand of skilful possession-based football.

Spain’s superb midfield led by captain Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo ran rings around France, biding their time before carving the openings which led to the decisive goals.

Ring of steel

Behind them, Spain’s defence has been the best in the tournament, conceding just one goal with six clean sheets in seven matches.

Victory and another clean sheet on Sunday would see Spain set a record for the fewest goals ever conceded by a World Cup-winning team.

In attack, Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal could well prove decisive.

The 19-year-old Barcelona winger who was the star of Spain’s European Championship-winning campaign in Germany two years ago has not been at his electrifying best in this tournament as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.

But Yamal provided flashes of his brilliance in the semi-final defeat of France, winning the penalty that gave La Roja a crucial lead and having what would have been a superb third goal ruled out after a fractional offside decision.

Spain’s charismatic manager de la Fuente meanwhile will be facing a personal duel against a former student in Argentine counterpart Scaloni.

De la Fuente, 65, who took over as Spain coach in 2022 after a successful stint as youth team manager, mentored Scaloni when the Argentina coach was studying for his professional licence in 2018.

Scaloni, 48, who has strong personal and professional ties to Spain, where he lives, says he will put his friendship with de la Fuente on pause for Sunday’s final.

“He was my mentor, and he taught me everything I know and now we are facing each other in a final,” Scaloni said of de la Fuente.

“Everyone knows I live in Spain and have Spanish family. And I’m very, very sorry, but on Sunday I’m going to try to beat him. “

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France said Friday it was blocking access to the online prediction market Polymarket, as punters continued to make bets despite a ban already in place.

The national gaming authority ANJ said that Polymarket’s webpage would be blocked on French territory, which adds to a November 2024 ban on financial transactions to the site.

Polymarket is one of a number of online prediction markets which allow people to bet on the outcome of future events.

The ANJ said the site’s continued availability — where betting odds on different events are updated in real time — constituted advertising.

“Advertising, by any means whatsoever, in favour of an unauthorised betting or gambling site is a criminal offence,” the ANJ said, and noted the fines could reach 100,000 euros ($114,000).

The regulator said that despite the ban on transactions from French accounts, visits from French internet addresses to Polymarket’s site have been rising, hitting 578,751 last month.

The betting markets have caused a number of problems.

France’s weather agency, Meteo-France, filed a complaint in April after one of its weather probes was hacked in order to fix bets on Polymarkets.

A US soldier is facing federal charges for using classified information to bet on online prediction markets related to the US operation in January to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. He allegedly made more than $400,000.

The White House said Thursday a teleprompter operator had been suspended over allegations he placed bets with a prediction market on the content of US President Donald Trump’s speeches.

France is one of a number of European countries that restrict or block access to online prediction markets such as Germany, Italy and Spain, according to the ANJ.

France allows online sports betting.

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PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s assertion that agriculture and livestock hold the key to Pakistan’s quick economic revival is spot-on. The sector contributes almost a quarter of GDP, employs well over a third of the labour force and remains the largest source of livelihoods. Livestock alone accounts for more than 60pc of agriculture’s value addition, while Pakistan ranks among the world’s largest milk producers, and possesses considerable untapped potential in both milk and meat exports.

Few sectors offer comparable opportunities to generate growth, reduce poverty, improve food security and earn foreign exchange simultaneously. But the PM’s declaration that the economy can be revived within a year through agriculture highlights the gap between ambition and policy execution. The agricultural crisis has never been about the absence of potential. It is the consequence of decades of policy neglect and inconsistency, institutional decay and distorted incentives.

While successive governments have acknowledged the sector’s importance, budgetary allocations, research spending, extension services, water management, market reforms and investment priorities have not reflected that recognition. The current year’s federal and provincial budgets are no exception. Despite repeated references to economic transformation, agriculture barely figures in official priorities. This contradiction is becoming increasingly costly.

Pakistan now imports billions of dollars’ worth of food and raw materials for its textile and clothing industry, and its food exports have weakened over time. This is eroding precious foreign exchange at a time when the economy remains dependent on external financing. Rising production costs, unpredictable pricing, market manipulation, inadequate storage and weak value chains continue to undermine farmers’ incomes. Farmers are expected to increase production while bearing risks that neither markets nor public policy adequately mitigate.

Mr Sharif’s emphasis on technology, AI, disease control and value addition must be lauded. Yet technology cannot compensate for dysfunctional policy. Farmers will not invest simply because AI is introduced into agriculture if fertilisers remain expensive, energy costs continue to rise, water becomes increasingly scarce and markets fail to offer remunerative prices. With industry struggling and exports stagnating, agriculture remains one of the few sectors capable of driving inclusive growth.

But this demands actual reforms. It requires strengthening research, developing indigenous vaccines, improving traceability systems, correcting market distortions, expanding rural credit, investing in climate resilience, enhancing irrigation efficiency and creating incentives for private investment across agricultural value chains.

Every government promises to transform agriculture; few are willing to undertake the reforms needed to achieve that aim. Declarations that agriculture can revive the economy will remain aspirational so long as the authorities continue to avoid policy reforms.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026

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The recovery plan for war-battered Gaza, under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP), has been significantly scaled back and, instead of reconstructing the entire territory, now envisions a small pilot project in the south of the besieged territory, the British publication The Guardian reported on Thursday.

The board was initially proposed in September 2025 and formally established in January. Under its charter, the US government serves as its official depository and Trump has designated the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington as the Board’s headquarters.

A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November last year authorised the board, along with cooperating states, to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza following a ceasefire that began in October under a Trump-backed plan accepted by Israel and Hamas.

According to the publication, the new pilot project now aims to construct a small temporary camp for a fraction of Gaza’s population, with a Palestinian administration, police and a small contingent of the International Security Force (ISF).

The plan is not expected to take shape before the end of 2026.

However, some steps have been taken in recent weeks to initiate the process, the British publication said. It said some Moroccan and Kosovan officers had arrived in Israel to form the cadre of the ISF, which is intended to protect the pilot camp, while a logistics base is under construction near Kerem Shalom to house the force’s vehicles, equipment and other material.

Construction on the pilot camp, situated near Rafah, to house civilians has yet to begin. “Satellite images of the area show disturbed earth but no new structures. Substantial progress is not expected before Israel holds elections on 27 October, which could bring down Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government,” said The Guardian in its report.

An unnamed diplomat quoted in the report said that the BoP had “no choice but to make the most of very limited progress, as an admission of failure would open the way for extreme factions in the Israeli government with radically different plans for Gaza”.

“The aim is just to keep something going, keep the ball in play, because if you stop there are others with a more extreme agenda just waiting to jump in and take over, and they are talking about wholesale population transfer and colonisation,” the diplomat said.

There are growing concerns that Netanyahu, facing the prospect of electoral defeat, may launch another full-scale offensive in Gaza ahead of the October vote, the report added.

The publication’s report further added that Israeli officials have repeatedly suggested that a return to war is inevitable, citing Hamas’s refusal to disarm. Hamas, however, has said it is willing to lay down its weapons under certain conditions and participated in negotiations in Cairo over the weekend on possible disarmament mechanisms.

However, the Palestinian resistance group is unlikely to disarm as long as Israel keeps carrying out strikes in Gaza and continues to occupy large swathes of Gaza.

In January, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner pledged that aid access would be expanded and basic infrastructure, including water, sewage and electricity systems, hospitals and bakeries, would be restored across the Gaza Strip within 100 days.

The pilot camp outlined in the current blueprint would comprise portable cabins for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza and would be established in the buffer zone along the ceasefire line near Rafah, said the publication’s report, adding that the camp would be overseen by the ISF and a specially trained Palestinian police force.

“Preference for settlement in the pilot camp would be given to former residents of the Rafah area, but it is not clear what other criteria would be used in vetting Palestinians wanting to move there,” added The Guardian.

The report also touched upon funds for the reconstruction of Gaza, stating that very little of the $17bn originally pledged for Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza has actually materialised.

Pakistan is among the 14 countries that signed the charter of the Board of Peace on January 22 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, becoming a founding member of the body.

The list of founding members also includes Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, spanning the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caucasus.

The board was originally conceived to oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction of Gaza, but its charter expands its mandate to peace-building in all areas affected by or at risk of conflict.

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