https://ift.tt/GFgP6Z4

PAKISTAN has earned international appreciation and respect for its role in mediating between the US and Iran and helping them achieve a ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding that aims to pave the way for a lasting settlement. This kind of mediatory role finds no precedent in Pakistan’s diplomatic history. It has raised Pakistan’s global standing and boosted its international image.

The diplomatic achievement has sparked discussion in the country about the economic benefits Pakistan might gain. Certainly, economic opportunities that could open from these developments merit serious thinking and exploring. Also, if the war had not come to a negotiated end there would have been enormous pressure on Pakistan’s fragile economy from higher oil prices, disruption in energy supplies and uncertain remittances. This could have derailed its economic stabilisation efforts.

But there has also been a fair amount of wishful thinking about the economic dividends from Pakistan’s diplomacy. Some even compared the present moment to the situation after 9/11, when Pakistan became a front-line state in the war on terror and recipient of significant US financial and military assistance. This is a false parallel. There is no economic largesse on its way from Washington. Nor is there a rationale for one.

Yet old habits die hard. There is a long history of the country’s ruling elites seeking and earning geopolitical rents from its international alignments. This helped them keep the economy afloat while avoiding domestic economic reform and taxing themselves and their political base. It also encouraged an attitude that looked outside rather than within to address the country’s economic weaknesses. And it created an official mindset of relying on pay-offs, bailouts and other people’s money. This persists.

Pakistan’s destiny will be shaped by choices made at home, not by its external engagements.

Among exuberant statements from government officials, one that exemplifies unrealistic expectations is this. An official claimed “advancing stability abroad” had made Pakistan a “credible destination” for foreign investment. He didn’t explain why this was so when conditions in the country hadn’t changed. Another top minister declared that with diplomatic success the “sun of progress and prosperity” will soon rise over Pakistan. Trying to talk up confidence is one thing. But such hyperbolic statements are misplaced and misleading.

Instead of wishful talk about economic windfalls from diplomacy, energy is best spent on addressing the country’s political, economic and security challenges and fixing its structural problems. If the government can be a peacemaker abroad it should also make peace at home.

A peaceful political environment requires a truce between the government and opposition. Stability is not possible in a divided and polarised country. The principal opposition party represents a large section of society, governs a strategically important province and remains the most popular party in the country. Given Pakistan’s federal structure, inclusive governance is necessary. That means working with and not against opposition-run provinces. Repression, jailing opponents and handing down long prison sentences can neither eliminate the opposition nor create stability. Authoritarianism as a model for the hybrid government undermines democracy and impedes the country’s progress.

The internal security situation poses a serious threat despite sustained efforts by the army and law-enforcement personnel. The rise in militant violence across KP and Balochistan has not been contained. Last year was the deadliest in a decade for security forces. This demands a review of the government’s counter-insurgency strategy which still relies primarily on kinetic actions.

Balochistan presents a special case as the underlying sources of long-standing public disaffection have yet to be tackled. Insurgents must be isolated and the trust of the local community won. But in conflating terrorists with Baloch nationalists, branding every dissident group and leader as traitors and handing life sentences to dissidents, state policy contradicts the core principle of fighting militancy. That is not to multiply the number of adversaries. Law enforcement must be accompanied by efforts to win hearts and minds, not lose them. Seeking foreign investment becomes a fool’s errand when two provinces are insurgency-afflicted and the border with Afghanistan remains perpetually hot.

The most urgent task is the country’s economic recovery and revival. Without this, all else is in vain. IMF-backed stabilisation remains fragile. Stabilisation has also not transitioned to growth and investment. The country remains mired in a low-growth, low-investment, high-debt equilibrium trap. There is no escape from this unless structural issues are addressed. This means bold, wide-ranging reforms to deal with the sources of chronic internal and external financial imbalances, which trigger recurrent balance-of-payments crises and force Pakistan to become a serial borrower from the Fund. This is Pakistan’s 24th IMF programme.

Yet reforms to address the economy’s structural problems in the taxation system, expenditure outlays and energy sector are still not in place. Instead, the government continues to rely on bailouts and loan rollovers for economic management. That only meets debt liabilities. There are no net capital inflows.

Investment, including FDI, remains stagnant. The investment-to-GDP ratio is now lower than in previous years. Economic growth is stalled. Pakistan’s growth model isn’t working. Even the State Bank governor acknowledged this not long ago. The various stakeholders need to put their heads together to frame an economic plan to tackle, not postpone structural problems and evolve a new growth model.

What remains officially ignored are critical dimensions of human development and human welfare, whose indicators have deteriorated in recent years. The dismal state of literacy, education and healthcare as well as the rising level of poverty present a grim picture. That over 23 million school-age children have no access to school is a national scandal. The learning poverty rate is staggering at almost 80 per cent. This means children in school cannot read a simple sentence at age 10.

The prime minister has twice declared an education emergency but then done nothing. Literacy is stagnant with 37pc of our population still illiterate. No country can predicate economic progress on an illiterate base. The level of poverty at 30pc remains troubling. As do economic disparities, with real incomes of the bottom 70pc of people in steady decline since 2018.

Pakistan’s future hinges on fixing these econo­m­­ic and social issues. As well as its politics. The do­­­­m­estic agenda must take priority. The country’s destiny will be determined by choices made at home, not external factors or praise from abroad.

The writer is a former ambassador to the US, UK and UN.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2026

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/IXqTiJV

https://ift.tt/ertVgBZ

ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has announced an increase in toll tax on the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) by 7 per cent.

According to a notification issued on Saturday, the authority has raised its toll rates by 7pc for M-2 Motorway, and the revised toll rate shall be in effect till April 23, 2027.

The toll was raised under the concession agreement between NHA and Motorway Operations and Rehabilitation Engineering (Private) Limited (MORE), a subsidiary of Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). The organisation is responsible for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the M-2 Motorway.

The revised toll rates for vehicles travelling on the M-2 Motorway are as follows:

• Rs1,430 for cars, jeeps and taxis,
• Rs2,390 for wagons,
• Rs3,350 for coasters,
• Rs4,770 for buses,
• Rs6,210 for trucks (2- and 3-axle), and
• Rs7,980 for articulated trucks

The rates have been increased according to the per-kilometre charge.

On Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the operation of the NHA’s notification that imposed an additional 50pc toll on vehicles travelling on motorways without an M-Tag or with insufficient balance in their M-Tag accounts.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/K5bwI1h

https://ift.tt/2OE59ow

Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Ali Nasir Rizvi on Sunday said that the suspect who allegedly shot dead a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officer was arrested “within nine hours”.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the IG said the suspect was “arrested within nine hours” of the incident.

IG Rizvi noted that PAF Group Captain Asim Tariq tried to “save” a woman after witnessing an argument between her and the suspect, but the man opened fire, which struck the officer.

The IG highlighted that the group captain stopped the man when “he was trying to forcefully take the woman away with him”.

He hailed the martyred officer as a “true patriot and citizen of Pakistan”, who did what anyone else would have after witnessing such an incident with a woman.

IG Rizvi said the woman and the suspect used to work at a cash and carry outlet in G-6. The woman was a representative of a cosmetics company, while the man represented a brand of frozen food items.

The police chief said it was the third time that the suspect was giving the woman a ride to the store, adding that she was under the impression that he would take her to the same location.

“She did not know anything. She hadn’t even spent 10 days working there,” the IG said.

Narrating the turn of events, the IG said, “After picking her up today, Saad Abbasi wanted to take Nimrah to a park or some other location. The woman resisted, at which he had to stop the motorcycle […] at 9th Avenue.”

He added that an argument began between the two as the woman insisted on heading to her workplace for an inspection of her stall.

“The group captain was going for an official assignment towards Rawalpindi. When he was passing by there, he saw that a man was forcefully pulling a woman towards his bike,” he said.

The officer then took a U-turn, parked his vehicle next to the suspect’s vehicle, introduced himself and told the man to stay away from the woman.

IG Rizvi said the suspect moved his motorcycle forward but then “returned” and stopped “right next to the car”.

“He fired with the pistol he had, which hit the group captain and resulted in his martyrdom on the spot,” he said, recalling that the woman had already come to the left/passenger side of the vehicle.

The suspect then fled from the spot, the Islamabad IG said.

Tracing suspect ‘huge challenge’: IG

The police chief described the process of tracing the suspect as a “huge challenge” as the woman did not even know the suspect’s residential address.

He elaborated that 11 teams were constituted, including digital surveillance and Safe City camera teams.

IG Rizvi said the suspect was “so shrewd” that he changed his shirt, switched off his phone number and was trying to flee through the bus service.

“We observed 275 Safe City cameras and a number of private cameras and 137 CDRs (call detail records). We finally traced the suspect and came to know that the suspect had earlier done the same with another woman,” the IG said.

“Instead of coming to the police station, their families settled the matter mutually,” he stated about an incident when the suspect had taken a woman to Mianwali.

Noting that the suspect hailed from Abbottabad, he said 13 raids were carried out within Islamabad, while teams were also sent to Lahore, Dera Ismail Khan and other areas. He added that there were over 100 officers in the teams, who finally traced and apprehended the culprit.

The IG said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was supervising the entire operation and affirmed that all legal actions would be taken.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/gkGourD

https://ift.tt/Fj3LdkT

LONDON: Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned his probable successor, Andy Burnham, in an interview released on Saturday that he cannot ignore international turmoil and just concentrate on the country’s domestic problems.

In his first interview since announcing his resignation June 22, Starmer said his successor as leader of the ruling Labour Party could not spend less time on turbulent international affairs.

So far, Burnham, the former Manchester mayor, is the only candidate to take over the centre-left party. He could be in office by mid-July.

“Whoever’s my successor is going to face the same global conflict,” Starmer told the BBC. “We keep saying, and it’s true, we’re in a more dangerous and volatile world than we’ve been in for probably most of my lifetime. That’s not just a phrase; that’s reality.”

Burnham’s supporters have said he should put more focus on domestic issues, such as the cost of living and the decentralisation of government. But Starmer stressed that his successor would not be able to spend less time on dip­lo­­macy, noting the two areas are deeply connected.

“If you’re prime minister and you care what bills are going to be like in any household around the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution to the situation in Ukraine; you have to care about what happens in the Strait of Hormuz,” Starmer said.

In a social media question-and-answer session on Friday, Burnham said he would “100pc” give the same support to Ukraine as Starmer.

Starmer, who led Lab­o­ur to a win in the 2024 election, said he will rem­ain in parliament until the next vote.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/8gzMi1o

https://ift.tt/tsTnk3Q

Mourners and leaders from around the world, including Pakistan, gathered at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla to pay tribute to Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on Iran in February 2026.

The funeral ceremonies will pass through a series of locations — from the seat of power in Tehran to the holy cities of Qom, Karbala, Najaf and finally Mashhad — reflecting the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic republic.

His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, is taking place as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to halt the conflict.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/4ZKW7iF

https://ift.tt/M8JEO5m

MUZAFFARABAD: In a widely anticipated move, the PTI on Thursday announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general election, stating it would instead stand by the people amid the prevailing political and social unrest.

The announcement was made by PTI regional president and former AJK prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi through a statement shared with Dawn by his press secretary.

“Expressing unwavering solidarity with the aspirations, right to self-determination, and democratic rights of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the PTI has decided not to participate in the elections under the current circumstances,” Niazi said.

He said that the decision was not a political strategy, but a principled stance aimed at aligning with the public.

Regional president says party will stand with people amid prevailing political, social unrest

Pointing to the ongoing turmoil across the AJK, the former premier noted that thousands of citizens were staging sit-ins in Rawalakot and various other areas in pursuit of their demands. He lamented that several precious lives had already been lost due to the high-handedness and use of force by the government.

Furthermore, Niazi said that the suspension of food supply lines from Punjab to AJK had plunged the populace into severe economic distress.

“In such circumstances, instead of pushing the Kashmiri people towards further political instability, an immediate and just solution to their problems must be found,” he urged.

The PTI regional chief warned that the government’s current administrative measures were eroding AJK’s constitutional, democratic, and political identity. He cautioned that an environment was being engineered to blur the fundamental distinction between liberated and occupied territories of Jammu and Kashmir, a trajectory he described as deeply damaging to Pakistan’s Kashmir policy.

He said the electoral process completely loses its credibility and meaning when the public is out on the streets, representative voices are being muzzled, political workers and leaders face arrests, and strict curbs are placed on the media and freedom of expression.

“The PTI will not engage in the politics of power by ignoring the voice of the Kashmiri people,” he said, adding that his party’s topmost priority remained the protection of basic human rights and a justice-based political process.

Spelling out the party’s prerequisites for returning to the democratic process, Niazi said that the PTI would stay away from the polls until normalcy is restored, grievances of all political and public forces are genuinely addressed, and the issues raised by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) are resolved through mutual understanding.

He also demanded a revision of the election schedule to ensure a level playing field for all political parties.

He said the decision was entirely divorced from any calculations of political gain or loss. Rather, the focus of the PTI’s political campaign would be to struggle for the democratic rights of Kashmiris and advocate for a just settlement of the JAAC’s demands, he said.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/5QJczil

https://ift.tt/6NiBLtl

LAHORE: Police in the provincial capital on Thursday registered a case against five suspects on charges of kidnapping for ransom and sexually assaulting two foreign women.

The Police Emergency Helpline 15 received a call from Spain, made by the father of one of the women, reporting the incident.

The alleged victims, who are nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, had come to Pakistan to visit their ‘friends’.

DIG Faisal Kamran told Dawn that police acted accordingly, dispatched a team of senior officials, recovered the women, arrested four suspects and lodged an FIR.

He said the suspects had been tracked and apprehended with the help of the Punjab Safe City Authority’s cameras installed in the city.

The recovered foreign women were later produced before a judicial magistrate at Cantonment Courts to record their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

A women’s counsel for the victims was also present in the courtroom during the recording of their statements. The victims narrated the incident before the magistrate in a closed-door hearing.

“We took into confidence the Dutch Embassy officials and updated them about the criminal proceedings of the case, recovery of the victims”, the DIG said, adding that the travel documents were completed and the women would fly at the earliest from Pakistan.

He said a security guard had escaped from the scene, and police teams were trying to trace his location.

DIG Kamran said investigations were underway, adding that those who committed crimes against the women must be brought before a court of law and punished under the law of the land.

According to the FIR, the women were abducted by five suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality, who demanded ransom and subjected them to sexual assault during their captivity.

The suspects allegedly demanded $1.5 million in ransom before sexually assaulting them.

The Punjab government said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took immediate notice of the abduction of foreign women, following which Lahore police launched a swift operation and rescued the victims within two hours, arresting four suspects.

According to a handout, the chief minister directed the police to recover the women within two hours of being informed about the incident.

It said police immediately launched a rescue operation after receiving a report from the victim’s father.

It said the suspects were traced with the assistance of the Safe City Authority, leading to the recovery of the abducted women.

The rescued women underwent medical examinations, and further legal proceedings are under way in light of the available evidence, it added.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/hQJ6mV9