“Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time shall not compromise on the safety and security of our citizens, which remains our top priority,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar emphasised on a social media post as he detailed how Pakistan’s security forces carried out a ground operation […]
Editorial
Executive Justice
The Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, 2026, seems to be already making headlines for the wrong reasons On Sunday, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan halted the passage of a bill that tends to grant sweeping powers to authorities to monitor and take preventive action against “habitual offenders” and individuals […]
New Weapons
Bannu division is now confronting a new and unsettling phase of militancy. According to police, more than 250 drone attacks have been foiled there during the last four months. Yet Sunday showed, once again, that even the best human defences can be caught off guard. In War Mamund tehsil of Bajaur, a quadcopter struck a […]
Iranian Oil
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has confirmed that Pakistan is considering cheaper oil and gas purchases from Iran, days after a temporary easing of US sanctions reopened a door kept shut for years. His assurance that the government is working to reduce fuel prices, and that “good times are coming now,” will be heard closely […]
Indian Proxies
“Our eastern neighbour, having suffered a humiliating defeat in the conflict in May last year, has increasingly resorted to covert tactics and the use of proxies in an attempt to undermine the hard-earned peace and stability in our country.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was not preaching to the choir at the Pakistan Naval Academy. His […]
Unfinished Fight
Pakistan is again being told that polio eradication is close. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Technical Advisory Group has set benchmarks running through 2026 and into 2027, while cautioning that fewer reported cases and fewer positive sewage samples should not be read as proof that the virus has been beaten. Pakistan has heard this before. […]
More Dividends
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Gulf tour has underscored how, while negotiating with Tehran, Washington, DC, is just as busy trying to convince Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, Kuwait and Muscat that the bargain will not be struck over Arab heads. Rubio’s message to the GCC capitals was deliberately precise: any final agreement must […]
Venezuela’s Warning
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast late on Wednesday, killing at least 164 people, injuring nearly 1,000 and bringing down buildings in and around Caracas, as authorities declared a state of emergency and warned that the toll could rise. By Thursday, it had. Rescue workers were still digging through collapsed homes and apartment blocks, […]
Flag Protocol
Before Pakistan and India met in the FIH Pro League, the Pakistan flag displayed during the anthem ceremony was wrong. The white stripe was missing. The match then went the way too many Pakistan hockey matches now go: India won 4-3, Pakistan fought late, and the result extended a losing streak to 13 matches and […]
War Powers
The United States Senate’s vote to restrain President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military action against Iran is unlikely, by itself, to end a war or settle a peace. That is not where its significance lies. The 50-48 vote is important because it has exposed what the White House would rather bury beneath the language […]