S , I S R A E L I S T R I K E S K I L L 2 0 1 , I N J U R E 747
g A SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS HEARD AND AIR RAID SIRENS SOUNDED OVER JERUSALEM FOLLOWING IRAN’S DRONE ATTACKS g
g UNSC SCHEDULES MEETING AFTER RUSSIA AND CHINA REQUESTED AN EMERGENCY MEETING
s ta f f r e p o r t Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has strongly condemned what he described as unwarranted attacks against Iran during a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office the two leaders reviewed the evolving situation in Iran and the wider region amid heightened ten-
and partner strikes CENTCOM forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks CENTCOM said Iranian media, citing the Red Crescent, also said the US and Israeli attacks hit 24 provinces in Iran, killing 201 and injuring 747 Israel's military said its pilots had hit hundreds of targets throughout Iran including strategic
temporarily
We are going to our hometown in Yazd Tehran is not safe anymore, said Gholamreza, a Tehran shopkeeper and father of two "I am leaving everything behind in Tehran " Following US and Israeli strikes Iran retaliated
an Iranian missile as warning sirens sounded across the Gulf state The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Qatar ’s US-made Patriot interceptors downed the missile Qatar hosts the AlUdeid military base the largest U S military facility in the region Iran in a letter to the United Nations said all US and Israeli bases facilities and assets in the region are legitimate military targets In the same letter, Iran said it would continue to exercise its right of self defence “until the aggression ceases fully and unequivocally” Meanwhile The UAE said one person was killed by falling shrapnel following the Iranian missile attack The United Arab Emirates said it was targeted on Saturday by what it described as a blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles, adding that its air defence systems intercepted a number of them
The Defence Ministry said debris fell in a residential area of Abu Dhabi causing material damage and killing one person of Asian nationality Authorities said the security situation was under control and that all relevant agencies were monitoring developments around the clock
The ministry strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation” and a “cowardly act that threatens civilian safety and regional stability It said the strike was a clear violation of the UAE s sovereignty and international law
C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03
Competing with India
THE Federal Commerce Ministry has told the National Assembly Committee on Commerce that the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement does not pose an immediate risk to Pakistan s exports In a written brief submitted to the Committee the Ministry said Pakistan would continue to benefit from zero-duty access for key exports under the EU’s GSP+ scheme even after the EU-India FATA became operational It is a little troubling to see the mindset which insists on seeing India as some sort of threat or sole competitor, especially in the realm of business, especially commerce and trade
There are essentially two reasons for this First is the Indian attitude The EU first granted GSP+ status to Pakistan in January 2014 It has always been resented by India, which has actively lobbied the EU to rescind this status for Pakistan The fact remains that the EU is the largest export destination for Pakistan, receiving 28 percent of its exports Of the $9 01 billion of goods exported to it in FY 2025, 90 percent entered the EU at zero tariff under the GSP+ scheme This status will be unaffected by the FTA, and the EU does not offer any further concessions than the GSP+ It does mean that any tariff advantage that Pakistan had over India because of GSP+ will now be eliminated and Pakistani textiles in particular will now face that competition
The textile industry in earlier representations to the government, has mentioned high energy costs, taxation and financing constraints as existing challenges and has warned that improved market access for competitors may increase pressure on exporters In this context, the industry has also referred to the trade agreement between India and the USA India-centric policies should be eschewed especially in terms of trade and commerce However, it should be recognized that India has generally taken a hostile position against Pakistan, which has been especially the case under the BJP government However the government needs to rethink its over-dependence on textile exports, for those are the pillars on which Pakistan rests all its exports True that is the result of a natural competitive advantage, but more movement to value-addition and industrial innovation will be a more effective tool of competition than lobbying against the other The EU has granted Pakistan GSP+ status and India an FTA because of business reasons rather than because of political motives
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
more direct levers available to provincial authorities seeking measurable environmental improvement What distinguishes this initiative from earlier environmental commitments is its inward focus Rather than relying solely on regulation of private behaviour the government has chosen to reform its own operational practices Official vehicles operate daily across administrative, policing, health, and regulatory services often under heavy use conditions
HIGH in the mountains of Tirah Valley in District Khyber of KP, where the air is thin and snow blankets the valleys like a heavy unyielding shroud life is a daily struggle for survival For centuries the people here have adapted to harsh winters migrating to the plains of Peshawar, Kohat, and Hangu whenever snow renders their villages inaccessible Today however, the challenge they face is no longer only nature, it is the chronic failure of governance For the past 13 years the same political party has been ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promises of progress security and effective governance have filled every campaign speech yet time and again the people of Tirah Valley are left exposed When militants killed several soldiers in these rugged highlands, the victims’ bodies had to be carried down on mules, a grim reminder that state presence is largely symbolic here Local jirgas convening dozens of times in the past year have been forced to negotiate with insurgents because the government cannot enforce law and order The provincial government s attempts to address displacement reveal the same pattern: procedural paperwork, notifications, and press statements, but no
meaningful preparedness A notification dated 26 December 2025 claimed that displaced locals were being assisted with Rs 4 billion allocated for relief Yet, when severe snowstorms struck, residents endured extreme hardship without adequate shelter transportation or medical support Families huddled in temporary camps struggling to survive while government plans failed to materialize What compounds the tragedy is the political theatre surrounding these failures As the operation in Tirah Valley was being coordinated, the CM and senior ministers staged tours across Punjab and Sindh projecting an image of control while reality in the highlands was chaos Media coverage celebrated minor administrative gestures while the real struggles of the population and the threat of militants were obscured The result has been a region battered by snow, terror and neglect, with the government more concerned about optics than outcomes Worse still the provincial government has perfected the art of blame-shifting When relief fails when infrastructure remains absent when militants exploit governance vacuums the government points fingers elsewhere, claiming federal limitations, security agencies lapses, or natural disasters as excuses Accountability is rarely accepted, and corruption and inefficiency are quietly normalized In
Until state capacity in Tirah matches the complexity of its challenges, every notification, jirga or media statement will remain only part of the story, a story of missed opportunity and persistent vulnerability Tirah Valley deserves better Its people deserve leaders who prioritize human life over optics, who accept responsibility instead of shifting blame, and who recognize that governance is not a photo opportunity but a lifeline Until then, every storm, every displacement, and every threat will continue to expose the unpreparedness and incompetence of a government that has held power for too long and delivered too little
Their cumulative environmental footprint is substantial, yet rarely discussed in policy debates Converting even a portion of this fleet to electric or hybrid vehicles promises immediate emissions reductions while setting a visible precedent
From a policy design standpoint, the move aligns with international experience Jurisdictions that have successfully encouraged electric mobility adoption frequently began with public-sector fleets Government procurement provides guaranteed demand reduces market uncertainty and accelerates the development of supporting infrastructure such as charging stations and maintenance services Punjab s decision reflects an emerging recognition that markets respond not only to incentives, but also to institutional commitment Yet ambition alone does not ensure success Electric vehicles despite falling global prices continue to require higher upfront investment than conventional alternatives Provincial departments already operating under budgetary constraints may struggle to absorb these costs without centralized procurement mechanisms or targeted fiscal support Without careful coordination uneven adoption across departments could undermine the policy s coherence Infrastructure poses another challenge While urban centers may gradually develop charging networks, rural and semi-urban districts remain underserved Departments with extensive field operations including agriculture irrigation and revenue enforcement depend on long-distance travel and limited downtime making immediate electrification less feasible The credibility of the policy will therefore depend on clearly articulated exemptions, phased timelines, and operational flexibility rather than rigid enforcement There is also the broader question of environmental integrity Electric vehicles reduce tailpipe emissions but their overall sustainability depends on the energy mix that powers them and on battery lifecycle management Pakistan s electricity generation remains partially dependent on fossil fuels, complicating claims of zero-emission transport A comprehensive approach would require coordination between transport energy and environmental
authorities to ensure emissions are genuinely reduced rather than displaced Public response to the announcement reflects these complexities Editorial commentary has generally welcomed the decision as overdue while policy analysts have emphasized the need for transparency and data-driven implementation Television debates and social media discussions, though more polarized, have largely acknowledged that transport reform is unavoidable if air quality is to improve in Punjab’s urban centres There is also an important political dimension Environmental reform in Pakistan has often been framed as an elite concern disconnected from economic realities By targeting government fleets rather than private consumers, the Punjab administration has avoided immediate public resistance while establishing moral authority This sequencing matters It reinforces the principle that the state must first absorb the costs and inconveniences of transition before expecting compliance from citizens
The long-term impact of this decision will hinge on institutional follow-through Procurement rules must be formalized, monitoring systems established and performance data made publicly accessible Without such mechanisms there is a risk that the policy will remain symbolic or inconsistently applied Nonetheless, in a governance environment where environmental commitments frequently remain aspirational, this decision represents a meaningful shift It repositions the provincial government not only as a regulator but as an active participant in the transition toward cleaner mobility
Whether Punjab s electric turn becomes a durable model for other provinces will depend less on political messaging and more on implementation discipline For now, it stands as a rare example of environmental policy moving beyond intention toward institutional action
The writer is Director Institute of Physics Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan
The writer is Director, Institute of Physics, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and
Pakistan
Speed limits ignored
Dr MuhaMMaD Bilal Tahir
Dr Zafar Khan SafDar
Ta Muslim For the Pakistani policy makers, it is nothing short of a doomsday scenario in the post-1979 era The post-1979 era it is not a reference to the events in Iran or in Saudi Arabia; but to the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan in the aid of the beleaguered leftist government in Kabul under the presidentship of Hafeezullah Amin, replaced in the process by Babrak Karmal Despite the fact that at the time of creation of Pakistan in 1947 the issue of the Durand Line has been the cause of irritation between the two states Despite the fact that after Kabul university, the most preferred campus for Afghan students trying to make it big in their
lives had been the Peshawar University The who’s who of Afghan resistance against the Soviets as well as the leftist stalwarts like Najibullah all of them in one way or another have been to Pakistan for their studies
The 1979 events provided an opportunity for the strategic planners to find a common cause with a nation state, which the history tells did not recognize the state of Pakistan at its inception while another neighbour Iran recognized it right away The war in Afghanistan once over in 1989 after Soviet withdrawal, it was Pakistan which midwifed the creation of the Mujahideen government with different levels of participation from other stakeholder states like Saudi Arabia and Iran However it was known to all that Afghanistan is basically the Pakistani child
The formation of the first Mujahideen government under the late Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhan Uddin Rabbani and their quarrels with other Mujahideen outside the corridors of power rained the leftover ammunition from the 1979-1989 days on the Afghan civilians in the form of continued strife between the various factions As the narrative goes, the law and order situation deteriorated to such a point that Pakistan had to again step in in a covert manner and later own its creation
The emergence of Taliban or ‘students’ in 1994 and their gradual affinity with Pakistan was soon to be a secret which everyone knew! Those affiliated with news wires can recall that many times in the fight between the forces of Ahmad Shah Masoud and Taliban, mysterious jets would appear from nowhere and be observed bombing the
There is an inherent temptation among the better placed neighbours to tutor a weak neighbour beyond the prescribed limit; the Syria of the 1970s to 2005 was such an example in the context of Lebanon, much of the post-2003 Iraqi repulsion for Iran is the result of that; and even the new Bangladesh too accrues its new direction from its decades of experiences with India. For the state of Pakistan, mending fences still is the best option available with a realigned thought process
government forces Practically no one tried to investigate the origin of these jets ever The final showdown between the Ahmad Shah Masoud forces and the Taliban in November 1996 finally realized the secret wish of Pakistan, creation of strategic depth
A closer look at the concept points out that the concept of this depth was India-specific It was visualized that whenever Pakistan feels pressure along its Eastern borders the push towards the western borders especially Afghanistan would be a credible strategic asset
That aspect can be gauged from the developments in August 1998 when for the first time the USA confronted Osama Bin Laden and fired missiles on his hide outs A diplomatic cable datelined US Mission in Islamabad sent on 9 September 1998 did not hide the fact that the persons killed in US strikes on Al Qaeda hide outs included among others 20 Pakistani militants from an extremist organization having known enmity with Iran and the minority Muslim Shia sect in Pakistan
That aspect corroborated with the on ground situation then in Pakistan and clearly showed that the Pakistani law enforcement agencies allowed these outfits to cross over to Afghanistan in support of the Taliban government The same cozy sentiment between the militant outfits and Al Qaeda could be further authenticated in an account of the Jhang MP and politician in her own right Abida Hussain in her Book the Power Failure page 364, where when she tried to condole in February 1990 with a senior extremist leader ’s widow in Jhang over his assassination she was told by the widow that her brother Osama was taking good care and no one else needs to worry
The takeaway the reason a state or an emirate was the strategic depth for the nation state of Pakistan was enough to be given importance even if it meant creating fissures in the Pakistani society along dangerous lines
However fate had other plans The 9/11 hijackings their impact on Afghanistan courtesy Al Qaeda and the Pakistani turnabout, all combined to make Pakistan lose its strategic depth The 9/11 line up forced Pakistan to radically shift its stances to the point that it was forced by circumstances to undo whatever it had done painstakingly for decades to create goodwill in Afghanistan for Pakistan Despite the fact that Pakistan lost much of the goodwill by ditching its allies in the Afghan society and cooperating with its adversaries in the Afghan polity coyly under pressure from the Americans, it continued to accord Afghanistan an important part in its geopolitical calculations In 2021 when the Taliban under a tacit agreement with the USA returned to power
in Kabul Pakistan tried to act smart; in a way owning everything they did in Afghanistan The reason behind that was it never could get out of its mind that Afghan society could ever be lost to some other stakeholder However, regretfully the damage was done There has been general perception that the Northern Alliance was the only entity hand-in-glove with New Delhi A gradual opening up of the Taliban revealed that while they respected the Pakistani nation state, they wanted to go it alone when it came to courting other nation states and the Indians were no exception Whether one calls it an over possessiveness of the Pakistani state to anything Afghan or the Afghans
The final showdown between the Ahmad Shah Masoud forces and the Taliban in November 1996 finally realized the secret wish of Pakistan, creation of strategic depth
A closer look at the concept points out that the concept of this depth was India-specific
M admen Trump and Netanyahu set the Middle East on fire
Two Western leaders have launched yet another war on a Muslim countr y on dubious grounds, once again setting the region alight
Twar one far closer in scale to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 than to any limited or symbolic strike This escalation comes after weeks of diplomatic talks that, while slow, had been making incremental progress raising the inevitable question of whether war was the intention all along It also
The Iranian objective is clear: to raise the cost for the US and its allies of continuing this campaign, and to pressure regional actors to dissuade Trump from pursuing his regime-change project to the bitter end
Netanyahu vowed in a speech infused with biblical verses to pursue regime change in Iran
Trump-Netanyahu war aims to entrap Iranians into unconditional submission
Israel will not be satisfied with the total fragmentation and destruction of Iran Turkey and Pakistan are also on its targeted radar
as
The New York Times and the BBC will be the mouthpiece of the US, Israel and their European allies
Trump does not have the stamina for a prolonged war Israel has a much longer game to play to achieve its nightmare of G reater Israel
way or another, here are the four militant factors at work with the fate of more than 90 million human beings at stake The first factor is the unleashed power of the US military with Trump an unhinged commander-in-chief eager and willing to distract attention from his domestic (Epstein files), regional (adventurism in Venezuela, Cuba and Greenland) and global (China and Russia) fiascos He habitually lied when he staged a false negotiation with the Iranians to buy time to have enough military buildup to strike Iran effectively In the US, this is a widely unpopular war waged on Iran The singular task of the corporate media, led by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, is now to sell this war as "preemptive" They will fool no one The second factor is the Islamic Republic itself which faced nationwide protests in December and early January rooted in the deep economic crisis Iran has experienced for decades These economic troubles are
due to two complementary factors: internal state corruption and incompetence, and crippling external sanctions imposed by the US At stake however is the fragile and vulnerable lives of 90 million human beings trapped inside their own homeland A devastating battlefield of civil war and ethnic fragmentation of the country is in the offing
The Gulf region and beyond are now the theatre of this vicious and senseless aggression
ISRAEL: THE KILLING MACHINE
The third factor is Israel the most lethal killing machine in the region fresh from its merciless slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians, military strikes against Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran back in June 2025 Israel has multiple interests in this latest round of its relentless warmongering: distract attention from the global condemnation of its genocide and crimes against humanity in Palestine and expand its garrison state to gobble up the
to
abee, has just given it the green light to conquer the entire Middle East Equally important on Israel s agenda is the fragmentation of Iran into ethnic enclaves Israel will not be satisfied with the total fragmentation and destruction of Iran Turkey and Pakistan are also on its targeted radar The fourth factor is the delusional fascism of the remnant of the Pahlavi dynasty and their thugs and comprador intellectuals led by Reza Pahlavi who dream of reclaiming power almost half a century after Iranians put an end to their corrupt rule The Pahlavis have little to no popular base of their own in Iran Their fascistic thuggeries and their alliance with Israeli murderous warmongering are their signature trademarks on this battlefield These four forces will now dominate the news
‘VERY GOOD' TIES WITH PAKISTAN: TRUMP SAYS US WON'T INTERVENE IN ISL AMABAD-K ABUL CONFLICT
whether the United States would intervene Trump said he could step in but stressed that he has “very good relations” with Pakistan He talked highly of the Pakistani leadership
“Well, I would (intervene), but I get along with Pakistan, as you know very well Very very well You have a great Prime Minister you have a great general there and you have a great leader two of the people that I really respect a lot, he told reporters He further said he believes Pakistan is moving forward very strongly signalling that Washington does not intend to interfere The US said it supported Pakistan s right to defend itself against attacks from the Taliban regime after Islamabad said earlier that the neighbouring countries were in "open war "
Iran says senior leadership 'in per fec t health' af ter US -Israeli strikes
Senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and security chief
Larijani are in perfect health the semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Saturday The report dismissed Israeli claims that senior Iranian leaders had been successfully targeted in recent strikes While Israeli sources have claimed to have targeted and succeeded in attacking the president and senior Iranian leaders official sources within the country report that
UN chief says 'migration is not a crisis,' urges global cooperation
HAMILTON
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Friday to reject fear-driven narratives on migration stressing that "migration is not a crisis" and calling for stronger international cooperation to manage human mobility "Human mobility is profoundly shaping our world Guterres said during an address to the General Assembly on his report on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Yet instead of responding with cooperation the global reaction has too often been driven by fear, division, and rank opportunism," he said, warning that "across continents migrants are being instrumentalised to score political points with devastating human consequences " Guterres stressed that "migrants are not criminals They are victims adding that the real criminals are ruthless smuggling and trafficking networks " "They profit from despair, exploit the absence of safe alternatives and thrive when cooperation fails " he said emphasising that the networks must be pursued, prosecuted and brought to justice " Highlighting the growing restrictions on legal migration channels he said Safe and regular pathways are becoming ever more restrictive especially for families and low-wage workers who face the steepest barriers " "When pathways are blocked migrants do not disappear he added Guterres said that the crisis is the failure to manage it together" and outlined two priorities: "First, expanding and simplifying clear pathways of regular migration Second ensuring development cooperation that meaningfully invests in education, skills, and decent job creation in countries of origin" "Let us choose cooperation over chaos and dignity over discrimination
familiar with the matter An Israeli official was quoted as saying that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Pezeshkian were both targeted although the outcome of the strikes was unclear A source earlier told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran at the time
including MS MD MDS M Phil Ph D FCPS MCPS and diploma programs awarded by Pakistani universities institutions and the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) The Council deliberated extensively on cases involving qualifications obtained from training institutions not recognized under Section 25 of the PM&DC Act, 2022,
PAKISTAN, RUSSIA CALL FOR STRATEGIC RESET AS MOSCOW VISIT LOOMS
A K I S TA N and Russia have been urged to confront emerging geopolitical challenges, deepen mutual understanding and chart new pathways for sustainable bilateral cooperation as momentum builds ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif s expected visit to Moscow Speaking at a session titled The Perspectives on the Bilateral Relations Development between Russia and Pakistan” during the Pakistan-Russia Media
Forum, Dr Roxolana Zigon, head of the
Center of International and Strategic Studies at the
of World Civilization described the forum as a clear signal of expanding engagement between the two countries She noted that shifting global power dynamics have pushed Islamabad and Moscow to recognize converging strategic and geopolitical interests The forum she said is aimed at strengthening collaboration at multiple levels before the prime minister s Moscow trip Dr Zigon highlighted Pakistan s counterterrorism efforts, its measured handling of tensions
with India, and its attempt to assert
in with one wicket each Earlier, Pakistan’s decision to bat first paid off handsomely The newly formed opening pair of Farhan and Fakhar gave the team a fiery start putting together a record 176-run partnership
ISLAMABAD
s ta f f r e p o r t
observed that PakistanRussia ties have steadily improved since the early 2000s with both sides building trust and expanding cooperation in defense, energy and regional connectivity Sarwat Rauf, head of the Department
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) on Saturday firmly rejected claims that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in Afghanistan s Nangarhar province and that its pilot was captured, dismissing the reports as baseless rumours “amplified by Indian media”
In a statement issued through its official fact-check account on X the ministry said the allegations originated from officials of the Afghan Taliban and were subsequently amplified by Indian media outlets and Afghan propaganda platforms
“The Ministry of Defence of the socalled Islamic Emirate claimed that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in Nangarhar and captured its pilot alive, while Indian media and Afghan propaganda outlets widely amplified this unfounded claim,” the statement said adding that the narrative relied solely on assertions by Afghan officials and selective media amplification
The ministry said Pakistan s armed forces had not reported any aircraft loss, stressing that no independent interna-
of International Relations at NUML, described the current phase as a timely opportunity to consolidate gains despite geopolitical headwinds She underscored the role of academic and intellectual exchanges in strengthening long-term bilateral engagement Dr Syed Muhammad Ali, chairperson of the Council of Complaints, outlined emerging sectors for cooperation and stressed the need to cultivate deeper trust Identifying fourteen key challenges he proposed measures to address them while expressing optimism that Pakistan-Russia relations are poised for further growth
tional media outlet or defence monitor-
