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Sunday, 16 August, 2026 | 2 Rabiul Awwal, 1448

Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 142 | 8 Pages | Lahore Edition

Nawaz urges PML-N, PPP to avoid PoLiticaL aNiMosity aMid aJK PoLL disPute g

PML-N SUPREMO SAYS POLITICAL DIFFERENCES SHOULD NOT TURN INTO HOSTILITY

MARYAM NAWAZ REJECTS PPP RIGGING ALLEGATIONS, URGES PARTY TO 'CONSIDER THE LOGIC'

MURREE

NAWAZ CALLS FOR DEVELOPMENT FOCUSED APPROACH TO ADDRESS AJK PUBLIC GRIEVANCES

PML-N SECURES 24 SEATS IN FIRST TWO PHASES AS PPP WINS 10 CONSTITUENCIES

MIAN ABRAR

ML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday called for restraint in political differences, warning that electoral rivalry should never develop into animosity, as tensions between the PML-N and its coalition partner PPP intensified over the conduct of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections. Addressing a party convention in Murree, Nawaz congratulated PML-N candidates who won seats in the AJK elections and expressed sympathy with those who were defeated. He said political disagreements were normal during elections but should not damage relations between political opponents. “There is always disagreement in politics, but it should not reach the point where it creates animosity,” he said, adding that such a situation was unacceptable. Nawaz said he was particularly concerned over complaints raised by the PPP regarding the elections. He maintained that the political atmosphere in AJK had traditionally remained peaceful and expressed regret over what he described as a growing sense of hostility. He said political parties should examine the reasons behind electoral defeats rather than allow differences to deepen. “We can lose seats, but we can-

not lose our spirit,” he said. The PML-N leader also urged the federal government to focus on addressing the grievances of the people of AJK, saying successive governments had failed to adequately meet the region’s development needs. He called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide maximum possible resources for development projects, including roads, hospitals, employment opportunities and tourism infrastructure. Nawaz also proposed extending development initiatives implemented in Punjab to AJK, including agricultural loans, housing finance, laptops for students and other welfare schemes.

Mir raza ali murder case: court directs investigators to complete probe until aug 24

“People need to feel that they are being granted their rights,” he said, stressing that the people of AJK should have access to facilities comparable to those available in Punjab. He said AJK had significant potential in tourism, agriculture and industry and called for greater investment to create jobs and improve livelihoods. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif rejected PPP allegations of rigging in the AJK elections, saying the party should consider the circumstances before making such claims. Speaking at the same convention, she questioned why the PPP had not raised allegations of rigging when it won

elections in Gilgit-Baltistan but made such claims after losing in AJK. Maryam also criticised the PPP's governance record in Sindh, arguing that the party could not credibly promise development in AJK when it had allegedly failed to provide comparable facilities to the people of Sindh. The AJK elections have been conducted in phases amid prolonged tensions in the region. The PML-N won 24 seats in the first two phases — nine from Mirpur division and 15 from Muzaffarabad division and refugee constituencies — while the PPP secured 10 seats. The third phase was affected by lawand-order concerns, with polling postponed in several constituencies. The remaining polling has taken place amid allegations by the PPP regarding the suspension of internet services, shortages of election material and staff, and inadequate security arrangements. A high-level PPP meeting subsequently described the elections as “rigged and violent” and questioned the role of the AJK Election Commission. The dispute has added strain to relations between the PML-N and PPP, which are coalition partners at the federal level. Nawaz's call for political restraint comes as both parties face pressure to resolve their differences while ensuring that the AJK electoral process and the region's development remain the focus of political engagement.

PM orders all-out resource mobilisation, closer provincial coordination for flood relief ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

KARACHI

STAFF REPORT

A judicial magistrate on Saturday granted investigators until August 24 to complete the probe into the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali after the investigating officer (IO) apprised the court that the inquiry had yet to be finalised. Ali, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Gulistan-e-Jauhar a day after he went missing on July 28. His father has maintained that his son was murdered and rejected suggestions that his death was a case of suicide. IO Siraj Lashari appeared before the East judicial magistrate and sought additional time to conclude the investigation and submit a report. The court accepted the request and directed investigators to present their findings at the next hearing on August 24. PFSA to analyse digital devices Investigation officials said that the committee also retrieved Ali's mobile phone and smartwatch from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The devices will now be sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) in Lahore for forensic examination. According to officials, the move comes after Ali's family expressed reservations about having the devices examined by the NCCIA and sought an independent forensic analysis. The officials added that additional evidence had been recovered from the crime scene; however, no further details were disclosed. Probe team expanded Investigators probing the death of the young businessman have expanded the inquiry committee, increasing the members from 7 to 9. The newly inducted members include the SHO of Shah Latif Town police station and a deputy superintendent of police (DSP).

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to maintain effective coordination with relevant provincial authorities and utilise all available resources to provide maximum assistance and relief to people affected by floods across the country. The prime minister issued the directives during a meeting with NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, who briefed him on the prevailing weather situation in the country, particularly the flood situation arising from monsoon rains, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the NDMA to maintain close and effective coordination with the relevant provincial authorities and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) to ensure an effective and coordinated response to the flood situation. He also directed the authority to utilise all available resources to extend maximum possible assistance and relief to flood-affected people across the country. The prime minister appreciated the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and modern technology at the National Emergencies Operations Centre, underscoring the importance of technology-driven mechanisms in monitoring emergencies and strengthening disaster response.

During the meeting, the NDMA chairman briefed the prime minister in detail on the prevailing weather and flood situation in the country in the wake of the monsoon season. He also apprised the prime minister of the ongoing relief operations in flood-affected areas and the measures being taken for the rehabilitation of affected people. Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said that, with the cooperation of the federal government, the NDMA would continue relief operations in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister stressed the need for continued coordination among the federal and provincial disaster management authorities to ensure that relief and assistance reached

affected populations effectively. PM saddened by loss of lives caused by earthquake in Indonesia Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of lives and widespread devastation caused by the earthquake in Indonesia. In a post on X, the prime minister said, “On behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences to President Prabowo Subianto, the people of Indonesia and the bereaved families. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.” “Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with the brotherly people of Indonesia and wishes strength and resilience to all those facing this difficult time,” he added.

KP rejects rs6.4b federal deduction from provincial transfers PESHAWAR

STAFF REPORT

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has rejected a federal proposal to deduct Rs6.4 billion at source from the province’s federal transfers, saying the move lacks constitutional, statutory, and provincial authorisation. According to official correspondence, the Finance Ministry on Aug 5 directed the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR), Peshawar, to deduct Rs6.4 billion from the province’s federal transfers for July 2026. The amount was to be adjusted in the accounts for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The KP Finance Department, however, subsequently wrote to the Accountant General KP, stating that the provincial government had neither approved nor signed any memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the federal government for the proposed arrangement. It said no budgetary allocation had been made for the amount in the provincial budget for 2026-27 and pointed out that the circulated MoU itself stipulated that no deduction would be made at source from the provincial share. The department maintained that Article 164 of the Constitution did not empower the federal government to unilaterally deduct funds constitutionally payable to a province. It argued that any deduction from KP’s constitutional fiscal entitlement required an explicit constitutional or statutory basis and could not be made through an executive or accounting instruction. The department also referred to a meeting chaired by the chief minister’s adviser on finance, attended by officials of the AG KP Office, where it was decided that no action would be taken without the provincial government’s concurrence. It therefore asked the AG KP and AGPR not to make any deduction, debit, adjustment or accounting entry against KP’s accounts unless expressly approved by the provincial government and backed by lawful constitutional or statutory authority. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the federal government had sought additional funds from KP and other provinces before the federal budget. He said he had agreed to provide the amount subject to two conditions. The first was a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and his approval, while the second involved granting the merged districts their constitutional and legitimate share under the 11th National Finance Commission. He said a six-month period had been proposed for the latter, failing which an ordinance would be issued under the 7th NFC framework.

Ji stages sit-ins outside governor, cM Houses against petrol price hike today LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday announced sit-ins outside the chief minister’s house in Lahore and governors’ houses in other provinces from August 16 (tomorrow) against the rising fuel prices. Speaking at a press conference at JI central headquarters in Mansoorah alongside JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and other party leaders, Rehman said the protest in Lahore would begin at 3pm from Masjid-e-Shuhada and proceed towards the Chief Minister’s House. Criticising the government over the rising cost of petroleum products, the JI chief claimed that the government had collected Rs1,567 billion from the public through petroleum levies, exceeding the amount envisaged under the International Monetary Fund programme. “We will not remain silent over this injustice,” Rehman said, announcing the launch of sitins from August 16. He said the party was deliberately not announcing an end date for the sit-ins, adding that the protests would

Army Chief pays tribute to veterans on Independence Day RAWALPINDI

STAFF REPORT

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Saturday hosted a reception for Pakistan Army veterans to mark the country’s 80th Independence Day, paying tribute to their decades of service and sacrifices in defence of the nation. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a large number of retired officers and soldiers attended the reception, where Field Marshal Munir acknowledged the veterans’ lifelong contributions to national defence and their continuing role in strengthening Pakistan’s resilience. The army chief said the veterans’ experience, guidance and continued engagement remained a valuable institutional asset, particularly as the country faced an increasingly complex and evolving security environment.

The veterans expressed confidence in the leadership of the Pakistan Army and reaffirmed their support for the armed forces in addressing emerging security challenges. They also pledged to continue contributing to national unity, peace, stability and prosperity. Separately, Field Marshal Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, on behalf of the Armed Forces, extended Independence Day greetings to the nation. In its message, ISPR paid tribute to Quaid-iAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding fathers and all those whose sacrifices transformed the struggle for freedom into the establishment of a sovereign Pakistan. The military leadership also acknowledged the sacrifices of the country’s martyrs, the services of veterans, the dedication of law-enforcement personnel and the contributions of citizens

who had served the nation. The ISPR said the courage and selfless service of these individuals had strengthened Pakistan’s resilience and helped safeguard its independence, security and national interests. Reaffirming their role as guardians of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Armed Forces vowed to defend Pakistan against all threats, uphold the Constitution and fulfil the trust placed in them by the people. The military leadership stressed that national unity and collective resolve remained Pakistan’s greatest strength, while emphasising the need to promote tolerance and strengthen social cohesion. “On this Independence Day, let us renew our commitment to the enduring principles of Faith, Unity and Discipline, strengthen national cohesion, promote tolerance and work together towards a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan,” the ISPR said.

02 NEWS

Sunday, 16 August, 2026 | LAHORE

Govt asks pharma industry to draft one-month roadmap for 2030 and beyond, sets siGhts on makinG pakistan a Global hub

PROFIT

NEWS DESK

AKISTAN's pharmaceutical exports reached a 20-year high of $457 million in FY2025, registering 34% growth, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said, calling on the industry to build on this momentum and work with the government to position Pakistan as a competitive, innovation-driven pharmaceutical hub. Iqbal chaired a roundtable conference with pharmaceutical industry experts and stakeholders in Islamabad, attended by Adviser to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan and Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal. The planning minister said the roundtable was designed to move beyond conventional consultation, bringing together government, industry, academia and research institutions to develop practical solutions for advancing Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector. Iqbal said Pakistan must move past incremental export growth, reiterating the national goal of surpassing $100 billion in exports by 2035. He asked the pharmaceutical industry to define its potential contribution to this target, identify its growth capacity, and pinpoint the regulatory, administrative, financing, production and market-access barriers holding it back from global markets. "The question is whether, in the next 10 years, we can make Pakistan a pharmaceutical hub of the world," he said, calling on the sector to build the missing links in domestic and international value chains so that "Made in Pakistan" becomes synonymous with quality and trust in global pharmaceutical markets.

As a concrete next step, Iqbal proposed that the industry conduct a onemonth internal consultation and workshop involving all relevant stakeholders to identify priorities, challenges and growth potential and produce a medium- to longterm roadmap extending to 2030 and beyond. The roadmap is to be developed in consultation with the Ministry of Planning and should outline the policies, reforms and government support needed for sustainable sector growth. "We will extend our full support to the pharmaceutical industry and work with you to identify what policy and institutional support is required from the government," Iqbal said, describing the government's role as facilitating the private sector and ensuring policy continuity to enable industries to grow and compete globally. The pharmaceutical sector posted Rs 523 billion in revenue in FY2025, up 19.4%, with 662 manufacturers currently in operation. The roadmap presented at the roundtable charts a progression from $457 million in FY2025 exports to a $2 billion industry target, followed by $3

billion through PharmEx within three years, and $10 billion within eight years. Iqbal said current export performance should serve as a launchpad for far greater ambitions, with industry expected to identify the steps needed to hit these targets. He stressed that international regulatory compliance and quality standards must be central to the sector's export strategy. Pakistan currently has access to 52 WHO Level 2 markets, with WHO Level 3 status targeted for April 2027 — a status that could open access to more than 150 markets. Eight Pakistani pharmaceutical companies already hold WHO, PIC/S or MHRA approvals, with another 10-15 expected to secure international approvals by 2028. The industry was asked to identify regulatory gaps that need addressing to help more Pakistani companies enter regulated international markets. The roundtable also flagged exportmarket concentration as a key challenge. Iqbal called for reducing import dependence and strengthening domestic phar-

maceutical capabilities, noting that around 85% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are imported, with China supplying roughly 85-90% of Pakistan's APIs. He urged greater focus on research, innovation, technology and higher-value manufacturing to strengthen the domestic value chain and capture more value from production. Iqbal called for stronger partnerships between universities, pharmacy departments, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies, noting that Pakistan has invested significantly in universities, laboratories and human resource development, but these capabilities need to be linked more directly to industry. Laboratories, he said, should generate new knowledge for Pakistan rather than serve only academic purposes. He also called for regulatory reform that ensures compliance and standards while facilitating industry growth, saying regulation should not function purely as an enforcement mechanism. Industry stakeholders were asked to identify regulatory and administrative hurdles restricting growth so the government could address them, with the goal of providing the industry a "clean runway" to expand its export efforts globally. Iqbal called on the pharmaceutical industry to respond with clear priorities, measurable export targets, identified bottlenecks and practical recommendations, while the government works to provide the necessary policy and institutional support. The proposed one-month consultation and 2030-and-beyond roadmap is intended to align industry priorities with government policy and support, building on the $457 million export milestone to help develop Pakistan into a competitive global pharmaceutical hub as part of the country's broader $100 billion-plus export ambition by 2035.

Short-term inflation rises 0.15% WoW, up 9.11% YoY PROFIT

NEWS DESK

fpCCi seeks demurrage exemption as 10-day transporters' strike cripples port operations PROFIT

NEWS DESK

Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has called for immediate financial relief for the business community, urging the government, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, port authorities and terminal operators to grant a complete exemption on demurrage and detention charges. FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh voiced deep concern over the escalating crisis stemming from the nationwide transporters' wheel-jam strike, now in its tenth day, with no resolution yet reached to the transporters' grievances. He said the prolonged strike is inflicting severe damage on the national economy, with freight forwarding at ports having come to a near standstill. As a result, imported goods remain stranded at ports, while timely delivery of critical export orders has become practically impossible. The disruption has triggered a critical shortage of raw materials, forcing industrial units to either significantly slow down operations or halt production altogether. Sheikh said traders and industrialists are bearing the brunt of the crisis, facing exorbitant financial losses from mounting demurrage and detention charges on stranded containers. He added that missed export deadlines are damaging the credibility of Pakistani exporters and harming the country's commercial reputation internationally. Calling the situation a rapidly growing economic impediment affecting importers, exporters, traders and consumers alike, Sheikh demanded that the government give due consideration to the transporters' legitimate grievances and take concrete, effective steps to end the strike without further delay. He stressed that swiftly restoring the supply chain is essential to resuming normal economic activity and avoiding further catastrophic losses for the country.

Short-term inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 0.15% for the week ended August 13, driven mainly by higher prices for onions, pulse gram and chicken, which increased 24.68%, 3.35% and 2.45%, respectively. According to SPI data released Friday, other items that saw price increases included LPG (0.67%), Lipton tea (0.63%), mustard oil (0.45%), curd (0.34%), pulse masoor (0.24%), garlic (0.22%) and washing soap (0.11%). On the other hand, notable declines were recorded in petrol (2.35%), tomatoes (1.26%), potatoes (0.73%), bananas (0.36%), pulse moong (0.35%), diesel (0.29%), pulse mash (0.27%),

eggs (0.19%), sugar (0.11%) and gur (0.10%). Of the 51 items tracked, prices of 20 items — accounting for 39.22% of the SPI basket — rose during the week, while 9 items, making up 17.65% of the basket, saw declines. Prices of the remaining 12 items, representing 43.13% of the basket, held steady. On a year-on-year basis, SPIbased inflation climbed 9.11%, driven by sharp increases in tomatoes (143.77%), onions (125.75%), wheat flour (77.41%), LPG (55.41%), diesel (34.05%), petrol (23.02%), bananas (17.65%), gents sponge chappal (16.69%), chilli powder (16.37%), mutton (15.98%), beef (13.42%) and plain bread (9.37%). Year-on-year declines were seen in potatoes (30%), sugar

(17.93%), chicken (17.45%), pulse gram (14.39%), salt powder pulse masoor (13.96%), (12.56%), eggs (11.70%) and pulse moong (5.89%). By income group, households earning up to Rs17,732 a month saw the sharpest weekly rise, with SPI up 0.46%, climbing from 347.11 to 348.71 points. The Rs17,733-22,888 bracket recorded a 0.37% increase, from 348.19 to 349.48 points. Households in the Rs22,88929,517 range saw a 0.28% rise, from 369.65 to 370.70 points, while the Rs29,518-44,175 bracket rose 0.22%, from 356.99 to 357.78 points. The highest income group, earning Rs44,175 and above, recorded the smallest increase at 0.04%, with SPI edging up from 357.16 to 357.31 points.

IT minister inaugurates National Cyber Security Operations Centre to bolster Pakistan's digital defence PROFIT

NEWS DESK

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday inaugurated the National Cyber Security Operations Centre (NCSOC) at National CERT, describing it as a major step toward strengthening Pakistan's cyber resilience, protecting critical infrastructure and safeguarding citizens' data. Speaking at the event, the minister paid tribute to Pakistan's founding and current leadership and congratulated the nation on Independence Day, calling the centre a new dimension of freedom and sovereignty in the digital age. Khawaja said cybersecurity must remain central to Pakistan's digital transformation as the country expands e-governance and citizen-centric services, noting that the NCSOC will enhance the country's ability to monitor, detect and respond to cyber threats in real time. "As we mark 79 years of independence, I am happy to inaugurate

riyadh air launches pakistan operations with inaugural flight to islamabad PROFIT

NEWS DESK

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new national carrier, has officially started operations in Pakistan with the arrival of its inaugural flight RX-660 from Riyadh at Islamabad International Airport on Friday evening, according to a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) statement. The flight arrived with 69 passengers and was greeted with a ceremonial water salute as it taxied toward the terminal, marking Riyadh Air's first-ever arrival in Pakistan, the PAA said. “We have officially landed in Pakistan. Our inaugural flight to Islamabad marks another milestone in our expansion, as we continue connecting Riyadh with key destinations around the world,” the airline said in a post on X. The airline is expected to operate seven flights a week between Riyadh and Islamabad, adding a new direct air link between the two countries. An inauguration ceremony was held at Islamabad International Airport by the PAA, with Saudi Ambassador H.E. Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki attending as chief guest, alongside DG PAA Air Vice Marshal Zeeshan Saeed, senior government officials and Riyadh Air's senior management. The Saudi Ambassador highlighted the significance of the inaugural service in strengthening the longstanding relations and air connectivity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. DG PAA Zeeshan Saeed welcomed the launch, noting the new route's role in enhancing connectivity, facilitating passenger movement and deepening cooperation in the aviation sector. The ceremony featured a ribbon-cutting and cakecutting to mark the occasion. Riyadh Air's senior management also outlined the airline's future expansion plans and growth potential in Pakistan.

dpm dar, finance minister aurangzeb, fbr chief langrial recommended for pakistan's top civil awards in 2026 PROFIT

NEWS DESK

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial have been recommended for one of Pakistan's highest civil awards under the proposed Civil Awards 2026 list. Dar and Aurangzeb have been nominated for the Nishan-i-Imtiaz, while Langrial has been recommended for the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, in recognition of their public service. The proposed list also includes Establishment and Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema and Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani for the Nishan-iImtiaz. Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal is also among other senior officials recommended for the Hilal-i-Imtiaz. The recommendations form part of the proposed Pakistan Civil Awards 2026 list and remain subject to formal approval before the awards are officially conferred.

pakistan, hong kong ink customs pact to boost intelligence sharing, curb suspicious consignments PROFIT

MONITORING REPORT

something that protects the digital half of that independence — the National Cyber Security Operations Centre," she said. Referring to the achievements of Marka-e-Haq, the minister said Pakistan's cyber defence capabilities remained actively engaged during a period of heightened threat, monitoring malicious activity, protecting critical information infrastructure and helping maintain continuity of essential digital services. She said the experience reinforced that national security now extends beyond physical borders

into the digital domain. "Independence in the digital age is not just about the services we put online. It is about our ability to defend them ourselves, with our own people, our own institutions and now, our own Operations Centre," she added. In his presentation, Dr Haider Abbas, Director General of National CERT, outlined Pakistan's progress in cybersecurity, citing the country's Tier-1, RoleModelling status in the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, alongside the Pakistan Information Security Framework 2026.

Customs authorities of Pakistan and Hong Kong have entered into a cooperative arrangement covering mutual administrative assistance, exchange of information, and surveillance of suspected consignments and persons. The pact also extends to joint enforcement of each side's customs regulations. The agreement was formalised through a virtual ceremony held at the Federal Board of Revenue's headquarters on Friday, co-chaired by Member Customs Operation Shakeel Shah. Once the signing concluded, the two sides exchanged copies of the instrument between the Head of Hong Kong Customs and Pakistan's Consul General in Hong Kong, completing the formal process. Under the new framework, both customs administrations gain a structured mechanism for closer collaboration and mutual support on customs-related matters.

Govt to set up Construction Industry Development Board, dedicated bank in sweeping reform push PROFIT

MONITORING REPORT

Pakistan is preparing to launch a Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) tasked with setting standards, ensuring quality and providing strategic direction for the country's construction sector, as authorities weigh a wider reform package that includes exploring a dedicated Construction Development Bank (CDB). The plan surfaced from a high-level session led by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Division Ahad Cheema, convened to review major regulatory, operational and financial changes needed in the sector. A statement issued Saturday said the

meeting drew Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Federal Secretary for Housing and Works Captain (R) Mahmood, the managing director of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), and senior representatives of the Construction Association of Pakistan (CAP), among other officials. Beyond the CIDB and the proposed CDB, the broader reform package being considered includes streamlining import and export rules and rolling out targeted tax measures for the sector. Cheema described the CIDB as serving two functions at once — driving the sector's overall growth while also regulating standards for contractors and consultants. Drawing members from both government and

industry, the board is meant to act as a single platform for raising the bar on national construction practices. He said the federal government and CAP were in full agreement on the necessity of setting up such a body, and that the proposed structure would soon be sent to the prime minister for sign-off. The minister added that the wider package aims to resolve financial and regulatory obstacles through customised tax breaks and better-aligned trade policy, with the goal of encouraging modern technology use and strengthening domestic construction capabilities. On infrastructure durability, Cheema announced the government's intention to nearly triple the standard Defect Liability Period (DLP) for public projects, from one

year to three, with plans to eventually push it to five years. He argued that public infrastructure should not degrade soon after being built, and that a longer liability window would push contractors and implementing agencies to maintain higher standards and avoid early deterioration. The minister also flagged a gap in the current accountability structure: while contractors already face penalties for defaults or subpar work, no similar mechanism exists to hold consultants responsible. Under the CIDB's proposed framework, consultants would be brought under direct regulatory oversight and made legally and financially answerable for flawed designs or technical mistakes, a step CAP representatives said they fully supported, calling it

necessary to safeguard design accuracy and protect public spending. Addressing separate concerns CAP had raised about difficulties in obtaining financial and performance guarantees from banks, along with its push for a specialised CDB, Cheema instructed Kayani to open formal talks with the State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Banks Association. He said any move toward establishing the bank would hinge on the feedback and feasibility assessment provided by those institutions. Cheema concluded that an independent board combining development and regulatory functions would strengthen accountability, simplify dispute resolution, and help bring Pakistan's construction standards in line with international benchmarks.

NEWS 03

Sunday, 16 August, 2026 | LAHORE

PUNJAB, SINDH BACKTRACK ON IMPORTED WHEAT AS CENTRE WEIGHS FINANCING 1 MILLION TONNES ALONE

PROFIT

STAFF REPORT

HEAT flour prices have surged 77.5% year-on-year, climbing to Rs132.5 per kilogram from Rs75, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, as a standoff between the federal government and two major provinces threatens to complicate Islamabad's plan to import a million tonnes of wheat. According to a report by The Express Tribune, Punjab and Sindh, the country's largest wheat-deficient provinces, have pulled back from committing to buy the imported grain, leaving the federal government to decide whether to fund the import alone from its own fiscal resources or scrap the plan entirely and risk a shortage. At steering committee meetings held on

August 9 and August 12, both provinces indicated they no longer wanted imported wheat, preferring supplies drawn from federal stocks instead, Tribune cited a senior official as saying. A cabinet member added that the provinces have now been given one final chance to firm up their demands and state clearly whether imported wheat is actually needed, since federal reserves alone cannot cover provincial requirements. Punjab's position shifted notably over recent weeks — the province initially committed to buying one million tonnes, then scaled that down to 800,000 tonnes, before ultimately telling a meeting chaired by Food Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain that it did not require imported wheat at all. Hussain asked for the statement in writing, so Punjab could not later blame the Centre for any resulting shortage or price

spike. The Punjab representative said the province was comfortably positioned after receiving 800,000 tonnes from federal stocks, including 533,000 tonnes still awaiting collection from Pakistan Agriculture Services and Storage Corporation (PASSCO) facilities, along with roughly 500,000 tonnes procured directly from farmers, against an original target of three million tonnes. Sindh followed a similar path. At a steering committee meeting on Wednesday chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, the province also expressed reluctance to accept imported wheat, despite having earlier requested 720,000 tonnes, of which 500,000 tonnes were to be imported. Dar's office issued a statement saying the committee had reaffirmed its decision to import one million tonnes to meet domestic needs, ease price pressure and provide relief

to the public. Prime Minister's Coordinator on Agriculture Ahmad Umair said the federal government retains final authority over how much wheat is released from its reserves, adding that the current plan is to distribute both local and imported wheat to provinces on a proportionate basis. A separate official noted that even if provinces decline imported wheat in favour of federal stocks, the government will still need to import grain to protect its strategic reserves. Not all provinces are on the same page. A Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa representative criticised Punjab's reversal, arguing that Punjab's earlier claims of shortage had driven prices higher and disadvantaged his province. KP has maintained its request for 200,000 tonnes of imported wheat in addi-

An Urdu socio-lingual dictionary and a book on baby-naming SYED AFSAR SAJID

The aforementioned two books have been published (2023/2026) from Karachi and Abbottabad respectively. The first relates to a scholarly lexical interpretation of idioms, proverbs, phrases, adages, and maxims extant in both spoken and written media of Urdu, in the backdrop of the evolutionary changes impacting the omnifarious notions of imperialism, colonialism, and gender differentiation. Baby-naming (baptism/christening) is the theme of the second book which is an exhaustive elaboration of the subject in simple, intelligible language. ‘URDU KI SAMAJI LUGHAT’ he book does not contain a customary catalogue. Its triangular categorisation comprises an erudite authorial foreword followed by an alphabetical description and evaluation of almost all conceivable denotive words, idioms, proverbs, phrases, adages, and maxims currently in use in the Urdu language, and a detailed bibliography. Peculiarly, the book is dedicated with a tinge of irony, to the upstarts sliding to regression. The author observes that it is a common belief that a language derives its force, fluidity, and felicity from the

wordage that its users employ in a given societal speech pattern. Maxims and idioms are essentially the product of centuries-old folk wisdom. In author’s opinion, a long-drawn autocratic despotism reigning over the globe caused the germination of certain adverse notions accruing from class distinction, racism, gender discrimination, and demeaning of manual labour and skills. The industrial revolution further aggravated the situation rather than defusing it. In the less developed regions of the world, the neo-colonial narrative derived its exploitative potential from a wilful manipulation of the linguistic formations or transmutations directed to seek a sheepish obeisance from the subjects. By composing the instant book, the author claims to have brought into focus the linguistic repertoire which in the common parlance is termed as the ruler’s narrative gradually evolving into a magnum common narrative. Words, phrases, idioms and maxims are arranged in the book in a neat alphabetical order in conjunction with their meanings and detailed explanations where necessary. Being an interesting research study on the given subject, it will surely add valuable information to the knowledge and conscious-

ness of the readers, both casual and focussed. ‘NAAM KYA RAKHEN’ It is an interesting but informative publication on an important domestic subject linked to the naming of children in our socio-cultural milieu. The instant work is a replica (second) edition of the original which was published in the year 1975. The author of the book is a celebrated teacher of English and a scion of a respectable family of litterateurs and cultural elite. Baby-naming is an important popular ritual in our traditional societal set-up. The book is meant to facilitate the Muslim households in the tedious exercise. An expansive variety of names have been listed in it to enable the beneficiaries to select a name of their choice and liking, for their kids. In his prefatory remarks on the book, eminent writer and scholar late Ashfaq Ahmad commended its contents and termed them as a valued specimen of the author’s creative as well as critical insights. At the same time he hoped that it will open new avenues for the connoisseurs of the art (of baby-naming). Late Bano Qudsia, another literary stalwart, in her remarks appreciated the

Balochistan govt to provide basic amenities to people at their doorstep: CM Bugti

NORTHERN DERA BUGTI STAFF REPORT

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, inspected ongoing development projects in Northern Dera Bugti and directed officials to accelerate work, ensure quality standards, and complete schemes within the stipulated timeframe. During the visit, the Deputy Commissioner of Dera Bugti and other district officers briefed the Chief Minister on various projects and the provision of basic facilities to the public. Bugti also visited the under-construction building of a unique educational institution aimed at providing highquality education to orphaned and underprivileged children from across Balochistan. He said education is the foundation of societal progress and the government is committed to offering modern learning opportunities to deprived segments of society.

The Chief Minister inspected a newly established sports ground, emphasizing that providing youth with healthy environments and opportunities for positive activities is among the government’s top priorities. He noted that the facility would enable young people to participate in inter-district competitions and showcase their talents. Sarfraz Bugti further said that the provincial government is utilizing all available resources to improve healthcare services, particularly in remote areas, ensuring citizens have access to quality facilities at their doorstep. He warned that substandard work in development schemes would not be tolerated, adding that strict action has already been taken against poor construction practices and will continue in the future. Highlighting the government’s achievements, he said record development projects have been initiated and completed across Balochistan, with the aim of delivering basic services to every region, eliminating backwardness, and ensuring equitable distribution of resources. He stressed that development should not remain confined to major cities but must extend to every tehsil and union council. Sarfraz Bugti also pointed out that the creation of new districts and divisions is part of the government’s mission to bring resources closer to the people. He noted that thousands of youth have already been provided employment opportunities in various government departments, while further initiatives are underway to expand access to education, skills, jobs, and sports. Accompanying the Chief Minister during the visit were Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan and Principal Secretary to the CM Imran Zarkoon.

tion to 200,000 tonnes of local supply. Provinces have been offered wheat at Rs4,150 per 40 kilograms — Rs650 above the rate paid to farmers. The government has already allocated one million tonnes of PASSCO wheat stocks on a proportionate basis, with Punjab receiving the largest share, followed by Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. To formalise the arrangement, the federal food ministry has drafted a Tripartite Agreement setting out the roles, responsibilities, financial terms and operational procedures governing the food ministry, provincial governments and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) under the Wheat Import Programme. The draft was circulated to provinces and TCP for feedback by August 8, but as of Thursday, no province had responded, officials said.

Grocery merchants reject 2% profit cap, demand 10% margin and open-market pricing PROFIT

STAFF REPORT

author for her emphasis on the significance of a name and its connection with the child’s person, psyche, character, and behaviour. She further observed that selection of name with its concurrent psycho-moral eudaemonia played a vital role in the doing or undoing of a child. At the end, author’s notes on the accord between names and dates of birth, digital value of a name and its bearing on the subject’s date of birth, the suitability of a colour within the purview of date of birth of a child, are especially revealing. The book is thus a worth reading stuff for its valuable content and resentation.

A fresh dispute has broken out between the Punjab Grocery Merchants Association (PGMA) and the provincial government over a fixed profit margin of just 2% per kilogramme on all grocery items, according to a news report. The association rejected the proposed margin of Rs2 per kilogramme, calling it "a drop in the ocean." Its central and divisional bodies also rejected the new deputy commissioner rate lists for major grocery items, including pulses, rice, ghee and cooking oil. The association has demanded that Punjab Price Control Committee Chairperson Salma Butt immediately convene a provincial-level meeting to address its concerns. It further called for retailers to be allowed a minimum profit margin of 10%, and for prices of pulses, rice, ghee, sugar, flour and white chickpeas to be fixed according to openmarket rates. Central Patron-in-Chief of the Grocery Merchants Association said the government had set the official price of gram lentils at Rs220 per kilogramme, even though the wholesale price stood at Rs260 per kilogramme. He questioned how a shopkeeper could sell gram lentils at Rs220 per kilogramme after buying them for Rs260, noting that transportation costs, loading and unloading labour, and shopping bag expenses must also be factored in, on top of the retailer's profit.

Mini Mazda Association ends strike after successful talks with govt ISLAMABAD INP

Transporters’ negotiations with the government proved successful on Saturday, leading both factions of the Mini Mazda Association to announce an end to their strike. The decision brought relief after five days of paralyzed goods movement across the country. With the

strike lifted, the “wheel jam” that had stalled supply chains has now started moving again. Fifteen goods transport organizations were part of the Transport Council Alliance that had joined the protest. Mini Mazda Association President Haji Sher Ali said the decision was taken “in the interest of the community, the country, and the public,” expressing hope that the government would honor its

promises. He cautioned, however, that if the agreement was not implemented, transporters would resume protests by parking trucks on roads. Sher Ali confirmed that all demands had been accepted, including the formation of a committee to review the controversial daily changes in diesel prices a mechanism that had triggered widespread resistance across the petroleum sector.

04 COMMENT

Human smuggling victims in Iraq and Pakistan

Trump’s takeover

Does Trump really mean to take over the Strait of Hormuz?

S President Donald Trump seems to have moved off into a reality of his own choosing, one where the US military is allpowerful and does his bidding. By saying that he will soon make it US territory, he now seems to be applying to the Strait of Hormuz the same principle that he applied to Canada and Greenland: what he wants, he gets. However, in the case of the Strait, there is even less of a case, desirable as that particular site might be. The USA does not want it because it is dependent on the oil that flows through it, but because that flow determines the global price of oil, and that price affects the US consumer. Mr Trump’s idea harks back to the worst days of European imperialism, when the Suez Canal was taken over by the UK and France, and they took over Egypt as a whole in the bargain. Or perhaps Mr Trump has in mind the way the USA took away the Panama Canal Zone from Panama, itself a former province of Colombia, whose breakaway the USA had itself instigated. The idea of a takeover is half-baked, for it does not rec ognise that Iran alone does not control the Strait. Indeed, Iran has alwys insisted that it wants joint control along with Oman, which has the other side of the Strait. Oman is a US ally, but then, Mr Trump made his Canada proposal even though the latter is an ally, as is Denmark, from which he wants tro snatch Greenland. Mr Trump must be told that just because a place is desirable either because of its location, or because of minerals it might have beneath its soil does not mean that it can be swallowed up. Mr Trump has held not factored in the possible Iranian reaction. It has refused to follow US wishes over its nuclear and missile programmes to the extent of accepting US and Israeli bombing, so it is that much more unlikely to accept any ceding of its soil. However, Mr Trump’s remarks are useful to the extent that they shoe what Mr Trump wants to happen, and also that the conflict is going to be pushed forward by the USA. A more charitable explanation is that it is another exhibition of the kind of empty braggadocio that the world has come to expect from Mr Trump.

A new fraud emerges

CHANGEZI SANDHU

UMAN smuggling or migrant smuggling is not a new phenomenon, however, its new extended dimensions in modern era have become more dangerous especially for the victims, who are not only victims to human smuggling but of other crimes too depending on unexpected and unforeseen aggravating circumstances such as exposure tp unsafe travel, fraud by agent regarding travelling and other plans, physical and sexual violence and much more. Human smuggling is defined as “Smuggling of migrants’ and means the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident in Article 3, paragraph (a) of Annex 3 of the “Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.” The UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons in 2010 was laid down in 64th Sessions of the UN General Assembly for eradication of the crime through well-coordinated cross-border efforts. This write-up unearths harsh violations of human rights being faced by more than 30 citizens of Pakistan in prisons of Iraq at the hands of an international human smuggling gang with the nexus of the police of Iraq, the jail administration and prosecution department of Iraq just for ransom. More than 20 entrapped Pakistanis have been

persecuted and detained in different jails of Iraq at the hands of an international human smuggling gang that is also being operated in Pakistan, Iran and Iraq as revealed by aggrieved families of 30+ victims. Families of these victims claim that an international human smuggling gang exists that consists of males and females who belong to Pakistan, Iran and Iraq. All members of the alleged gang work in connivance with each other for their ulterior motives. Members of the alleged gang who are citizens of Pakistan also have deep connections with unregistered travelling agents of Pakistan who are given the tasks to book and transport citizens from Pakistan after receiving money to send them illegally to Iraq through the route of Iran by the deception of lucrative job offers by charging Rs 1 to Rs 2 million for human smuggling, illegal travelling and jobs in Iraq. Later on, some of the victims travelled to Iran on the visas of Zayarat who were further sent to Iraq from Iran illegally through human smuggling. According to aggrieved families of human smuggling victims, those victims were given jobs for some weeks so they stayed and worked illegally on the whims and wishes of the gang or agent after reaching their ultimate destination in Iraq. After few weeks, members of the alleged international human smuggling gang who has Pakistami nationality raided with officials of Iraq’s police on the working places of the victims and shifted them to the gang’s private torture cell after their arrest. Victims were beaten after stripping their clothes and were tortured during online video calls with families of victims. Members of international human smuggling gang as well persons in police uniform urinated and put faeces in mouths of victims. Sadly, body parts, especially sexual parts of those victims, were given electric shocks, and maximum pain was given during video

The government must take up the matter at governmental level with the Governments of Iraq and Iran to stop human smuggling and take stern measures against the alleged international human smuggling gang by forming Joint Investigation6Team by adding members of investigative agencies of Iraq and Iran under article 19 of United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to investigate false and frivolous prosecution, especially confessional statements and misuse of lingual barrier in pre-trial and post trial proceedings. These victims must be repatriated

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

The Death of the Two-State Solution M. A. Niazi

Babar Nizami

Editor Pakistan Today

Editor Profit

The E1 Plan: De-Facto Annexation

MAJID NABI BURFAT

HE United Nations Security Council recently convened an emergency briefing on the situation in the Occupied West Bank. While global headlines remain disproportionately focused on the immediate tactical shifts across the broader Middle East, this emergency session highlighted a structural shift on the ground that threatens to permanently alter the region's geopolitical architecture: Israel's aggressive, accelerated expansion of illegal settlements, centered squarely on the infamous E1 Settlement Plan. The E1 project— short for East 1— is not merely another suburban housing development. Spanning roughly 12,000 dunams of Palestinian land between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, E1 is widely recognized by international observers and legal experts as a geographic death knell for Palestine. By populating this narrow land corridor with Israeli settlements, the Israeli government effectively severs the northern West Bank from its south. Crucially, it permanently isolates East Jerusalem— the designated capital of any viable Palestinian state— from its broader Arab hinterland. For decades, the strategic utility of the E1 Plan was well understood, which is precisely why previous international diplomacy placed a strict embargo on its construction. However, the political reality within Tel Aviv has shifted radically. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have explicitly discarded past diplomatic ambiguities. The approval of thousands of new settlement housing units within this vital corridor is no longer framed as security infrastructure; it is openly intended to prevent the contiguous spatial continuity required for a sovereign Palestinian state. In essence, it is the execution of a strategy aimed at burying the Two-State Solution once and for all. What makes this moment uniquely dangerous is the complete collapse of international legal enforcement. Last year’s New York Declaration— spearheaded by France and Saudi Arabia following the landmark International Court of Justice advisory opinion— reaffirmed that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is manifestly illegal under

international law. The declaration established a time-bound, multilateral framework to enforce international legal consensus and bring an end to the occupation. Yet Prime Minister Netanyahu’s abrupt and total defiance of these legal declarations highlights a grim dynamic: without binding sanctions, international law remains a paper tiger. Rather than scaling back operations, Israeli security forces and armed settler groups have escalated land seizures, forced evictions, and structural violence across the West Bank, accelerating a process of de facto annexation. This brings us to the crucial element of this geopolitical failure: the profound silence and diplomatic paralysis of the USA. Historically, Washington maintained that settlement expansion, particularly within the sensitive E1 corridor, constituted an unacceptable "red line" that undermined US diplomatic initiatives. Today, those red lines have faded into complete obsolescence. Despite brokering various ceasefire proposals and regional normalization frameworks, the US administration has proved entirely unable— or unwilling— to leverage its immense military and diplomatic leverage to enforce its own policies. By consistently shielding Israel at the Security Council and refusing to attach conditions to military assistance, Washington has effectively abdicated its role as a credible peace broker. This diplomatic impunity has emboldened the Israeli political establishment to dismantle the two-state architecture without fear of mean-

ingful diplomatic isolation. At the UNSC emergency session, representatives from across the global spectrum—including Pakistan, Palestine, the UK, and France— unanimously condemned these illegal expansions. Pakistan’s permanent representative rightly emphasized that international law must be strictly enforced and that a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, remains non-negotiable. Even traditional Western allies like France and the UK have signalled a willingness to explore targeted sanctions against violent settlers and commercial entities linked to illegal construction. However, rhetoric without enforcement is no longer a viable policy. The international community stands at a critical juncture. If the Security Council fails to move beyond symbolic statements and transition toward binding resolutions, trade restrictions, and diplomatic sanctions, the "Two-State Solution" will exist solely in academic journal articles and diplomatic communiqués. On the ground in the West Bank, the E1 Plan is physically dismantling the possibility of peace. The world must recognize that a stateless population permanently subjected to de facto annexation is a recipe for perpetual conflict, with consequences that will extend far beyond the borders of the Middle East. The writer is a freelance columnist

On the ground in the West Bank, the E1 Plan is physically dismantling the possibility of peace. The world must recognize that a stateless population permanently subjected to de facto annexation is a recipe for perpetual conflict, with consequences that will extend far beyond the borders of the Middle East

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Sunday, 16 August, 2026

calls with family members of victims for extortion from parents in order to get their victims released. Some alleged videos show that the male organ of a victim was cut by the alleged gang when his family refused to pay ransom. The alleged gang demanded $5000 to #10,000 from families of the victims for their release from torture cells. The victims were forced through severe physical and mental torture to sign on confessional statements in case of non-payment of ransom in torture cells and police stations to ensure conviction as revenge for non-payment. As per sources and interviews of the families of victims, those victims, whose families did not pay ransom to the alleged human smuggling gang, were booked in false and frivolous criminal cases of visa fraud, illegal stay, working without work permit, scuffling, theft, kidnapping based on concocted stories, to ensure the conviction without opportunity of fair trial which is violation of the rights which have been protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other legal instruments of United Nations for dispensation of justice. By considering the said facts and circumstances regarding grave violations of human rights, the government of Pakistan must conduct inquiry into the allegations leveled at the alleged international human smuggling gang, the police of Iraq and its jail administration regarding entrapment, torture and implication of Pakistan’s youngsters in fake and frivolous cases, conviction through managed prosecution. It should also take up the matter at governmental level with the Governments of Iraq and Iran to stop human smuggling and take stern measures against the alleged international human smuggling gang by forming Joint Investigation6Team by adding members of investigative agencies of Iraq and Iran under article 19 of United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to investigate false and frivolous prosecution, especially confessional statements and misuse of lingual barrier in pre-trial and post trial proceedings. These victims must be repatriated. The writer is rendering pro bono legal services in the cases of human smuggling as a lawyer ND a Co-Chairman of International Human Rights Committee of Lahore High Court Bar Association

Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Brains in bureaucracy

There are fewer than 10,000 people in Pakistan who hold PhD degrees — an alarmingly low number in a population of nearly 247 million. This highlights the country’s lack of emphasis on growth based on research and knowledge. If Pakistan aspires to build a knowledge economy, prioritising higher education and advanced research are imperative. The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) is said to be planning extensive civil service reforms. This is the right time to ensure the representation of highly qualified professionals, including PhD holders, in Pakistan’s civil service. Traditionally, civil servants retire with only a bachelor’s or master’s degree, which limits innovative policymaking. Recruiting PhD holders into the civil service would encourage more individuals to pursue advanced studies, thereby fostering nationwide intellectual growth. Incorporating PhD holders into government departments can enhance governance, improve decision-making, and develop well-researched solutions to the pressing challenges various sectors have been faced with. Their expertise can drive progress in economic planning, technological advancement, as well as social development. For Pakistan to compete globally and strengthen its institutions, it must embrace a research-driven culture. The inclusion of highly qualified professionals in the civil service will be a concrete step towards better governance, which is, indeed, essential for the country’s future. NABEEL BADR ISLAMABAD

Borrowed strength

IN the wake of recent Pakistani success over India in the limited armed conflict, social discussion invariably veers towards China’s help. Although some quarters would like to attribute Pakistan’s success to indigenous effort only, it is universally known that both Pakistan and India fought with fighter jets and other war machinery bought from third countries; France and China, basically. The mainstay of Pakistan’s air attack was a combination of Chinesemade J-10Cs, JF-17s, drones and missiles. There is no doubt that China helped us in the limited war, much more than it has ever helped us in all our previous wars and skirmishes with India. On some occasions, the Chinese had, in fact, plainly advised Pakistan to avoid going to war with India. This time it was different. Whatever the official position may be, the man on the street is very proud of the help that China provided in the war, and is certain that a new normal, in the shape of an all-out Chinese help, has been established. People seem to have taken it for granted that the same level of help, if not more and beyond, would be available in all future conflicts with India. However, when it comes to international relations, history tells us that there are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests. So, the million-dollar question that begs an answer is: will China be as helpful in a future conflict as it was this time? Will the emerging sense of Chinese assertiveness in the region guarantee similar support to us in the future? It will be prudent that as a nuclear power, we develop our capacity to deal with any foreign aggression on our own instead of depending solely on any foreign power. AKBAR JAN MARWAT ISLAMABAD

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Recuperating from the Rout: Iran core leadership asserts itself Sunday, 16 August, 2026

Reformists on the back foot NAQI AKBAR

HE last few days’ body language and appointments by the recuperating Supreme Leader of the world’s only theocratic republic Iran, Mujtaba Khamenei, definitely sets the tone for the coming months and weeks and might be the way the Persian Gulf conflict is likely to settle and deescalate. What started as calls for regime change on the back of alleged civilian massacres in the fall of 2025, then the issue of how a nuclear Iran has to be disarmed; has finally been restricted to how to stabilize the Brent benchmark. Despite the assertions that the Hormuz Strait is not that important an energy lifeline, the fact remains that many of the stances taken at the White House have been either strategic bluffs or clumsy ways to stabilize the oil prices. These strategic bluffs coupled with overtures from the reform camp in Tehran have been the source of many a market stabilization during the last five months. However, what seems to be changing now is that the notes between the US administration, the reformist administration and the regional negotiators are not matching. Towards the dates, which denote the annual Shia pilgrimage of Arbaeen, the 40th day commemorations at the grave of Imam Hussain, the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in Iraq, there have been so-called credible news leakages that Iranians are likely to be again visiting Islamabad to what the over-enthusiastic Pakistani Foreign Office might be speculating as resumptions of talks on the June MoU. Even US President Donald Trump seemed to be in agreement with the Pakistani Foreign Office. However, the person

who did not agree with the whole environment, not on his own, but due to the fact that things were not in his hand, was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. While many establishment-linked Pakistani X handles were optimistic about Araghchi being in Islamabad, on the contrary X published many of his videos of him preparing for the devotional walk from Hazrat Ali’s shrine in Najaf to that of Imam Hussain in Karbala. The reasons for that reformist volte face lay in the movements along the leadership fault lines. Soon after the late supreme leader’s funeral, the leadership council termed the MoU as null. That was followed in the last week by the key appointments made by the current supreme leader in the IRGC and the regular army, the ‘Artesh’. The appointments were more or less routine in nature, but the appointment of the 1980-88 Iran Iraq war veteran Mohsen Rezaee as Secretary of the National Security Council was the signal that the reformist hold on negotiations, if not totally diminished, was on hold at least. The reasons for that emanate from few developments spread over the two years period, the receding of the war like situation and the physical change in the leadership. To begin with the late supreme leader was accommodative to the reformist president. At least on two occasions during the Gaza conflict the Iranian state failed to act against the IDF on the single premise that the reformist president vetoed the Iranian response. That same accommodation continued during the run up to the June 2025 limited war, when the supreme leader gave a relatively free hand to the foreign minister. That free hand actually resulted in an out-of-the-blue strike on the IRGC and the Iranian nuclear scientists resource. In the backdrop of the protest movement in the month of December 2025, which was followed by renewed talks on a new JCPPOA, the free hand to the foreign

It will be an education for the students of geopolitics as to how the functional supreme leader is able to steer Iran from a position where it looks like it is desperate for a deal with the one, where pne is ready to play with the adversary, until the desired outcome is realized

minister and the president was retained. This time the accommodation resulted in greater devastation. The supreme leader and the radical cream of the society were relentlessly killed by the IDF and CENTCOM. 40 days into the war, with the supreme leader not in a position to effectively make his presence felt, the reformist group along with the like-minded speaker of the parliament started negotiations about which the initial impression among the people on the street was that Iran was giving in more than it was getting. It was not before the finalization of the MoU between the USA and Iran, when the new supreme leader made his presence felt with a statement that he was accommodating the MoU on the basis of the assurances given by the President. That accommodation was a radical departure from how the late supreme leader used to listen to the reformist bloc and even allow them the freedom of action. The MoU episode, the supreme leader’s conditional support and the return of the radical vanguard all indicate that now there is a generational transition for the Iranian corridors of power. Initially the change of mood might only be visible in the context of the JCPOA or the United States MoU file, but later it is expected to escalate into other spheres of the management of the society as well as polity. Given the developments of the last few days, it is a foregone conclusion that there is no ‘free lunch’ for the reform bloc now on. Despite the fact that the foreign office might be trying to be relevant through con-

trolled leakages from the “Pakistani sources”, the opening salvo by Mohsen Rezaee in his conversation with the Chinese delegation tells all. Iran might not be offering any more accommodation to the US or the US-backed negotiation team, best personified by the Pakistani foreign office. There might not be a radical shift to the war-like situation, but now expecting accommodation as before will be hard to accrue in the first place and secondly, the foreign minister in Iran will have to go an extra mile to recreate the situations witnessed before. Toward that end, the stalemate is likely to prolong with the USA. Even if the administration in between the Americans and Iranians is reformist, their ability to bypass the new supreme leader is diminishing with every passing day. It needs to be understood that generational changes in nationss built on a narrative are very much guided by who is in charge. The leader of the revolution was assertive and the president during the Iran-Iraq years was shown the door without any second thoughts. During the decades of the elder Khamenei, many presidents despite being not very much in line with the dictates of the nation state were not only tolerated but given a relatively free hand. It has been a general impression on the Iranian street that late the Ali Khamenei has been a meek supreme leader given the Persian nickname of ‘Mazloom’, wronged, by even his subordinates. The opening salvo by his son, Mujtaba seems to set the pattern. It will be interesting to observe how the current engagement between the USA and Iran, whose pace

Jason Arday was a victim of the worst kind of media pile-on The former Cambridge professor suffered a relentless campaign of coverage against him. His death should teach us an important lesson about keeping a sense of proportion and plain humanity

PROSPECT MAGAZINE ALAN RUSBRIDGER

O a certain breed of British journalist, the Jason Arday story was irresistible catnip. He seemed to be the living, breathing proof that wokery was destroying our most august universities. Time for a pile-on. And now Professor Arday is no longer living or breathing. Death by a thousand headlines. Time to move on. It was, in Fleet Street terms, exhilarating fun while it lasted. Torrents of verbiage cascaded from the pens of those who couldn’t believe their luck. A young academic who’d been given a prestigious Cambridge professorship turned out to be a probable plagiarist and something of a fabulist. And he was black! There you are. In a single person you had the proof that our higher education system is biased towards minorities. His chequered life and writings conclusively exposed a two-tier system of promotion in higher education. Arday had been the poster boy for DEI… and now he was proof that academia is a conspiracy against the public. To one Telegraph columnist, he was “a symptom of Labour’s war on academic excellence” (though his questionable appointment happened under Rishi Sunak). Arday was, as the headline on a Spectator column by Toby Young—a Conservative peer—sniggered, “the gift that keeps giving.” Among those apparently enjoying a good laugh was Dr Nathan Cofnas, the sleuth who claimed the credit for unmasking Arday. Five days ago, he shared an at times gleeful YouTube conversation with David Starkey, the TV historian whose own Cambridge career had come to a shuddering halt six years ago when he pronounced that slavery was

not genocide because of the survival of “so many damn blacks”. It was a meeting of discarded souls. Cofnas related at some length how he had himself lost his role at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, earlier this year after publishing a long, rambling blog post in which he opined that Harvard would have virtually no Black professors if they were appointed purely on merit. Black people are, genetically speaking, too stupid, apparently. “The reason we are both grinning is that we are enjoying vengeance,” chortled Starkey at the top of the programme. “Good. honest, straightforward, and Christian vengeance … we can rejoice together.” Cofnas pronounced that “Sophocles himself could not have come up with a more appropriate person to break this story than me.” You may think that Dr Cofnas’s own troubled history is every bit as intriguing as Professor Arday’s. How on earth did Cambridge give this oddball “racial realist”—whose own work had been comprehensively trashed by more senior colleagues two years previously—a plum role as a junior research fellow? But no one was very interested in that question. Fleet Street in full pursuit can only manage one narrative at a time. And this one was surely about woke professors so blinded by an academic’s blackness that they didn’t spot the warning signs. It could only be because DEI policies (promoting diversity, equality and inclusion) were rampantly out of control. This was certainly Cofnas’s own take on Arday’s appointment—“just another DEI hire,” he told Starkey dismissively. “In a meritocracy,” he wrote in February 2024, “Harvard faculty would be recruited from the best of the best students, which means the number of black professors would approach 0%.” He went further: without wokeism “[b]lacks would disappear from almost all highprofile positions outside of sports and entertainment.” Quite the statement. Cofnas had his association with Emmanuel College terminated—“they kicked me out!” he protested. A few people tried to turn it into a free speech on campus issue. Virtually no one defended his work or his views. But Cofnas, unlike Arday, was not used as a case history to illustrate broader questions about the calibre of academics who are offered juicy roles at this most prestigious of

universities. Cofnas had been banging on about what he calls “racial realism” for a few years, and questions had certainly been raised about the quality of his own thinking. In 2019, he had published a long paper in the journal Philosophical Psychology which was roundly denounced by nine tenured professors, who compared his ideas to anti-vaxxers, creationists and climate change deniers. It was “lamentable when these ideas seep into academic journals, where they certainly do not belong”, they wrote. The academics added: “Although we cannot know for a fact whether Cofnas’s contribution was inspired by ulterior ideological motives, it is undeniable that his article can reasonably be read as pandering to proponents of scientific racism. These strands of society obviously enjoy it when scholarly forums publish work that in some way legitimises their harmful ideas.” If these academics are to be believed, then, Cambridge recruited someone who, two years earlier, had been accused of promoting “unintelligible, wrong-headed …nonsensical ideas”. But, anyway, it seems that no one cared very much about that and there were no calls for an independent inquiry into whether the Cofnas appointment tells us disturbing truths about Cambridge’s hiring processes. Different story with Arday. The cases are, of course, not directly comparable. Cofnas’s role was much more junior, and there is no claim that he plagiarised or fabricated material. But it is striking how many commentators immediately leapt on the Arday “scandal” which Cofnas claimed to expose as symbolic of so much that is wrong with woke institutions that sign up to DEI policies. The question is whether there is any evidence to support the proposition. If Cambridge is, indeed, now a citadel of wokery, you’d expect the appointments and admissions data to show a pattern. But it’s hard to find. Last year, just 75 of Cambridge’s 6,180 academics identified as black, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Apart from Arday, there were just five black professors, or 0.4 per cent of Cambridge’s rank of professors. You could almost say that Cambridge is just the sort of university that

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Dr Cofnas admires: one which employs virtually zero per cent of black professors. So, not very woke at all. Nor does it appear that these supposedly achingly liberal academics are throwing open the doors to admit black students. The latest five-year figures for the university show that 542 places went to students identifying as black—about 4.6 per cent. Private schools continue to be disproportionately successful in winning places. Last year 27.5 per cent of places went to pupils from independent schools. They had a success rate of 21 per cent compared with 15.5 per cent from comprehensives. I stared at the tables for a long time trying to sniff out wokery, but the data defeated me. My own experience at the other place—as the head of an Oxford college—was that, while colleagues were keen to make modest changes to allow for the context of an applicant’s background, they were overall extremely wary of anything at all that could be interpreted as “lowering standards”. There was a particular paranoia about what one might call Marlborough Man— a name I coined after speaking to a fellow college head who had just read an irate letter in the Times protesting at the failure of his Marlborough College-educated son (fees currently £64k a year) even to get an interview at Oxford despite stellar exam grades. “You see, we have to tread carefully,” said my cautious colleague. “It’s only a matter of time before the system is judicially reviewed. Its ability to behave sufficiently consistently across the piste will be exposed.” The unspoken Marlborough factor will also be at work at Cambridge: the anticipation that a litigious rejectee (or his parents) might hold the system up to challenge on the grounds that Old Marlburians—and not black or working-class white pupils—are the ones being discriminated against. Something clearly went badly wrong with the appointment of Arday. Multiple investigations have been launched into Arday’s claims, his background, his research—and into why Cambridge not only appointed him, but also defended him when doubts were raised. But, just as the parallel story of Dr Cofnas probably tells us very little about Cambridge and its tolerance for obsessive “race realists”, it may be that there was less than meets the eye in the parable of Professor Arday. But maybe his death can offer us lessons in not rushing to glib judgements; in not joining the unthinking pack; and—above all—in keeping a sense of proportion and plain humanity.

was set by the compliant reformists and with the intervention of pro-US countries like Qatar and especially Pakistan, is either neutralized, its intensity adjusted or a complete failure; or a return to hostilities. The visit of the Pakistani interior minister, apparently to discuss matters of ‘mutual interest’, looks more like the pro-US camp’s bid to test the waters in the renewed radicalized environment in the corridors of power. These observations in the coming days might be an asset for the pro-US camp within Iran as well as outside it. With the developing scenario less tilted towards peace or ceasefire, the fact remains that the current shift might not translate automatically to war, rather the Iranian foreign office, which looks predominantly reformist in its posture, will have to go the extra mile to formulate the strategy for settlement of issues with the USA. It is ironic that the 2024 presidential election runner up Saeed Jalili, about whom the reformist top leader Jawad Zarif stated that his election as president will precipitate war as soon as 2024, in a veiled criticism at the reform camp, stated that it was a bad strategy to allow the enemy to regroup, suggesting talking peace too early actually benefited the USA. It will be an education for the students of geopolitics as to how the functional supreme leader is able to steer Iran from a position where it looks like it is desperate for a deal with the one, where pne is ready to play with the adversary, until the desired outcome is realized. The writer is a freelance columnist

Netanyahu calls UK an ‘Islamic republic’ PM echoes 2024 Vance crack during Army Radio podcast reportedly filmed at studio of a Likud vendor rather than the station’s military base

TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF

RIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Britain an “Islamic republic” in an interview with an Army Radio podcast released Thursday. Netanyahu, who has long touted his admiration for Winston Churchill, noted in the podcast that the son and grandson of the World War II-era British leader were journalists who produced pro-Israel reportage on the June 1967 Six Day War. “They came here and covered the Six Day War in a way that was very positive for us,” Netanyahu said on the bereavement-themed “Melech B’leyatzer Chayim” (King at Creating Life) podcast. “Try finding that in Britain today. What’s called ‘the Islamic Republic of Britain’.” Haaretz reported that the podcast was filmed at the Petah Tikva studio of NVP, a production company contracted by Netanyahu’s Likud ahead of Israel’s October 27 election. Previous episodes of the podcast were filmed at Army Radio’s headquarters in Jaffa, but Army Radio said Netanyahu’s office asked to record at NVP’s studio for security reasons, Haaretz said. The newspaper cited an unnamed security official as saying there was no such request from the Shin Bet’s Personal Security Unit, and noted that Army Radio’s own offices are in a secure military facility. After Netanyahu called Britain an Islamic republic, podcast host Avi Harush, whose 20-year-old son Reef was killed fighting in Gaza in April 2024, asked whether “all of Europe isn’t already like that,” referring to the growth of Muslim communities across the continent. Netanyahu said yes, and continued: “Someone said that the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain… so we’re making sure there won’t be another one in Iran.” US Vice President JD Vance made a similar comment at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington on July 10, 2024, days before being tapped as Donald Trump’s running mate. Vance, then a US senator for Ohio, said at the time that the UK was poised to become “the first truly Islamist country with nuclear weapons” after Britain’s Labour party took power earlier that month, adding that “Pakistan already kind of counts.” Vance has since emerged as a critic of Israel within the Trump administration, and as a skeptic of the US-Israeli war against Iran that Netanyahu lobbied Trump to launch in February. Like the Republican White House, Netanyahu has said Europe was being taken over by Muslim immigrants. He has argued that large Muslim populations were turning European nations against Israel, amid growing criticism from European nations — including some led by immigration skeptics — of Israel’s actions in Gaza since the Hamas onslaught in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

06 NEWS

IRAN SAYS AGREEMENT REACHED WITH OMAN ON STRAIT OF HORMUZ SHIPPING ROUTES

Sunday, 16 August 2026 | LAHORE

TEHRAN

AGENCIES

Foreign Ministry RANIAN spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that Iran has reached an agreement with Oman on a shipping route map for the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of technical negotiations. Baghaei told Defa Press that Iran and Oman, the two coastal states bordering the strategic waterway, began intensive negotiations three months ago following the signing of the June 18 memorandum of understanding to establish safe navigation routes. “Despite US obstruction, the talks have made positive progress over the past three weeks, and an agreement has been reached on the shipping route map,” he said. Baghaei said the plan was the result of coordination led by the Foreign Ministry with the participation of Iran’s defense, security and environmental authorities. He added that the two sides were still negotiating outstanding issues, including a statement to be issued by Tehran and Muscat, noting that exchanges between the two countries would continue until the process was finalised. Baghaei stressed that the Iran-Oman

arrangement was an independent agreement between the two coastal states aimed at ensuring the safe passage of ships through the strait, while preserving the sovereignty of both countries. He said, however, that the full restoration of security in the strait and the resumption of normal commercial shipping depended on an end to what he described as illegal US actions, military threats and the naval blockade, as well as compensation for US breaches of commitments in the last two months. The talks are part of technical negotiations launched under the Iran-US memorandum of understanding, which tasked Tehran and Muscat with developing a new navigation framework for the Strait of Hormuz. While Iran and Oman have continued discussions on shipping routes, Tehran has repeatedly said any decision to reopen the strategic waterway remains contingent on the US fulfilling its obligations under the memorandum. Iran's Araghchi says Islamabad MoU called for end to war, not 'ceasefire requiring extension' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that the US violated the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which called for an 'end to

the war', not a 60-day ceasefire requiring extension. "What was set out in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was an 'end to the war'; meaning that in this memorandum, an end to the war was declared," he said, according to ISNA. He blamed the US for the "resumption of hostilities", saying that "The US violated the memorandum." Regarding the issue of a 60-day ceasefire, he said what was "mentioned as 60 days was a 60-day period for negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement. Based on that, there was no 60-day ceasefire." "The mediators — both Qatar and Pakistan — are exchanging messages and remain in contact with us, but this does not mean negotiations at all. No decision has yet been made to resume talks with the United States." On the topic of Iran-Oman negotiations over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said their "negotiations with Oman are ongoing" but that it was a "separate matter" and that Iran was "currently in the process of designing a temporary route, which will later be converted into a permanent one." He said that Iran "may reach a conclusion [with Oman] soon," but emphasised that

the Islamabad MoU and the Strait of Hormuz's management were two separate issues. Hormuz can be opened or closed only by Iran’s command: Deputy FM Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims regarding the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that Iran retains authority over the strategic waterway. Gharibabadi stated on X that "The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech. Iran neither fears

Strikes and boycott calls mark India’s Independence Day in IIOJK and Northeast ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

India’s Independence Day was marked by strikes, boycott calls and protest activity in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and several northeastern states, where a number of regional groups observed the occasion as a Black Day. Political parties, community organisations and other groups in IIOJK, sections of the Sikh community, and various organisations in the Northeast called for shutdowns and boycotts, raising questions over New Delhi’s official narrative of One India. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi did not attend the official Independence Day ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Analysts linked their absence to disagreements over seating arrangements and wider political tensions. BOYCOTT CALLS ACROSS NORTHEASTERN STATES Insurgent and nationalist groups in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh jointly urged a total boycott and general shutdown during official celebrations. In Assam and adjoining border areas, ULFA (Indepen-

dent) joined the National Socialist Council of Nagalim in calling for a complete operational shutdown, describing the Indian administrative presence as colonial occupation. Security was tightened in response to the boycott calls, with large deployments around key installations and in sensitive areas of Upper Assam as well as border belts in Arunachal Pradesh. NAGA GROUPS REITERATE POLITICAL POSITION In Nagaland, Naga nationalist cir-

cles observed August 14 as their 80th Independence Day, recalling the 1947 declaration made by the Naga National Council. Naga groups continue to maintain that their history, flag and political identity predate their incorporation into the Indian state, and they cite the 1951 plebiscite as a basis for selfdetermination. Video clips were also reported to have circulated on social media showing young protesters demonstrating against the Indian national flag. Senior Naga

leader Thuingaleng Muivah, repeated that there would be no compromise on sovereignty, the national flag and a separate constitution. The Naga Students’ Federation also publicly opposed the compulsory singing of Vande Mataram, saying it was inconsistent with Christian beliefs, religious freedom and liberty of conscience. SHUTDOWN IN MANIPUR In Manipur, several umbrella organisations enforced a 12-hour general strike and full shutdown. These included the Coordination Committee, which represents six groups, the Socialist Revolutionary Party, the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak, and local Naga student bodies. Black flags were hoisted in key districts during the protest action. Analysts said the display of black flags, low public participation in official events and wider civil resistance in Kashmir and the northeastern region underscored continuing disaffection in those areas. They said national cohesion could not be built through security deployments, military display or state ceremonies alone, and argued that any durable unity required consent and recognition of distinct regional, cultural and political identities rather than forced assimilation.

Xi Jinping to address grand meeting marking Jiang Zemin's centenary BEIJING STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend and address a grand meeting on Monday commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of late Chinese leader Jiang Zemin. The commemorative event will be held at 10am on August 17 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, bringing the country’s leadership and other participants together to pay tribute to the late Chinese leader. The event will be broadcast live by China Media Group and Xinhuanet, while major Chinese news platforms, including People.cn, CCTV.com and China.com.cn, will simultaneously relay the proceedings. The event will also be streamed through mobile applications operated by the People’s Daily, Xinhua

News Agency and China Central Television. Jiang Zemin, who was born in 1926, served as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president of China, and was chairman of the Central Military Commission. His political career spanned a period of profound transformation in China’s economic development and its engagement with the international community. The centenary commemoration comes as China continues to highlight the continuity of the CPC’s leadership and its long-term development path. Xi’s participation and address at the event are expected to provide an occasion to reflect on Jiang’s contributions to the country and the Party’s historical development. The announcement was made by Xinhua on August 15, with the Chinese-language version similarly confirming that Xi will attend and deliver an important speech at the commemorative meeting.

Trump was 'joking' about declaring Strait of Hormuz US territory: US media WASHINGTON AGENCIES

US President Donald Trump was “joking” when he said he would declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory after the war with Iran, US media reported on Friday.

Trump has not met with his advisers to discuss such a move, Wall Street Journal reporter Brian Schwartz said through US social media platform X, citing an unnamed senior White House official. “President Trump has not met with his advisers about declaring the Strait of

Hormuz a US territory post the war and was joking during his speech today in New York,” Schwartz wrote. Trump made the remark during a political rally at the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City, New York. “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s true,” he added. Schwartz, who attended the speech, said Trump chuckled after making the remark but then appeared to insist that it was true. Trump also claimed that Washington controlled maritime access through the strategically vital waterway. “We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to,” he told supporters. IRAN DISPUTES US CONTROL CLAIMS Iranian military officials have disputed the claim, with Iran’s central mili-

tary command on Thursday calling assertions of US control over the waterway “baseless lies and fabrications.” As of August 12, some 3,371 vessels had crossed the strait in the 166 days since the war began, representing around 20% of pre-war traffic volumes, according to data from commodities and shipping analytics firm Kpler cited by CNN. The US and Iran had agreed to a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire in April and later signed a deal on June 17 to launch negotiations toward a final agreement. However, the talks subsequently stalled over disagreements including security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides also exchanged military strikes from July 8 to 24, with Washington attacking targets inside Iran, and Tehran responding with strikes on what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, including Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

threats nor cowers before displays of power." Gharibabadi responded to Trump’s claim that the US might soon declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory following what he described as Iran’s defeat. In the X thread, Gharibabadi said the waterway had been Iranian, remained Iranian, and would continue to be so, saying that it could only be closed or reopened under Iran’s command. He also said Iran would " continue to enforce the blockade" as long as the United States failed to acknowledge its strategic defeats and continued delusional claims.

President Zardari Confers Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on AIOU Vice Chancellor ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari conferred the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz upon Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood on the occasion of Independence Day in recognition of his outstanding services to the field of education. The national honour acknowledges Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood’s valuable contributions to the promotion of education, provision of quality educational opportunities, professional development of teachers, advancement of research and improvement of educational institutions. Under his leadership and vision, various positive and effective initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen the education sector and enhance the quality and accessibility of education. His contributions have played an important role in promoting academic development, institutional improvement, research and learning. The conferment of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz is a significant national recognition of Prof. Dr. Nasir Mahmood’s services to education. It is also a matter of great pride for Allama Iqbal Open University, reflecting the University’s continued contribution to the promotion of education and academic excellence across the country.

Afghan Taliban regime ‘secretly deployed’ 70 ETIM fighters to Badakhshan: Official document ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Aug 15 (APP): An official document has revealed that the Taliban’s General Intelligence Directorate ordered the deployment of 70 foreign Uyghur East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) fighters, referred to in the document as “Muslim Uyghur mujahideen,” to Badakhshan province along with dozens of weapons. The document indicates that the letter was sent to the Intelligence Directorate of Badakhshan by the Intelligence Directorate of Baghlan Province following instructions from the Operations Deputy Directorate of the Taliban’s General Intelligence Directorate. The document instructs local Badakhshan intelligence authorities to ensure that the deployment and presence of these fighters are kept secret. Afghan Taliban regime secretly deployed 70 ETIM fighters to Badakhshan: Official document The disclosure offers rare documentary evidence that the Taliban regime continues to host and actively relocate foreign militant networks within Afghan territory, five years after promising the world it would sever ties with international terrorist groups. Rather than stabilizing under Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s security landscape shows state intelligence structures being utilized to shelter and redeploy groups like ETIM under a veil of official secrecy—a pattern that directly undercuts any claim of consolidated, accountable governance and adds another layer to the region’s ongoing instability.

Sunday, 16 August 2026 | LAHORE

Sunday, 16 August, 2026

SC uPholdS deAth SentenCe in ex-wife’S murder, SAyS women exerCiSing rightS deServe ProteCtion NEWS

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

HE Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and death sentence of a man who killed his former wife two days after she obtained a court decree dissolving their marriage, ruling that women who lawfully exercise their rights cannot be exposed to violence without consequence. In a four-page judgment issued on Saturday, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar said the court found no reason to disturb the concurrent conviction. He observed that the court was conscious of its constitutional duty to safeguard the life and dignity of women and to ensure that those asserting their lawful rights were not met with violence with impunity. A three-member bench headed by Justice Kakar and including Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard the appeal against the Lahore High Court’s June 25, 2025 decision dismissing the convict’s plea. Details of the case According to the prosecution case, petitioner Wasim Abbas entered the home of Irshad Begum in Lahore at around 3pm on October 11, 2020. He was carrying a .30-bore pistol and was accompanied by two unidentified men on a motorcycle. The judgment said he went into a room where his former wife, Shehnaz Bibi, and Naeem Bibi were lying on charpoys. The court said Abbas taunted Shehnaz Bibi over her decision to seek divorce be-

fore opening fire. She sustained six gunshot wounds to the abdomen, hand, thighs and back, while one of the accomplices fired another shot below her right knee. She died at the scene. The Supreme Court noted that the motive arose from the deceased’s successful suit for dissolution of marriage. An ex parte decree in her favour had been passed on October 9, 2020, just 48 hours before the killing. Writing the judgment, Justice Kakar said she had lawfully exercised her rights under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939, and the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961. Court’s reasoning The judgment referred to Articles 9, 14 and 25 of the Constitution, saying the state is bound to protect the life, dignity

Pml-n, PPP candidates retain Bagh seats in re-polling MUZAFFARABAD

STAFF REPORT

and equal treatment of all citizens, including women. It also cited the 2019 Shazia Perveen case, stating that a woman who seeks the legal dissolution of marriage through the courts is exercising a fundamental right. The court held that violence committed against a woman for using that right strikes at the core of the constitutional order and must be answered with the full force of the law. In its assessment of the evidence, the bench found the testimony of prosecution witnesses Irshad Begum and Naeem Bibi reliable and confidenceinspiring, noting that both were natural witnesses as residents of the deceased’s parental home. The bench also pointed out that the shooting took place in broad daylight, which reduced the possibility of mis-

taken identity. It said Abbas was already known to the witnesses by name and face as the deceased’s former husband. The judgment further referred to the recovery of the weapon on the convict’s pointation, with ballistic analysis linking the empties collected from the crime scene to the seized pistol. Medical evidence, the court said, strongly supported the prosecution case. Sentence maintained The trial court had earlier convicted Abbas under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code and sentenced him to death as ta’zir. He was also ordered to pay Rs500,000 in compensation to the legal heirs under Section 544-A of the Criminal Procedure Code. In addition, he was convicted under Section 449 of the PPC and sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a Rs50,000 fine. All sentences were to run concurrently. Rejecting any reduction in sentence, the Supreme Court said there were no extenuating or mitigating circumstances to justify commuting the death penalty. The bench described the offence as exceptionally brutal, calculated, premeditated and cold-blooded, and noted that it had been carried out inside the sanctity of the victim’s home. It said the timing of the murder, only 48 hours after the judicial decree, reflected ruthless defiance of the law. The judgment held that in cases involving deliberate violence against women for exercising their legal and marital rights, the capital sentence was fully justified to uphold the rule of law and meet the ends of justice.

10 militants killed in Khuzdar operation, security sources say QUETTA STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) retained their respective seats in Bagh after repolling at 23 polling stations on Saturday, with the results taking the PML-N’s tally in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to 25 and the PPP’s to 12. According to unofficial and unverified results, PPP’s Sardar Ziaul Qamar defeated PML-N candidate Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas in LA-15 (Central Bagh) by 1,891 votes. Qamar secured 17,118 votes against Minhas’s 15,227 after repolling was conducted at nine polling stations. The victory marked Qamar’s second consecutive win in the constituency, following his success in the 2023 byelection. For Minhas, it was his third consecutive electoral defeat in the constituency after entering electoral politics in 2016. In LA-16 (Eastern Bagh), PML-N’s Sardar Mir Akbar defeated PPP’s Sardar Qamaruz Zaman by 3,833 votes. Akbar secured 20,796 votes against Zaman’s 16,963 after repolling at 14 polling stations. The victory marked Akbar’s fifth electoral win and his third consecutive success. Local journalists attributed his sustained popularity partly to his regular presence in the constituency and close engagement with constituents. Turnout remained low in both constituencies, with witnesses reporting that voters at some polling stations chose not to cast their ballots. The polling, however, remained peaceful, with adequate security arrangements in place. Polling officials said voters and local notables cooperated with election staff and security personnel. A presiding officer in LA-15 said that although some polling stations witnessed no voter turnout, local residents facilitated polling staff and security personnel with accommodation and meals. The repolling results increased the PML-N’s assembly tally to 25 seats and the PPP’s to 12. Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, who won LA-14 (Dhirkot) against Muslim Conference president and former AJK prime minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, has also reportedly decided to support the PML-N. Meanwhile, the AJK Election Commission notified AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as the returned candidate from LA-17 (Haveli). The Haveli constituency had emerged as one of the most contentious seats during the third phase of polling. Rathore’s PML-N rival, Engr Mohsin Aziz, had challenged the result after the returning officer issued Form 27 declaring Rathore the winner. The AJK Election Commission had heard the petition and reserved its decision after arguments from both sides. The latest results follow a phased election process that has been marred by allegations of rigging and law-and-order concerns. The PML-N had previously secured 24 seats in the first two phases, while the PPP won 10 constituencies.

Security forces killed 10 militants in an exchange of fire in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, according to security sources on Saturday. The sources said the operation was carried out in the Shor Parod mountainous range after reports indicated the presence of militants linked to what they described as Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan. They said 10 militants were killed during the clash, while several others sustained injuries. According to the same sources, security forces intend to continue operations until terrorism is eliminated from the country. The development came three days after at least eight militants affiliated with what security sources called Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan were killed in Balochistan’s Surab district when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated prematurely while it was being prepared. The sources had also said that in a follow-up operation, security forces detected the movement of fleeing

militants and killed 10 of them. Violence trend in KP and Balochistan Pakistan has seen an increase in militant activity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. According to a report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, the two provinces remained the main centres of violence in the second quarter of 2026, with KP the worst-affected

region. KP and Balochistan together accounted for nearly 96% of all violence-related deaths recorded during the quarter. More than 61% of the total fatalities, or 475 deaths, were reported in KP, while Balochistan accounted for 34%, or 265 deaths. KP also registered the highest number of violent incidents with 151 cases, making up 57% of the national total, while Balochistan recorded 94 incidents, or 35%, highlighting the concentration of militant violence in the two provinces.

Ambassador Asim spotlights Pakistan's global mediation eﬀorts UNITED NATIONS

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad on Saturday highlighted the country’s mediatory role in the US-Iran conflict, adding that amid the recent global instability and conflict, Pakistan had remained committed to finding pathways towards peace and stability. Ahmad said this during an Independence Day celebration at Pakistan House in New York (NY), US, to mark Pakistan’s 80th Independence Day, according to a press release is-

sued by the Pakistan Mission. Pakistan’s Consul General in NY Aamer Ahmad Atozai, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Usman Jadoon, officers and staff of the mission and consulate, and their families attended the ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Ahmad called for renewed commitment to the country’s founding ideals, sovereignty, peace, security and socio-economic development. Paying tribute to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Ahmad described him as an extraordinary leader, a visionary and a statesman who not only led the struggle for

freedom but also guided the creation of a sovereign state. “Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three,” he said, citing the Quaid’s biographer, Stanley Wolpert. Reflecting on Pakistan’s journey since August 14, 1947, Ahmad highlighted the resilience, courage and achievements of the people across diverse fields, “which were achieved against the heaviest of odds.”

PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR SUNRISE

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ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:28

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Aleem Khan for creation of four new administrative units in each province 4:50

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ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) resident Abdul Aleem Khan on Saturday backed the creation of new provinces across Pakistan, saying administrative restructuring was a public demand and his party would continue raising the issue at every forum. In a statement, Aleem Khan, who also serves as federal minister for communications, expressed support for the longstanding demand for a separate Hazara province, saying voices for its creation had been raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly since 2010 and were supported by several political parties in the province. “The IPP stands with the demand for the Hazara province,” he said. He also supported the creation of separate provinces of South Punjab and Bahawalpur, noting that demands for administrative restructuring had emerged in other parts of the country as well. Aleem Khan said there was nothing wrong with dividing each of the four provinces into four administrative units, arguing that prevailing circumstances required a new administrative framework. He urged political leaders to treat the issue as a national matter rather than protecting political strongholds. “Instead of protecting their dominance, they will have to think about the problems of the people,” he said, adding that the IPP would continue advocating new provinces at every forum. The debate gained momentum after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently described the country’s governance system as having “collapsed” and called for administrative reforms, including the creation of new administrative units. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also supported the creation of new provinces, describing them as a necessity but stressing that any such move would require broad political consensus and a two-thirds majority in the relevant assemblies. However, Naqvi later clarified that the existing system would complete its constitutional five-year term and rejected the impression that his remarks amounted to a charge sheet against the government. He said his criticism referred to the deterioration of the governance system over the past eight decades, arguing that Pakistan could have made greater progress had the system functioned effectively. Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the government had formulated no plan for creating new provinces. Speaking in a TV programme, Sanaullah said various proposals were being discussed informally, with suggestions ranging from 12 to 20 and even 32 provinces. He questioned whether Aleem Khan had presented any concrete plan, saying provinces could not be created merely through public statements or discussions on podcasts. Sanaullah maintained that the PML-N leadership had not recently discussed the creation of new provinces and said the government’s focus was on resolving people’s problems at their doorstep.

KP govt takes ‘revolutionary step’ to provide education to children PESHAWAR

STAFF REPORT

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has taken a revolutionary step to provide education to children. The provincial government has brought four departments into collaboration to bring out-of-school children back to school. The four departments include Elementary and Secondary Education, Local Government, Health, and Social Welfare. These departments have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the presence of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. The provincial government has decided to conduct a comprehensive door-to-door survey to count every outof-school child. A detailed briefing on the project revealed that a One Map System will be established to track the exact number and locations of students. According to the latest census, as many as 4.9 million children do not attend school, whereas the education department puts the figure at 2.6 million. The briefing stated that a target has been set to enroll 60 percent of out-of-school children immediately in the first phase, while future planning will include gathering data on five-year-olds. To implement the project effectively, the government will utilize public schools, double shifts, community schools, and digital platforms. Additionally, students will be provided with scholarships and social assistance if they drop out due to poverty, with scholarships conditioned on a 75 percent attendance rate.

Rescuers search for survivors as Indonesian 7.7 quake death toll rises to 47 JAKARTA AFP

Rescuers combed through debris for survivors on Saturday after a powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia’s eastern Flores island, killing at least 47 people, according to disaster officials. The national disaster management agency (BNPB) raised the death toll from 40 late on Saturday, while rescue official Fathur Rahman said 50 people were injured in the 7.7-magnitude quake. Suharyanto, who leads the BNPB, said earlier that people were trapped in several buildings. “These will be the initial targets of the disaster response teams,” he said. Nearly 160 houses, dozens of educational and health facilities and other public buildings were damaged when the earthquake struck the popular tourist island in Indonesia’s east, the BNPB reported. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said prepa-

rations were underway to bring aid to some 2,000 people in temporary shelters. The government sent 50,000 aid packages weighing a total of 275 tonnes to the area, and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen offered help from the bloc’s Copernicus Earth observation satellites. “Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts. Indonesia, we stand with you,” she wrote on X. “I have never felt an earthquake this big,” Yulian Juita Ekalia, who lives in Ruteng city — more than 100 kilometres west of the epicentre — told AFP by telephone hours after the tremor. “It felt like we were on a trampoline; it was really scary,” said the 37-year-old university lecturer, who was jolted awake at around 5:30am (2130 GMT on Friday). “As I rushed to get outside, everything in the house fell down: the television, my son’s trophies, the dish racks, suitcases on top of the wardrobes. When I got outside, my

son and neighbours were already there, screaming in fear.” Rescue official Fathur told AFP the focus was on locating victims who may be buried under rubble, but rescue efforts have been complicated by landslides cutting off roads. Many Flores inhabitants were left without electricity and telecommunications. Residents in Nagekeo, an area close to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated early Saturday — a possible sign of an approaching tsunami, AFP journalists witnessed. While a tsunami warning was lifted, authorities urged people not to return to damaged buildings for fear that aftershocks may bring them down. Hundreds remained outside hours later as dozens of aftershocks shook the island, the strongest measured at a magnitude of 6.1. Waves of up to 1.6 metres were reported in some coastal regions of Flores, according to Indonesia’s BMKG geological agency. Yulian said she had dragged her stove

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outside and was cooking there, fearing further tremors. She said she saw patients being treated under emergency tents outside a nearby hospital. Nagekeo resident Yohanes Babo, 56, said he was at a market when the earth started shaking in the early morning hours. “The shaking was strong. Thankfully, we were already outside the house,” he told AFP. “People were panicking, running here and there. We’re evacuating for the time being… and trying to get to the hills.” The epicentre of the shallow quake was located just off the north coast of the island, US and Indonesian authorities said. The affected areas have few, if any, high-rise buildings. A second, deep onland quake was measured at a magnitude of 6.9 near Pematangsiantar on Sumatra island — thousands of kilometres away — some 12 hours after the Flores tremor. There were no initial reports of damage or casualties, and no tsunami alert was issued. Indonesia experiences frequent earth-

Published by Asad Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

quakes due to its location in the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. Flores was struck by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in 1992, which triggered a tsunami and resulted in around 2,500 deaths. A devastating 9.1-magnitude tremor in 2004 struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, about 170,000 of them in Indonesia, in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Condolences pour in President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the earthquake. “On behalf of the people of Pakistan, the President extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and expressed solidarity with the Government and people of Indonesia in this difficult hour.” He further said that Pakistan was ready to extend all possible assistance.