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PAKISTAN, KUWAIT STRENGTHEN DEFENCE PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW MILITARY PACT Friday, 28 August, 2026 | 14 Rabiul Awwal, 1448
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PAKISTAN, KUWAIT SIGN NEW PROTOCOL TO EXPAND DEFENCE COOPERATION
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MUNIR, KUWAITI DEFENCE CHIEF DISCUSS REGIONAL SECURITY AT GHQ
PAKISTAN TO SUPPORT KUWAIT IN TRAINING, CAPACITY BUILDING AND BORDER MANAGEMENT
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 153 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
ISLAMABAD, KUWAIT STEP UP MILITARY TIES AMID GULF SECURITY CHALLENGES
KUWAIT PRAISES PAKISTAN ARMED FORCES' PROFESSIONALISM AND CAPABILITIES
PAKISTAN, KUWAIT SIGN PROTOCOL TO WIDEN DEFENCE COOPERATION ISLAMABAD
staff report
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AKISTAN and Kuwait on Thursday reaffirmed their resolve to transform their longstanding ties into a stronger and enduring defence partnership, with the two countries signing a new protocol aimed at significantly expanding military cooperation. A Kuwaiti delegation led by Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem Al-Sabah held talks with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Kuwaiti Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Lt Gen Khaled Darj Saad
Al-Shriaan accompanied the defence minister. The talks covered matters of mutual interest, regional security and bilateral defence cooperation, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening institutional ties and broadening mutually beneficial collaboration between the two countries. “Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing institutional ties and expanding mutually beneficial defence collaboration between the two brotherly countries,” ISPR said. The Kuwaiti delegation also appreciated the professionalism and operational capabilities of the Pakistan Armed Forces and their contributions towards regional peace and stability.
Pakistan, UK agree on structured dialogue as Dar, Miliband discuss IWT, regional security LONDON
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Pakistan and Kuwait have signed a new defence protocol aimed at broadening military cooperation between the two countries in areas including training, capacity building and border management. According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence, senior officials from both countries signed the Protocol Agreement-2026 in Islamabad on Thursday. The ministry said the new document would strengthen the existing framework created under the Defence Cooperation Agreement-2023. The agreement was finalised during the visit of a high-level Kuwaiti delegation led by Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem AlSabah, who met Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. The ministry said the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, with particular attention to bilateral defence relations, security cooperation and ways to further deepen military ties. The Ministry of Defence said that, under the new arrangement, the Pakistan Armed Forces will provide assistance to
Kuwait’s armed forces in several fields, including training, capacity building, border management and other areas of defence collaboration to be agreed by both sides. The ministry added that both countries reiterated their commitment to further strengthening the partnership in support of mutual security as well as regional peace and stability.
MEETING AT GHQ: Earlier, the Kuwaiti delegation also met Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations. The military’s media wing said the meeting covered matters of mutual interest, regional security and bilateral defence cooperation. It said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening institutional links and expanding defence collaboration that would be beneficial to both countries. According to the ISPR, the Kuwaiti side praised the professionalism and operational performance of the Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their contribution to regional peace and stability.
PM hails Riyadh’s steadfast support, pivotal role in regional peace, stability
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ISLAMABAD
saleem Jadoon
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s deep appreciation for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support and generous assistance, as well as its pivotal role in promoting peace and stability in the region, while underscoring Islamabad’s resolve to further strengthen the longstanding fraternal and strategic ties between the two countries. The prime minister expressed these views during a farewell call by Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki at the PM House, following completion of his official tenure in Pakistan, said a statement issued from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Prime Minister Shehbaz congratulated Ambassador Al-Malki on the successful completion of his assignment and lauded his outstanding contribution towards further strengthening the deep-rooted fraternal and strategic relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He conveyed his warmest regards and best
ISLAMABAD
staff correspondent
The tragic fire that claimed the lives of 14 babies at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Wednesday came under discussion in Parliament on Thursday, with PPP lawmakers submitting multiple notices seeking an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the incident. The fire, which broke out in the gynaecology ward of the hospital’s Mother and Child Hospital, has triggered widespread outrage and renewed questions over safety arrangements at the country’s premier public-sector hospital in the federal capital. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had initially attributed the blaze to a “blast in the air conditioner,” although the exact cause has yet to be established. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif removed the federal health secretary shortly after the incident and ordered an inquiry. In the National Assembly, PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman submitted an adjournment motion in the Senate, calling for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the deaths. She said the loss of newborn lives at a major government hospital in Islamabad was a matter of grave public concern and could not be treated as a routine incident. “The failure of essential safety arrangements at the capital’s central government hospital is unacceptable,” she said, adding that reports of non-functioning safety protocols at Pims raised serious questions that required answers. Ms Rehman called for suspension of routine Senate proceedings to allow a detailed debate on the tragedy and demanded that anyone found responsible for negligence be held accountable. PPP MNA Dr Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto also submitted a calling-attention notice in the National Assembly, describing the incident as a “grave and deeply disturbing tragedy”.
Nepal flood death toll climbs to 359 as around 1,000 remain missing
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KATHMANDU agencies
wishes for the health and well-being of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. Ambassador Al-Malki expressed his profound gratitude to the prime minister and the Government of Pakistan for the warmth, cooperation and hospitality extended to him throughout his assignment. He described his stay in Pakistan as a deeply memorable and rewarding experience and reaffirmed his personal commitment to the continued strengthening of Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations. The prime minister wished the ambassador continued success in his future endeavours. The farewell call came as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia continue to focus on further expanding bilateral economic cooperation and investment, with Islamabad seeking to elevate its economic relationship with Riyadh into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership.
Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 359 people, Nepali police said in an update on Thursday, a day after the disaster. “As of 5pm [on] Thursday, 359 people have died,” Nepal Police said in a statement. Chinese state media had earlier reported “major casualties” from a mudslide at a Tibet border hub with three dead, taking the total killed to at least 362. A terrifying clip of surveillance video from the Chinese side of the frontier shows a massive wall of mud and debris crashing over a building several stories high on Wednesday morning, engulfing it as dozens of people ran for their lives below. The surge swept away buses and cars like they were toys. Many of the missing are foreign tourists, officials said of the disaster, which the US Geological Survey believes was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a flow of debris engulfing areas along the way. The tsunami-like rumble of water and mud struck villages and towns on the path of two rivers — Bhote Koshi and Trishuli. When Nepal’s death toll stood at 273, 823 people, including 579 Nepali and foreign tourists, remained out of contact, according to the country’s disaster agency. These included nearly 100 Chinese nationals, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry. The Chinese embassy was “seeking further verification” from Nepali authorities, ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters. Later, about 100 missing Indian visitors and 25 Chinese workers were located by rescuers in Nepal, authorities said. Across the border, Chinese state media said 558 people, including 260 foreigners, were still missing. Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah left by road for Bidur in one of the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot to assess the flood situation, his office said on social media. Raju Bhadel, 56, a businessman in Nuwakot, recounted receiving a call from his brother-in-law in distress. “They were crying and said their entire house had been swept away. Three family members were rescued, but his brother is still missing,” he said. Also at Nuwakot, teacher Manok Mishra witnessed “nine trucks being swept away by the floods, including people”.
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staff report
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Thursday discussed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), regional security and bilateral relations, with the two sides agreeing to establish a structured mechanism for regular talks between their foreign ministries. The meeting took place in London during Mr Dar’s fourday official visit to the United Kingdom, which concludes on Aug 28, according to the Foreign Office. During delegation-level talks, the two ministers reviewed the “full spectrum” of Pakistan-UK relations and agreed to establish a structured mechanism for formal consultations between their foreign ministries covering all areas of cooperation. The mechanism will also provide for regular reviews of progress in key areas, the FO said. Mr Dar highlighted what Pakistan described as India’s “persistent violations of its international obligations” and stressed the importance of upholding international law and treaty commitments, particularly in the context of the IWT. The treaty has remained under strain since India announced in 2025 that it was placing its obligations under the agreement in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad rejected the allegations and called for a neutral investigation. The two sides also discussed developments in the Middle East, with Mr Dar briefing his British counterpart on Pakistan’s diplomatic and mediation efforts and the progress achieved through them. Mr Miliband appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role and facilitation efforts” in promoting dialogue, diplomacy and stability in the Middle East.
PIMS fire tragedy reaches Parliament as lawmakers demand probe, accountability
Pakistan rubbishes claims ‘CDF Munir visited Iran as envoy for US’ ISLAMABAD
staff report
The Foreign Office on Thursday rejected claims that Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir travelled to Iran as an envoy of the United States, terming the assertions “misleading and factually incorrect”. FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Field Marshal Munir’s August 24 visit to Tehran was undertaken entirely in the context of Pakistan’s own diplomatic efforts to mediate between Washington and Tehran and help end the ongoing conflict. “The discussions held during CDF Munir’s visit to Tehran focused on regional de-escalation, breaking the military stalemate and exploring a negotiated settlement to restore peace and stability,” Andrabi said at his weekly media briefing. “I will also highlight that claims by certain
quarters that the COAS and CDF visited Iran as envoy of President Trump or the US are misleading and factually incorrect,” he added. Andrabi said the visit demonstrated Islamabad’s “sincere and constructive role” in trying to bridge differences between the United States and Iran, adding that the Iranian leadership had appreciated Pakistan’s efforts towards de-escalation and a peaceful resolution. He said Pakistan would continue working with friendly countries to address crises in the Middle East and Gulf and the wider US-Iran confrontation. “Pakistan will continue to actively pursue diplomatic engagement and support all sincere efforts aimed at reviving the peace talks and achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the conflict,” he said. The clarification came after Field Marshal Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a series of high-level meetings with Iranian leaders during their day-long visit to
Tehran. The Pakistani delegation met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and senior security officials.
PAKISTAN SAYS IRAN TRADE REMAINS WITHIN INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS: Responding to questions about Washington’s reported plans to expand sanctions against countries conducting business with Iran, the FO spokesperson said Pakistan was continuing its trade with Tehran in accordance with international law and existing bilateral agreements. “Pakistan is following international law and our bilateral trade agreements with Iran,” Andrabi said, adding that Pakistan’s trade with its neighbour remained “in consonance with our obligations”. On the US economic pressure campaign against Iran, he expressed hope that eco-
nomic disputes would eventually be addressed as part of a comprehensive settlement of the broader confrontation. The FO said Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement was aimed at facilitating dialogue rather than representing either Washington or Tehran.
ISLAMABAD SEEKS REVIVAL OF STALLED PEACE FRAMEWORK: Andrabi said Pakistan’s mediation efforts had continued alongside diplomatic contacts by other regional countries. He pointed out that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had remained engaged with his counterparts on developments in the region and had spoken three times with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan over the past two weeks. Pakistan had brokered a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in June, which envisaged further negotiations and addressed issues including the re-
opening of the Strait of Hormuz. The framework, however, subsequently stalled, with fundamental differences between Washington and Tehran remaining unresolved. The FO spokesperson noted that Oman was also pursuing diplomatic efforts, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi visiting Tehran earlier this week to discuss arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz, including a proposed temporary shipping corridor and mine-clearance efforts. Although no major breakthrough had yet emerged, Andrabi said the renewed diplomatic activity had brought both political and technical aspects of the dispute back into focus. Iran has continued to regard the Islamabad MoU as the appropriate framework for negotiations while seeking concrete evidence from Washington that it is prepared to honour its commitments.
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02 NEWS
CM MARYAM EYES CHINA PARTNERSHIP TO MODERNISE PUNJAB’S DAIRY, DIGITAL SECTORS
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Friday, 28 August, 2026 | KARACHI
g PUNJAB CM SEEKS CHINESE COLLABORATION ON MILK AND DAIRY PROCESSING PROJECT LAHORE
SALEEM JADOON
UNJAB Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday visited the headquarters of China’s renowned Tyren Wisdom Dairy Company in Xinjiang and explored opportunities for collaboration in the dairy sector, saying Punjab wanted to establish a milk and dairy processing project in partnership with China. The chief minister toured various sections of the Tyren Wisdom Dairy Works, where company officials warmly received her upon arrival and gave her a detailed briefing on different stages of milk processing. Maryam Nawaz also conducted a digital inspection of the milk processing process and was briefed on the various stages involved. Experts explained to her the preparation of different milk products.
The officials said Tyren Wisdom Dairy Works was known for modern dairy farming in different regions of China. Livestock at its farms was raised in accordance with animal health and hygiene standards, while milk, yoghurt and other dairy products were processed using modern techniques. The chief minister said projects aimed at improving and promoting the livestock sector in Punjab were yielding positive results. She said special projects for the financial empowerment of rural women and livestock breeding were being successfully implemented. Livestock was also being fattened and prepared for meat production, she added. Maryam Nawaz said Punjab wanted to establish a milk and dairy processing project in collaboration with China, reflecting the provincial government’s efforts to modernise the livestock and dairy sectors through Chinese expertise and technology.
PUNJAB DELEGATION VISITS CHINA’S NATIONAL BIG DATA PILOT ZONE Meanwhile, a Punjab delegation led by Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat and Special Assistant Ali Dar, representing Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, visited the Communication and Experience Centre of China’s National Big Data (Guizhou) Comprehensive Pilot Zone. The delegation was briefed on the historical evolution of the industry and the centre’s role in governance, public livelihoods and industrial development under the big data pilot zone. The delegation appreciated the achievements of China’s first nationallevel big data pilot zone, as well as its future plans and initiatives in digital innovation. It also expressed interest in exploring new avenues of digital cooperation between Pakistan and China. The delegation said Pakistan could benefit from big data technologies and data co-
operation to meet its development needs. It noted that modern technologies being used in the pilot zone could also help Punjab tackle smog and strengthen environmental monitoring and control. The pilot zone has applications in data
ISGS takes central role in multibillion-dollar refinery upgrade programme, replacing OGRA in key policy functions PROFIT STAFF REPORT
The federal government has designated Inter State Gas Systems (ISGS) as the policy implementation entity for the Pakistan Oil Refining Policy for Upgradation of Existing/Brownfield Refineries, 2023, assigning the state-owned company key responsibilities previously associated with the implementation framework involving the Petroleum Division and OGRA, The Express Tribune reported. A Petroleum Division letter dated August 24, 2026, designated ISGS to im-
plement the policy on behalf of the division and perform functions assigned to the Petroleum Division under the policy. The decision followed a meeting chaired by the petroleum secretary on August 17, according to the letter. The move gives ISGS a central role in the refinery upgradation programme, under which existing refineries are expected to make major investments to modernise their facilities. Under the policy, refineries can enter into upgrade agreements with an entity designated by the Petroleum Division. The framework also provides for the es-
SBP considers phasing out Rs10 note, prepares new Rs5,000 design to curb counterfeiting PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is considering phasing out the Rs10 banknote as printing costs rise, while work is under way on a redesigned Rs5,000 note aimed at making counterfeiting more difficult. According to a news report, the development emerged during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, where Deputy Governor Dr Inayat Hussain briefed members on currency security and proposed changes to banknote denominations. Dr Hussain said the Rs5,000 note, first introduced in 2005, was being redesigned as advances in technology had made counterfeiting easier. A tender was issued for the design process, with four bidders participating, and a consultant firm was subsequently awarded the contract. The consultant is currently incorporating the required changes, after which the proposed design will require approval from the federal government, he said.
tablishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU), comprising technical and financial experts, to support the implementation and monitoring of refinery upgrade projects. ISGS will be responsible for executing upgrade agreements with refineries, opening and managing Refinery Upgrade Accounts, monitoring project implementation, hiring consultants and auditors, and making incentive payments from the upgrade accounts. The expanded mandate places significant technical and financial responsibilities on ISGS, as the implementation
entity will oversee refinery modernisation projects and administer incentives linked to refiners’ investments. Sources in the Petroleum Division said the decision reflected a move to assign the execution and monitoring responsibilities for the multibillion-dollar refinery upgrade programme to ISGS. However, the decision has raised questions over whether ISGS possesses the technical expertise and institutional capacity required to manage the expanded role, given the financial and technical complexities involved in refinery modernisation.
Rs120b Pakistan Remittance Initiative subsidy curtailed due to fiscal constraints, SBP tells Senate panel PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has reviewed the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI), the protection of foreign investors’ funds and concerns over alleged fraudulent practices by companies, deciding to seek further briefings from banks and relevant authorities. According to a news report, the committee was informed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) that the government had initially provided subsidies to banks under the Pakistan Remittance Initiative to facilitate remittances from overseas Pakistanis. The Senate panel was told that Rs120 billion had been provided as subsidies, but the support was curtailed during the previous year. Due to fiscal constraints, the government was unable to continue the subsidy under the current budget. Banks have since decided to bear the associated costs from their own resources to ensure the continued facilitation of remittances, the committee was told. The committee appreciated the continuation of the initiative and
decided to invite selected banks to its next meeting to brief members on their performance and contribution to the remittance sector. The meeting also reviewed the F.E. Circular, 1999, concerning the protection of investments and deposits of foreign investors in Pakistan. SBP Deputy Governor Dr Inayat Hussain informed the committee that instructions had been issued to concerned banks to protect foreign investors’ funds and that, according to SBP records, no such case was pending with the central bank. Banks have since decided to bear the associated costs from their own resources to ensure the continued facilitation of remittances, the committee was told. The committee appreciated the continuation of the initiative and decided to invite selected banks to its next meeting to brief members on their performance and contribution to the remittance sector. The meeting also reviewed the F.E. Circular, 1999, concerning the protection of investments and deposits of foreign investors in Pakistan. SBP Deputy Governor Dr Inayat Hussain informed the committee that instructions had been issued to concerned banks to pro-
tect foreign investors’ funds and that, according to SBP records, no such case was pending with the central bank. However, the committee expressed concern over reports that some cases involving foreign investors might still be unresolved. It sought a detailed statement on any such cases, including their status and the reasons for delays. Separately, Senator Talha Mehmood raised concerns over companies operating in Pakistan that, despite reporting losses, may allegedly engage in fraudulent practices and mislead investors and shareholders about their financial position. He warned that such companies could eventually collapse or leave the country, potentially causing financial losses to shareholders and the public. He called on the government and relevant regulators to scrutinise such companies and take timely action against fraudulent practices to safeguard public investments. The meeting was attended by Senators Sherry Rehman, Muhammad Abdul Qadir, Amir Waliuddin Chishti and Shahzaib Durrani.
storage, smart logistics, environmental monitoring, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence, offering potential avenues for Punjab to benefit from China’s experience in digital technology and datadriven governance.
PARC suspends several officers over alleged recruitment irregularities, Senate panel told PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) has suspended several officers over their alleged involvement in irregularities in the organisation’s recruitment process, senior officials of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research told a Senate committee. The officials informed the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research that an inquiry had been initiated against the officers under the Efficiency and Disciplinary Rules. The committee was also told that the matter was currently sub judice. The committee expressed concern over the failure to provide the required written response and relevant record regarding the alleged recruitment irregularities. Members also discussed the situation of candidates who had applied for PARC vacancies but were approaching the upper age limit. The committee recommended examining a mechanism under which such candidates could be allowed to participate in future PARC recruitment drives even if they subsequently exceed the prescribed age limit. The committee also stressed that the prescribed provincial quota should be applied to all posts, including lower-grade positions. Officials said the required codal formalities for implementing the quota had been completed and assured the committee that it would be enforced. The committee separately reviewed the National Oilseed Policy and the country’s rising edible oil import bill. Officials said the federal government was planning measures to increase domestic oilseed production, with a particular focus on olive cultivation. Senator Ahsan expressed concern over the challenges facing domestic edible oil production and called for practical measures to increase local output. He directed the ministry to submit a comprehensive report covering progress over the past three years, Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects, initiatives related to olive oil production and future plans for increasing domestic oilseed production.
Friday, 28 August, 2026 | KARACHI
SAUDI BUSINESS DELEGATION EXPLORES INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS KEY SECTORS AT SIFC
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PROFITS
STAFF REPORT
high-level Saudi business delegation led by H.H. Prince Mansour bin Mohammad Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, visited the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to explore investment and business opportunities across key sectors of Pakistan’s economy. The visit brought together the Saudi
delegation, senior government representatives and private-sector stakeholders to discuss potential investment projects and strengthen economic and commercial ties between the two countries. SIFC coordinated meetings with representatives from the Power, Petroleum, Privatisation, Industries, Communications and Highways sectors, as well as leading private-sector companies. The engagements covered both Government-toGovernment (G2G) and Business-to-Business (B2B) investment
PIMS fire tragedy reaches Parliament as lawmakers demand probe, accountability CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Another calling-attention notice was submitted by PPP MNA Sehar Kamran and the party’s central information secretary Shazia Marri. It was also signed by lawmakers Shahida Rehmani, Agha Rafiullah and Mirza Ikhtiar Baig. DOCTORS QUESTION SAFETY DECISIONS The tragedy has also sparked criticism within Pims, with senior doctors questioning whether the deaths could have been prevented through better planning and safety measures. A senior doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the inquiry should determine whether flame-proof electrical fittings had been installed in the nursery and examine the responsibilities of the electromedical department regarding specifications, installation and maintenance. The doctor also called for scrutiny of the decision to shift patients to the new building during renovation work, saying the inquiry should examine the authorisation, planning, safety clearance and handover process. Another doctor said the engineering department was responsible for the maintenance and oversight of hospital buildings, electrical installations and equipment. He said investigators should establish whether electrical infrastructure, wiring standards, safety certification, inspections and the building’s fitness had been properly assessed before patients were shifted there. “Responsibility should not be placed solely on the clinical or administrative staff,” he said. EMERGENCY EXITS UNDER SCRUTINY Former Punjab health minister and former Pims vice chancellor Dr Javed Akram criticised the hospital administration’s reported decision to keep emergency doors closed. The administration has maintained that the doors were kept shut to prevent the theft of babies and equipment. Dr Akram rejected the justification, saying security concerns should instead be addressed through CCTV cameras and guards. “I headed the Pims hospital for seven years, but not a single baby was stolen,” he said. He advocated the use of global tagging and GPS-enabled wristbands to prevent babies from being lost or exchanged, and said Pims had previously conducted fire drills and maintained a patient-safety department that had since become “dysfunctional”.
frameworks, with discussions focused on priority sectors offering opportunities for cooperation and investment. According to the SIFC, the visit reflected growing interest among Saudi investors in Pakistan and provided a platform to advance mutually beneficial investment initiatives. The visit comes as Pakistan seeks to deepen its economic partnership with Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan wanted to transform its economic rela-
tionship with Saudi Arabia into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership, in line with the vision of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. During a meeting with the Saudi delegation led by Prince Mansour, the prime minister expressed hope that the visit would build on discussions held during the delegation leader’s previous visits to Pakistan and lead to the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements across multiple sectors.
Pakistan rubbishes claims ‘CDF Munir visited Iran as envoy for US’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
KABUL MUST TAKE ‘TANGIBLE ACTIONS’ AGAINST MILITANTS, SAYS FO Turning to relations with Afghanistan, Andrabi said Pakistan remained open to state-level dialogue with the Afghan Taliban but warned that any proposed security mechanism would only be sustainable if Kabul took practical steps against terrorism. Responding to remarks by Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani about establishing a dedicated mechanism to address contentious issues, the spokesperson said Islamabad welcomed dialogue but would judge any arrangement by its results. “The sustainability of any mechanism will depend on tangible actions rather than mere assurances,” he said. Andrabi said Kabul must ensure that Afghan territory was not used for terrorist attacks against Pakistan and must honour its international commitments, including those under the Doha framework. He specifically demanded effective action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch Liberation Army, which Islamabad accuses of operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan, he said, remained willing to establish institutional coordination if it resulted in “tangible and verifiable counterterrorism measures and effective border management”. The spokesperson also rejected claims that Islamabad had told China’s special envoy for Afghanistan that it no longer wished to negotiate with Kabul, saying he was unaware of any such exchange. He also categorically denied Afghan Taliban claims linking Pakistan to developments in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province and rejected reports that Islamabad was forming a committee on Afghanistan. FO REJECTS INDIAN CLAIMS ABOUT 2025 CONFLICT The FO also rejected claims by former Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan regarding the May 2025 Pakistan-India conflict, particularly his assertion that an Indian Harop drone had accidentally struck Kirana Hills near Sargodha after running critically low on fuel. “We categorically reject the self-contradictory and retrospective claims made by the former Indian chief of defence staff regarding Kirana Hills,” Andrabi
said. He maintained that Pakistan’s air defence had effectively thwarted India’s military objectives during the conflict and that Islamabad’s subsequent response demonstrated its ability to impose costs across the conflict spectrum. “No strategic asset or sensitive infrastructure was compromised in Pakistan,” he said. Andrabi dismissed attempts to revisit the events through what he called selective narratives, saying the operational record of May 2025 could not be altered through retrospective accounts. He added that history was “established by facts and evidence, not by Bollywood-style retrospective claims”. PAKISTAN PROTESTS INDIAN ACTION AT HIGH COMMISSION The FO spokesperson also said Pakistan had lodged a strong protest with India over the demolition of structures outside Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi. He described the Indian action as a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, saying heavy machinery had been used to remove sheds, benches and a walkway adjacent to the consular section.
Nepal flood death toll climbs to 359 as around 1,000 remain missing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
This frame grab taken from video released by the Armed Police Force of Nepal on August 26, 2026 shows rescue workers carrying a person after massive floods and landslides in Rasuwa. —AFP ‘INLAND TSUNAMI’ Rescuers waded through mud and sludge to look for survivors after floodwaters buried the lower floors of multi-storey buildings. Among those hunting for their missing family members was Subash Khatani, who told AFP he was looking for his big brother. “He is among the missing from Rasuwa. That’s why we are out to search for him,” he said. Among the missing tourists from more than two dozen countries, 177 were from India, 63 were from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada. Others included tourists from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa and South Korea, Nepal’s tourism board said. Hiking company Himalayan Glacier told AFP that 47 people from a group, including two children, were missing in Nepal. “Our teams are checking hospitals where victims are coming in,” said the company’s director Sanket Pandey. The sudden rush of mud and debris was “like an inland tsunami, travelling nearly 170 kilometres down the Bhote Koshi valley into Central Nepal”, said environmental historian Ruth Gamble of La Trobe University. “It is a popular route for international tourists travelling from Kathmandu to Lhasa,” she added. “It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us,” said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor being treated in a Nepali hospital. “As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud.” A helicopter ferried him to safety four hours later. “My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud,” he added. “She’s gone.”
Another survivor said he saved himself by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear. Rasuwa, in the north of Nepal, was the first district to be affected. But deaths have been reported from seven Nepali districts in total as the floodwaters raged through to Chitwan in the south, on the border with India. “There is devastation everywhere we look,” said Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa. “The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing.” The Nepali Army was carrying out flights and had rescued scores of people, while others living near the river in danger zones had been told to relocate. China’s leader Xi Jinping said that “the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people”, according to CCTV. Tibet government officials mobilised nearly 800 emergency workers and 150 vehicles as well as sniffer dogs and speed boats to help the rescue efforts, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua said. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it was dispatching emergency supplies including blankets, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags.
PM hails Riyadh’s steadfast support, pivotal role in regional peace, stability CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met a high-level Saudi delegation led by Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council Prince Mansour bin Mohammad AlSaud and reiterated that Pakistan was keen to elevate its economic relationship with Saudi Arabia into such a partnership in line with the vision of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). During the “warm and cordial” meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz conveyed his respectful regards to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Both sides discussed ways to further elevate economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the PMO said. Recalling the longstanding brotherly ties between the two countries, the prime minister discussed avenues for expanding bilateral economic cooperation and investment. He recalled Prince Mansour’s earlier visits to Pakistan and expressed the hope that the current visit would build on those discussions and culminate in the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements across multiple sectors. “In line with the vision of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistan was keen to elevate its economic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into a mutually beneficial strategic economic partnership,” the statement quoted the prime minister as saying.
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Pakistan, UK agree on structured dialogue as Dar, Miliband discuss IWT, regional security CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
The Pakistani foreign minister also raised concerns over “terrorist threats emanating from Afghan soil”, stressing the security challenges posed by militant groups operating from Afghanistan. The two ministers underscored the need for sustained engagement to promote peace, stability and cooperation in the region and beyond. They also discussed the role of the Pakistani diaspora in Britain and agreed on the importance of further strengthening longstanding people-to-people ties between the two countries. The latest meeting formed part of Mr Dar’s wider diplomatic engagements in Britain. During his visit, he also met the head of the International Maritime Organisation and called for “urgent and effective institutional intervention” to secure the release of 10 Pakistani sailors held captive by Somali pirates. He also interacted with British parliamentarians of Pakistani origin and met Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey on Wednesday. The agreement to establish a formal foreign-ministry dialogue mechanism is expected to provide a more structured platform for Pakistan and the UK to coordinate on bilateral, regional and international issues and regularly assess progress in areas of mutual interest.
04 COMMENT
The old switcheroo
Playing Mediator
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AKISTAN’S diplomatic role in the US-Iran conflict deserves to be judged by its substance, not by increasingly inventive attempts to portray Islamabad’s efforts as serving another power’s agenda. The Foreign Office was therefore right to reject as “misleading and factually incorrect” the suggestion that Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir travelled to Tehran as an American envoy. The facts point to something rather different. Pakistan has maintained channels with both Washington and Tehran and has sought to use them to prevent a wider regional conflagration. The latest visit by Field Marshal Munir, accompanied by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, was explicitly focused on de-escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and finding a negotiated way out of the military stalemate. Iranian leaders have themselves acknowledged Pakistan’s constructive role. There is nothing extraordinary about a country using its diplomatic relationships to mediate between parties with which it maintains ties. Indeed, Pakistan has much to lose from a prolonged US-Iran war. Regional instability, disrupted energy supplies, threats to shipping through Hormuz and the prospect of a wider conflict would carry direct economic and security consequences. Islamabad therefore has a vested interest in peace, quite apart from any desire to enhance its diplomatic standing. Field Marshal Munir’s involvement is also significant. His access to both sides has made him an increasingly useful interlocutor at a moment when trust between Washington and Tehran is exceptionally low. His meetings with senior Iranian leaders, following high-level engagement with the American side, suggest that he has acquired a degree of confidence as a channel through which difficult messages can be conveyed. That is not the same thing as becoming an American representative. On the contrary, mediation only works when the mediator retains sufficient credibility with both parties. The continuing war, meanwhile, has created powerful interests opposed to an early settlement. Israel has obvious strategic reasons to regard the weakening of Iran and its regional network as advantageous, and a prolonged confrontation can serve those objectives. The danger of such speculation is that it distracts from the far more consequential question: whether the US and Iran can still find a basis for negotiations. Pakistan’s good offices should consequently be allowed to proceed without being burdened by conspiracy theories. The country cannot impose peace on two much stronger adversaries. It can, however, keep channels open, reduce mistrust and encourage both sides towards a negotiated settlement. For a region exhausted by war, that is a worthwhile role. Islamabad should pursue it with persistence, discretion and realism. Its success will ultimately be measured not by headlines about individual mediators, but by whether diplomacy can once again prevail over force.
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The big picture
At Penpoint M A NIAZI
T was perhaps a sign of the corner that PTI founder Imran Khan, and with him the PTI, finds itself painted, that the matter of his treatment has become such a huge issue, going all the way up to the Supreme Court, which is the latest court to find it has not been able to get its orders obeyed after shadowy and mysterious powers have determined that Imran is not to be allowed to run his party by proxy. The initial court order was seen as a sign to be taken together with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s statement about governance and the need for more provinces, as well as the rumours swirling around the present government, as a sign that some change was in the offing. The possibility of the wheels of justice moving was discounted, even though Imran has legal aid, wealth and social prominence, which are the usual markers for getting around the most serious of charges. However, the government seems to have an objection to his running his party from jail, in the way gang leaders command their gangs from jail. It has stopped his meetings with his lawyers and his family, let alone other party leaders. Lawyers and family members have obtained court orders, but the jail administration has challenged that. The objection seems to be that Imran’s interlocutors, whether lawyers or family members, talk to the press after meeting him. That allows Imran to get his message across, and remain alive in the media. It makes it difficult for the government to achieve the goal of making him disappear from the media. There is the underlying problem that lawyers and family members may also receive messages that would not be for media consumption, but which would be for particular persons. This is a common means by which underworld chiefs, if ever arrested, keep control of their gangs. One of the signs that this was not meant to humiliate Imran, or torture him is that the authorities have stopped short of treating him as a flight risk, of putting him in handcuffs, leg irons and shackles, as is often practised with prisoners who have to visit the hospital. It could be said that Imran was spared that ordeal as a septuagenarian, but the authorities have sent a prisoner of that age to hospital in shackles, and he died while immobilised. The PTI has a right to be concerned about Imran’s health, for he is of an age where the party needs a succession plan. The PTI’s problem is that it is led by someone who has not got a very clear succession visible. Comparable leaders are the PML(N)’s Mian Nawaz Sharif and the PPP’s Asif Zardari, who are both of roughly the same age. Both have put in motion their succession plans, and though Mian Nawaz is still PML(N) President, brother Shehbaz is PM and daughter Maryam is Punjab CM; though Zardari has become President, he is still seen as a placeholder for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
The USA is no longer trusted M. A. Niazi
Babar Nizami
Editor Pakistan Today
Editor Profit
Hard work needed to rebuild
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WASHINGTON WATCH Dr JAMeS J ZOGby
HILE the USA has a long history of signing treaties, making commitments, and then walking away from them (ask Native American tribes about this), this century’s record of US policy in the Middle East is something quite extraordinary. Dramatic policy shifts, broken treaties, promises made and forgotten, foolish wars fought without attention paid to the mess left for others, and the shattering of international law and conventions— all of these have done substantial damage to the region and to the trust that others have in the USA. It’s convenient for Republicans and Democrats to point the finger at the “other side” for the USA’s loss of standing and support in the world. In reality, there’s plenty of blame to be shared by all of this century’s administrations. President George W. Bush started the disastrous wars and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, but Presidents Barack Obama and Joseph Biden ended both badly, compounding the damage that had been done. And while Bush may have flouted international law and conventions with the use of torture, rendition, and extrajudicial targeted killings, Obama further undermined the USA’s commitment to the rule of law by refusing to call for accountability for these crimes. Biden waxed eloquent in his defense of what he called the “international rules-based order.” But he undercut himself when it became clear that his commitment was selective since it only applied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and not to Israel’s genocidal policies in Palestine. And speaking of Palestine, during the first quarter of this century, no administration has taken the firm measures needed to curb Israeli behaviour in the occupied Palestinian territories or in Lebanon and now Syria. The impact has been clear: Israel acts with impunity, Palestinians have lost hope, and the people of the region have lost even a shred of belief that the USA can play a constructive role in peacemaking. Upon this dismal record of this century’s first four administrations, President Donald Trump, since reentering the White House in 2025, has pounded the final nail in the coffin of trust for US leadership in the Middle East. While on one occasion Biden went to the UN Security Council and secured passage of a ceasefire for Gaza— telling the council that Is-
rael approved it, knowing full well that Israel had not agreed to its terms— Trump has taken this practice of dissembling even further. With great fanfare he assembled leaders to an event celebrating his 20-point peace plan to end the Gaza conflict. The problem, of course, was that none of the combatant parties— neither Hamas nor especially Israel— had agreed to its terms. And Trump’s boastful handling of his war with Iran has reached new levels of absurdity. On at least 42 occasions he has announced that the war was over, he had won, or that Iran was begging to negotiate on his terms, only to pivot a day or two later threatening, in violent or vulgar language, to obliterate Iran if they didn’t, as he put it, “wave the white flag” of surrender. Added to this mess are the thousands of Lebanese who’ve been killed and the scores of villages laid waste by Israel since the Trumpbacked ceasefire, the displacement and frightening violence that Israeli settlers and soldiers are wreaking in the West Bank, the continuing genocide unfolding in Gaza, and the insecurity in the Arab Gulf States housing US bases which are being recklessly attacked by Iranian missiles and drones. It is no wonder that Arabs have lost faith not only in the USA’s commitment to regional peace and security, but also to the trustworthiness of the USA as an ally. A problem so big can’t be fixed by one US election. After decades of a dizzying rollercoaster ride of wars based on lies, violations of international laws and conventions, promises made and then broken, and now an administration that acts impulsively and makes contradictory pronouncements as if words have no meaning— trust has been lost. After the disasters resulting from the Bush Administration’s Iraq war, its anti-Arab, anti-
Friday, 28 August, 2026
PML(N) situation is a little complicated,because of theneeed to settle a role for Shehbaz’s son Hamza, who is a contender to succeed his father as Punjab CM, if not as PM. Imran has two families involved, not to mention his sons. Apart from the sisters and their children, there is his wife and her family from her first husband. It might seem odd for stepchildren to come into line, and it is indeed rare. However, the Roman Empire provided an example right at the outset, with Tiberius succeeding Augustus. He was the son of the Empress Livia by her first husband, the Senator Tiberius Claudius Nero (ancestor of the Emperor who fiddled while Rome burnt), but sometime after she married Augustus, the adopted Tiberius. This happened after all of Augustus’s blood relatives (daughters and their issue) had died before him. As a matter of fact, Augustus himself had inherited his political position as Julius Caesar’s heir, not as a son, but as his sister’s son. The situation of Rome in the 1st century does not map exactly onto Pakistan’s in the 21st, and just as \imran is no Augustus, Bushra Bibi is no Livia. His sisters and their offspring are as safe in Lahore, as his own in London. However, there is a further complication within the PTI, and that is the ambition of individuals. Gohar Ali Khan has become Chairman of the party, and while he is a placeholder for Imran, others have got ideas. Some of those with such ideas have moved to the Istehkam Pakistan Party, but there are still those within the party who feel that they have the potential to take over the party, now that it has been founded by Imran, his charisma and his track record. It is worth noting that the PML(N) has got some leaders who think they would measure up to the task if ever the call came. They feel that Mian Nawaz might have founded the party, but the base would not be ready for a hereditary succession. Nobody in the PPP seems to harbour such illusions, even though it has had its share of PMs who were not party leaders. A common factor seems to be that those who have aspirations to either party leadership or the prime ministership seem to wish they had the support of the establishment. Observers have noted that no one, from Bhutto onwards, became head of a national party without establishment support. However, it also needs to be noted that popular leaders have captured the national imagination. In the process, the PPP occupied
the left, the PML(N) the right. The PTI primarily appealed to the left, and some of the right, with the result that it drew a lot of support from the PPP. There thus seems no space for another political force, unless it be a centrist one. The religious parties seem better suited to a proportional representation system, for in the existing first-past-the-post system, the religious vote tends to drift to the PML(N). The possibility of a break-out thus seems limited within the old model of an establishment alliance with a charismatic figure. Only Bhutto was both political and charismatic. Mian Nawaz was political, but hardly charismatic. Imran’s charisma did not come from politics. At a purely human level, the runaround with Imran almost seems farcical. However, the government has a point when it wonders why other prisoners could not claim the same benefit. It should not be forgotten that Asif Zardari, was admitted to a private hospital in Karachi, owned and run by former Petroleum Adviser Asim Hussain, not just party stalwart, but a personal friend. That is a tried method similar to the misuse of the mushaqat system hiring out prisoners for work outside jail. The influential convict gets a friend to obtain him as a mushaqati (the prisoner gladly covering the salary paid to the prison for him), spending his imprisonment at the place of labour, usually the friend’s dera. Both methods are used by prisoners with deep pockets and a driving need to have access to the outside world. That applies either to large landowners who want to supervise their lands by regular inspections, transporters of either people or goods, octroi contractors, or gang chiefs. Apparently, Imran wants to run his party out of jail. The government wants to stop him. The purpose of his imprisonment thus stands revealed for an attempt to tame him. The writer is a member of staff
Both methods are used by prisoners with deep pockets and a driving need to have access to the outside world. That applies either to large landowners who want to supervise their lands by regular inspections, transporters of either people or goods, octroi contractors, or gang chiefs. Apparently, Imran wants to run his party out of jail. The government wants to stop him. The purpose of his imprisonment thus stands revealed for an attempt to tame him.
Editor’s mail
Muslim domestic policies, and its ill-conceived “democracy agenda,” President Obama traveled to Cairo to deliver a speech designed to open a new chapter in US relations with the region. After seven years without decisive followthrough on the promises he’d made in his Cairo address, Obama gave a long interview to The Atlantic/,Magazine in which he blamed the Arabs for not doing enough. When I spoke with him about the speech and that interview, he told me that the expectations of the Arabs had been too high. I responded that he was the one who set the high expectations and made the promises that he would “change Washington, change America, and change the world.” “Don’t blame them,” I said, “for believing you.” What’s evident now is that the Arab world isn’t believing US promises or even our words. They are beginning to find their way in a postUS world order by creating new alliances, finding new partners, and putting their own interests first. If the US is to even have a place in this new order, we will need more than just a new president with promises of change. What will be required is a thoughtful examination of our decades of shortcomings and betrayals leading to new policies toward justice for Palestinians and regional partnerships and security. But acknowledging the problems is only the first step. A demonstrated and sustained commitment to implement a changed approach to the multiple crises we have helped to create or exacerbate across the region must follow. Since it took us a generation to dig deep holes for ourselves in the Arab World, getting out won’t be quick or easy. Restoring trust will take time and hard work. The writer is President, Arab American Institute
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
Revive Post
WITHIN the corridors of bureaucracy and behind closed doors, the whispers of Pakistan Post’s potential privatisation are growing increasingly audible, echoing the fate of thousands of its employees and hundreds of thousands of those Pakistanis who make frequent use of Pakistan Post’s services. The cost of moving ahead with such plans would be massive. Pakistan Post is one of the country’s largest public-sector organisations, with thousands of employees, its own buildings and guesthouses located in the heart of almost every major city across the land. It also operates numerous small offices, staff colonies, schools and much more in the country. It is practically true that, like a few other Pakistani public-sector organisations, Pakistan Post is facing dire fiscal issues owing to an unprecedented commercial downturn and a mounting deficit. Considering these undeniable realities, must privatisation be seen as the only path forward, the last and sole solution, or is meaningful, practicable and effective reform still an option? My view, study, work and research all favour the latter. Competing courier companies neither own their infrastructures nor maintain legions of permanent employees. They operate without their own buildings, but not without direction. Their success and strength lie in swift deliveries, attractive handling, professional manners, targeted marketing, and a logistic system that works, and works efficiently. These private companies do not ask us to wrap our parcels in cloth, and seal them with a rare kind of wax, nor do they rely on handwritten ledgers and daily reports, or outdated delivery systems. They never insist on keeping our books open from one side for availing discounted book-post service. They also provide good services, and people generally trust them. Pakistan Post, on the other hand, has its own ways, and, therefore, it needs urgent reforms, not abrupt privatisation. The available infrastructure and man-power can still be effectively utilised. Pakistan Post does not need more commanders; it needs more foot soldiers. The officer cadre must be downsized, with current individuals reallocated to other groups within the public service structure. Ultimately, it will lighten the load of bloated salaries and undue perks by more than 40 per cent of the total expenditure. Other practical and workable steps can be taken on a priority basis to sustain the lifeline of Pakistan Post. These include refresher courses for lower staff, effective checks and balances, careful handling of parcels, innovative marketing strategies, incentivisation of employees, rationalisation of postal rates. QAMAR ABBAS WARRAICH FAISALABAD
Fatal attendance
A demonstrated and sustained commitment to implement a changed approach to the multiple crises we have helped to create or exacerbate across the region must follow. Since it took us a generation to dig deep holes for ourselves in the Arab World, getting out won’t be quick or easy. Restoring trust will take time and hard work.
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
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Karachi – Ph: 021-32640318 I
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
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ONCE again, monsoon rains laid bare the reality of Karachi’s broken drainage system and failed urban planning. It was a slight drizzle which turned into a heavy spell within no time. Many students of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) initially waited at home, thinking the rain might ease off, but the relentless pressure of 85 per cent mandatory attendance forced them to attend classes even if their lives were at risk. Universities, instead of prioritising student safety, enforce rigid attendance policies as if classrooms matter more than human lives. It was this callousness on the part of the DUHS administration that forced students to suffer flooded streets, trauma and injury. Luckily, there were no deaths. By the afternoon, sewage water had overrun the city. Near the Civil Hospital and around DUHS itself, roads had become rivers. Only I know how I reached home. Later, messages flooded our class groups: entire buses of students remained stranded for up to 10 hours without food, water or phone battery. Some messages were posted at 3am by students who had still not reached home. Imagine the plight of their families as they waited in fear. How helpless they must have felt. This was not just routine mismanagement; it was a grave failure on the part of the DUHS administration that endangered young lives. After 78 years of independence, if the authorities still cannot give Karachi a working drainage system, they should at least announce a precautionary holiday. KARACHI
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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COMMENT 05
The dangerous myth of an ‘Islamic NATO’ Friday, 28 August, 2026
A response to a regional security situation used
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Qamar Bashir
NE of the most consequential outcomes of the Iran war has been the emergence of new security arrangements across the Middle East and its surrounding regions. Among them, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye deserves particular attention. Yet describing this arrangement as an “Islamic NATO” is misleading, unnecessarily provocative and potentially dangerous. It converts a developing defensive arrangement among three sovereign states into an ideological and religious bloc that its signatories themselves have not formally created. The agreement signed in Makkah on August 7 is certainly significant. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye have committed themselves to collective deterrence, including the important principle that an armed attack against one will be regarded as an attack against all three. Their official statement speaks of historical ties, Islamic solidarity, shared strategic interests and defence cooperation. But its declared objectives are collective security, deterrence, peace and regional stability. It is formally called the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement—not Islamic NATO. That distinction matters. Calling it an Islamic NATO immediately injects religion into what should primarily be understood as a strategic security arrangement. If this alliance must be called “Islamic NATO” because its three members are Muslim-majority countries, should NATO itself be described as “Christian NATO” because most of its members historically have Christian-majority populations? Clearly not. Modern alliances are normally defined by strategic interests, geography and shared security concerns rather than the religions practiced by their populations. The Makkah agreement should therefore be viewed in the extraordinary geopolitical environment from which it emerged. The Iran war has profoundly disturbed assump-
tions about security across the Middle East. Countries that once believed distant great powers could guarantee their security have been forced to reconsider how much strategic autonomy they require. Old relationships have been tested, new partnerships accelerated and previously improbable security arrangements have become conceivable. The transformation is especially visible in Syria. Turkiye’s growing influence there has increasingly intersected with Israel’s security calculations. Israeli strikes, Turkish objections and disputes over possible Turkish military activity have created an entirely new potential flashpoint. An Israeli strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase this month produced sharp exchanges between Ankara and Israel, while Washington has been attempting to establish mechanisms preventing their competition inside Syria from escalating into direct confrontation. Only days later, Syria and Israel were again engaged in US-mediated talks intended to reduce tensions, including the danger that Israeli-Turkish rivalry could spill further into Syrian territory. This illustrates just how dramatically the regional chessboard has changed: Syria is no longer merely an arena of the old Iran-Israel confrontation but increasingly a junction where Turkish, Israeli, Syrian, Arab and US security interests overlap. The war has simultaneously returned the Palestinian question to the centre of regional diplomacy and exposed tensions within relationships previously regarded as almost immune from strategic disagreement. It has forced governments from the Gulf to South Asia to reconsider whether traditional bilateral security relationships remain sufficient in an era of missiles, drones, cyberwarfare, disrupted shipping and rapidly shifting alliances. The consequences extend far beyond military affairs. The Strait of Hormuz has demonstrated once again how vulnerable the global economy remains to Middle Eastern conflict. At the other end of the
The ‘American factor’ of years past still exists, but its weight and capacity to shape the bilateral relationship are no longer as pervasive or all-encompassing as they once were A quite shift behind the GLOBAL TIMES Ding gang China-India border talks
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teroperability standards, intelligence-sharing mechanisms, permanent institutions and decades of combined exercises. The Makkah arrangement is at the beginning of its institutional development. Treating the two as equivalent therefore exaggerates the capabilities of the new agreement while simultaneously misrepresenting its purpose. Indeed, serious strategic analysis has described the agreement as evidence of a broader regional realignment while also emphasizing unresolved questions about how its collective-defence commitment would operate in practice. Its members should now remove those ambiguities. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye should publicly define the agreement’s defensive character, institutional mechanisms and geographical scope. They should make clear that it is directed neither against Iran nor Israel, neither against the USA nor Europe, and certainly not against Christianity, Judaism or any other religion. Where their strategic interests permit, cooperation with additional states should be based on common security requirements rather than religious identity. If Muslim states someday wish to construct an explicitly religion-based collective
The international media should exercise the same responsibility. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement deserves scrutiny, debate and even criticism. But it should be judged by its provisions, capabilities and conduct— not assigned a religious identity that its official name does not carry. The world already has enough geopolitical fault lines. It does not need another one manufactured between religions.
How US influence is fading in China-India relations
few years ago, I took part in a dialogue between Chinese and Indian media figures. The atmosphere in the room was cordial, with both sides speaking politely about “good neighborliness” and “the shared interests of major developing countries.” However, deeper talks always hinted at the US, a silent third party. The Chinese side mentioned the “Indo-Pacific Strategy,” while the Indian side spoke of “strategic autonomy.” Both sides recognized that US influence shaped their relationship, a constant, unspoken presence. This latest round of talks in Beijing - the 25th round between the two countries’ special representatives on the boundary question - brought that dialogue to my mind. On the surface, the latest talks appeared to be routine business: Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and China’s Special Representative on the Boundary Question between China and India, and India’s Special Representative and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval sat down to discuss the border and manage differences. But when I place it on a longer timeline, I find that what is genuinely different this time is not what was said at the table - but the world outside that table, which has quietly taken on a new face. The US-led order has subtly shaped China-India ties for a decade. India weighed US opinions on China’s actions, while China assessed whether India’s moves were influenced by its relations with the US. The bilateral relationship, in other words, never truly existed on its own terms - it was always a function of that larger triangular structure. However, in recent years, that oncesolid reference point has begun to loosen. This shift is not the preference of any single US government; rather, it is a deeper, structural change: the transactional turn in American foreign strategy, the rise of protectionism, and an increasingly instrumental approach to allies and partners are altering global expectations about what the US can actually deliver. India, in particular, has genuinely felt this shift over the past few years across various concrete issues - tariffs, energy procurement, and technology cooperation. The “special partnership” it once placed such hope in has not always translated into sub-
Arabian Peninsula, insecurity around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb has reinforced the same lesson. Energy security can no longer be separated from military security. Importing nations consequently have powerful incentives to diversify suppliers, shipping routes, strategic reserves and transportation infrastructure. Meanwhile, the USA itself is confronting growing fiscal pressure. Federal debt crossed $40 trillion in August, according to US Treasury data. Long-term borrowing costs have also risen sharply The 10-year Treasury yield recently stood around 4.7 percent, while the 30-year moved above 5 percent. The average American 30-year fixed mortgage is approximately 6.7 percent. These are nevertheless painful levels for households purchasing homes and for businesses financing investment. War expenditure, energy prices, inflation expectations, fiscal deficits and debt-servicing costs can therefore reinforce one another. The geopolitical struggle is not taking place separately from economics; economics increasingly constitutes another battlefield. The international financial system is undergoing change as well. BRICS members and other countries have increasingly explored settlements using national currencies and alternative payment mechanisms. This greater diversification could gradually reduce Washington’s extraordinary ability to translate control over financial networks into geopolitical leverage. This wider transformation helps explain why the Makkah agreement has attracted so much attention. Pakistan contributes nuclear deterrence, a large professional military and substantial operational experience. Türkiye possesses NATO’s second-largest military and a rapidly expanding indigenous defence industry. Saudi Arabia contributes immense financial capacity, strategic geography and political weight in both the Arab and Islamic worlds. Together they represent a potentially formidable combination. But potential should not be confused with maturity. NATO has existed for more than seven decades. It possesses integrated military planning, command structures, in-
stantive consideration when real interests were at stake. Once such an experience occurs, it cannot simply be erased; it becomes internalized as a longer-term strategic caution - one that means India, even as its relationship with Washington warms again, is unlikely to revert to the old posture of dependence. This is precisely what I find most noteworthy about this round of special representatives’ talks. What was actually discussed differs little from the past - still the same unresolved border questions, still the same disputes requiring deeper communication. But the overall atmosphere sustaining this dialogue, the political will both sides are now willing to invest and the parallel progress unfolding alongside it - such as the resumption of direct flights, the easing of visa restrictions, and the reopening of border trade - all reflect not some breakthrough in the China-India relationship itself, but a change in the underlying reference system by which both sides judge each other. The “American factor” of years past still exists, but its weight and capacity to shape the bilateral relationship are no longer as pervasive or all-encompassing as they once were. Of course, the genuinely thorny structural contradictions between the two countries - territorial disputes, geopolitical competition, and mutual strategic suspicion - will not dissolve simply because the external environment has changed. They will persist for the long term and will continue, from time to time, to generate friction. But my point is this: The significance of this round of talks should not be measured only by “what was discussed.” It should be judged by “what kind of world it took place in.” The shadow of the US that lingered so palpably in that dialogue years ago is now growing fainter - not because of diplomatic efforts on either side, but because of a deeper adjustment now underway in the international order itself. From here on, every dialogue and every round of talks between China and India will be redefined within a new, more enduring strategic environment. This, to me, is the most lasting impression left by this meeting, and it is what I, as a long-time observer, believe is truly worth recording.
The author is a senior editor with the People’s Daily and currently a senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.
security architecture, the logical political forum for debating such an undertaking would be the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Makkah agreement is something different: a strategic defence arrangement among three sovereign countries responding to an increasingly unstable security environment. That distinction must be protected. The Iran war has accelerated changes already developing throughout the international system: greater strategic autonomy, new regional partnerships, competition over energy corridors, pressure on US fiscal power, experimentation with alternative financial arrangements, new tensions surrounding Syria and reassessment of traditional security guarantees. The Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye agreement belongs within this much larger geopolitical transformation. Branding it an “Islamic NATO” reduces that complicated strategic evolution to religion. Worse, it risks manufacturing the very confrontation the agreement should help prevent— an imaginary world of Muslim alliances confronting Christian or Jewish alliances. The international media should exercise the same responsibility. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement deserves scrutiny, debate and even criticism. But it should be judged by its provisions, capabilities and conduct— not assigned a religious identity that its official name does not carry. The world already has enough geopolitical fault lines. It does not need another one manufactured between religions.
The writer retired as Press Secretary the President, and is former Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France and former MD, Shalimar Recording & Broadcasting Company Limited
An $18bn settlement is a drop in the ocean for Meta The cash is chump change for Meta, which made around $60bn in profit last year
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THE GUARDIAN
Chris stokel-Walker
OT many people would count paying $18bn they didn’t expect to when they woke up that morning as a victory. Yet for Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram, the agreement with 52 US attorneys general to settle claims that it designed its products to be addictive to children, and misled people about their safety, could be described as a win of sorts. Meta denies wrongdoing, and the amount it plans to pay will be spread over a decade. Some of it is contingent on other big tech firms not named in its case coughing up too. The cash is chump change for Meta, which made around $60bn in profit last year. More damaging to the tech giant in the long run could be the agreement to unwind some of the mechanics it has spent two decades perfecting to keep us on its platforms. Under-18s in the US will face a default two-hour daily limit on Facebook and Instagram, with access blocked overnight – unless a parent changes the setting. Teachers will be glad to hear notifications will be muted during school hours, while teenagers will be nagged as much by the platform itself as their parents about exactly how long they have spent staring at their screens. All of these are significant changes that materially change how the company’s products work – and all of them should be welcomed. But in lots of ways, Meta has got off lightly with this agreement, both in what it’s been asked to do and the fine it must pay. What the decision shows, just months after Meta chose to fight its corner in court, and lost significantly, is how the economics of fighting social media litigation have changed. This settlement signifies an important and deliberate shift in strategy. In August, Meta went to court in New Mexico – a decision that cost it dearly. The judge there ordered the firm to pay $942m and overhaul some protections for children – a decision it is appealing. The fact that Meta lost that case, and was found to have done wrong, was far more damaging than this week’s settlement without liability, even if the amounts involved are smaller. Still, thousands more cases involving social media addiction claims are still wending their way through US courts. And chastened by a couple of losses, it looks – at least in this instance – like Meta has taken the approach that a pyrrhic victory
About a third of the settlement it has agreed to pay is conditional on TikTok and YouTube introducing similar restrictions and each making matching payments. Meta is publicly calling on both companies to sign up
is better than the risk of another real loss. Settlements without admission of fault don’t set precedents, while court judgments absolutely do, in a way that could quickly spiral out of control for Meta’s product offering. While Meta has had to make significant changes to its platforms as a result of this week’s settlement, it still ultimately has control over what changes are made, and has sought to limit them to the bare minimum. Settling, however expensive, is a way of protecting its core business proposition. Meta now faces a Hobson’s choice when it comes to litigation. It can gamble on a jury and risk vast damages, damaging internal disclosures and a judge deciding which parts of Instagram or Facebook must change. Or it can pay an eye-watering but manageable sum to settle, negotiate the product changes on its own terms and staunch the bleeding. That $18bn is certainly more than most companies could pay, but it pales in comparison with the $1.5tn Meta’s own PR team warned the case could cost it had it gone through the courts – and the more realistic $200bn the prosecuting lawyers sought to squeeze from the firm. And even more than that, Meta has managed to make some of the bill somebody else’s problem. About a third of the settlement it has agreed to pay is conditional on TikTok and YouTube introducing similar restrictions and each making matching payments. Meta is publicly calling on both companies to sign up. As this is a negotiated settlement – and
one in which no one wins, but Meta certainly doesn’t lose – not everyone has been won over. While attorneys general from 48 US states agreed to Meta’s proposition, Florida’s representative has publicly rejected the deal and intends to continue pursuing Meta. James Uthmeier dismissed the settlement as “peanuts” and said “We’ll see them at trial.” Nor is this necessarily just an American story. The settlement formally applies only to the participating US states and territories. A Meta spokesperson told me it already offers strong protections for teenagers elsewhere. It will watch how the new measures work before deciding what comes next internationally. But running substantially different versions of Facebook and Instagram around the world is hardly attractive. And Meta has now demonstrated putting these restrictions in place is possible. Given the drive towards child safety online in the UK and Australia, it seems likely that politicians will soon ask why American teenagers get them and children in their own countries don’t. The UK’s own Online Safety Act is a useful stick for the government to wield in this instance, adding extra leverage to bring those changes here, too. And it’s that which may prove the settlement’s biggest consequence. Meta has paid billions to manage to duck liability in one court case. But in doing so, it may have opened up the possibility of change in a raft of other countries.
TRUMP DOWNPLAYS SIGNIFICANCE OF TRUMP TOWER FOUND ON EPSTEIN ISLAND SATIRE
D
THE ONION
ISMISSING news of the 70story skyscraper as a “hit job” manufactured by the mainstream media, President Donald Trump downplayed the significance of a Trump Tower found on Little St. James, the island once owned by the late child predator Jeffrey Epstein. “Look, there’s a lot of buildings with my name on it, one of which just so happen to be on Jeffrey Epstein’s island,” said Trump, who ac-
cused Democrats and news outlets of attempting to gin up a controversy over the immense luxury hotel emblazoned with his name that sits on the private island’s beachfront, the top floor of which was reportedly rented out to an organization called Pedophile Industries to use as a headquarters. “There’s a Trump Tower in Chicago and Manila, but nobody seems to get upset about those. That sign could be referring to any Trump. Either way, since when did it become illegal to build high-end real estate developments on a sex trafficker’s island?” The president refused to answer when asked about Trump Tower Dachau.
06 NEWS
QAtAR PM tO viSit teHRAn AS DOHA PUSHeS tO Revive US-iRAn DiPlOMACy
Q
HORMUZ DISPUTE REMAINS CENTRAL Military activity has declined in recent weeks. The US military’s Central Command has not announced attacks on Iran for nearly a month, while Washington has increasingly signalled a reliance on economic pressure, including plans to further isolate Iran from trading partners through sanctions. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped sharply. According to the latest ship-tracking data, only 5 million barrels per day passed through the route on Monday, the lowest level in three months. Before the war, the strait handled about 20 million barrels per day of crude. The UN’s International Maritime Organization has recorded 70 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, resulting in the deaths of 19 seafarers. Thousands more people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, saying their objectives were to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, support Iranians seeking to overthrow their government, and destroy Iran’s missile programme. TEHRAN AND MUSCAT GIVE DIFFERING SIGNALS Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that Iran and Oman had reached
CAIRO/DUBAI AGENCIES
ATAR’S Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman alThani is due in Tehran on Thursday to discuss efforts to restart diplomacy between the United States and Iran, after both sides traded accusations over Washington’s move to intensify economic pressure on Tehran by targeting its trade partners with sanctions. Qatar, which shares the Gulf with Iran while also maintaining close ties with the United States, has been acting as a backchannel intermediary between the two sides. It also played a direct part in securing the June ceasefire that briefly halted hostilities. The visit comes as the conflict approaches its sixth month. Although fighting has largely paused, there has been no diplomatic breakthrough, and the two sides remain divided over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil supplies that Tehran has used as leverage. The earlier memorandum of understanding fell apart in part because of disagreements over the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies moved before the war began on February 28.
an understanding on how to share control of the waterway and its revenues. But a senior Iranian source later said the two sides were still working out the details. In comments reported by Reuters, the senior Iranian source said, "An agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz has not been finalised" and added that talks were continuing on the terms of an accord. That account appeared to differ from re-
marks by Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who said Iran and Oman had "reached results that are acceptable to both sides" on the issue of control over the strait and its revenues. Mohebbi also said the strait would remain closed unless the United States met Tehran’s conditions under the interim ceasefire, or memorandum of understanding,
South Korea says Meta youth safety changes should extend worldwide SEOUL
AGENICES
South Korea's media regulator said on Thursday that changes proposed by Meta to limit potentially addictive features for younger users should, in its view, be applied globally as authorities in Seoul weigh tighter rules for how social media platforms serve minors. The Korea Media and Communications Commission said in a statement to Reuters that social media companies must take stronger responsibility for protecting children and teenagers online. The regulator also pointed to seven bills now pending in parliament that are aimed at strengthening safeguards for young users. The commission said it believes tougher obligations are needed for plat-
form operators to ensure Korean youth can use social networking services more safely. In its comments, the KMCC specifically highlighted measures that target features seen as encouraging excessive use, including algorithm-based content recommendations, visible engagement counts such as likes, and push notifications intended to draw users back to platforms. The regulator said these proposed corrective steps for younger users "would ideally be applied to youth users worldwide as well." US SETTLEMENT AND SOUTH KOREAN REVIEW The remarks came after landmark settlements announced in the United States on Wednesday, under which Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and introduce a set of changes to Facebook and Instagram. Several states had accused the
company of designing products that contributed to youth addiction and damaged mental health. The changes include limits on time spent using the platforms, curbs on notifications, stronger age-verification tools, the choice of non-algorithmic feeds and the option to hide likes and similar engagement signals for younger users. South Korea has also been moving toward stricter oversight of minors' social media use as concern grows over screen time and the role of recommendation algorithms in keeping young users engaged. LEGISLATION UNDER DISCUSSION At a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung in July, KMCC Chairman Kim Jong-cheol said the regulator was reviewing phased restrictions on social media use by minors, including limits on
algorithms and other features that could encourage excessive use among teenagers. Kim said seven related legislative proposals were already pending in the National Assembly. A KMCC spokesperson said on Thursday that the commission supports efforts to move the bills forward through public discussion and consultation. Proposals being discussed include restricting access to social media for users under 14 and limiting algorithms and other platform tools that could encourage excessive use among teenagers aged 14 to 19, Kim said. The debate in South Korea reflects a broader international push to strengthen online protections for children, although proposed limits on minors' access to social media have also faced criticism over privacy issues and questions about how such rules would be enforced.
US military tribunal sets 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in 9/11 case WASHINGTON AGENCIES
A US Air Force judge on Wednesday set June 5, 2028, as the start date for the military tribunal trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of planning the September 11, 2001, attacks, along with three co-defendants. The order by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama is the latest step in a case that has remained entangled in legal delays for about two decades. The four men are being held at the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where proceedings related to the case have moved slowly amid prolonged pretrial disputes. TRIAL SCHEDULE AND DEFENDANTS Under Schrama’s 11-page order, Mohammed will be tried alongside Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. The trial is to begin with the selection of a panel made up entirely of service members, who will serve as the jury under military
justice procedures. According to the schedule laid out in the order, opening statements will begin 30 calendar days after the panel is seated. That will be followed by the prosecution’s presentation of evidence. After that stage, the defendants may move for findings of not guilty, with both sides allowed to argue those motions and respond to each other. Prosecutors may also reopen their case, while the defence
is to begin presenting its main evidence 60 calendar days after the prosecution finishes. The proceedings are set to conclude with a sentencing phase. PLEA DEAL SETBACK The scheduling order follows a decision last month by a US appeals court that blocked Mohammed and two of his co-defendants from entering guilty pleas under agreements that would have removed the possibility of the death
penalty. That ruling overturned earlier decisions by both a military judge and the US Court of Military Commission Review, which had backed the plea arrangement. The plea agreement had been offered last year and was accepted by the official responsible for overseeing the Pentagon’s Guantanamo war court system. However, it was later withdrawn in August by then-US defence secretary Lloyd Austin after the deal drew criticism from Republican lawmakers. Schrama also turned down prosecutors’ request to open the trial in January 2027, saying that timeline would not leave enough time for the resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions. Mohammed remains the best-known detainee at Guantanamo, the facility established in 2002 by then-US president George W Bush to hold foreign militant suspects after the September 11 attacks. He is accused of directing the plot in which hijacked passenger aircraft were flown into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.
Friday, 28 August 2026 | KARACHI
signed in June before it later broke down. Those conditions, include ending the US blockade on Iranian ports, providing compensation, and lifting sanctions. Iran and Oman have been holding intermittent talks for weeks over the management of traffic through the strait, while Tehran and Washington have each sought to assert authority over the channel through separate blockades. QATAR SAYS TALKS WILL FOCUS ON DE-ESCALATION Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Sheikh Mohammed would discuss the continuation of Qatar’s mediation efforts, along with other regional developments, during his Tehran visit. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on X that the Qatari premier would also raise the issue of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the need to restore the situation that existed before February 28. The spokesperson added that he would discuss with Iranian officials ways to de-escalate tensions and create the conditions conducive to dialogue. Before the war, the international waterway had been open to free navigation. Since then, Iran has maintained its control over the strait as both leverage and a source of revenue, seeking to charge ships a commission, a move opposed by the United States.
SUPARCO Holds 3rd Regional ‘Space4Climate’ Symposium LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), through its Space Applications Center for Climate Sciences (SACCS), successfully conducted the Third Regional Symposium on the theme “Space4Climate – Waterways & Land Cover Dynamics, Crop Monitoring, Air Quality/Smog and Heatwave Hazard Assessment” here at a local hotel. The symposium brought together senior government officials, policymakers, scientists, researchers, development partners, academia, and environmental experts to strengthen collaboration on the application of space technologies for climate resilience and sustainable development. The symposium served as a strategic platform to showcase Pakistan's indigenous space-based capabilities for climate monitoring and to promote evidence-based policymaking through satellite-derived climate intelligence. Participants discussed emerging climate risks facing Punjab and the country, including floods, disasters, deteriorating air quality, heatwaves and changing water resources, while highlighting the critical role of Earth observation technologies in addressing these challenges.
China urges Philippines to remove unlawfully 'grounded' vessel from Ren'ai Jiao STAFF CORRESPONDENT BEIJING
A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday urged the Philippines to tow away a vessel unlawfully "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao and cease all provocative acts in the South China Sea. Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference in response to a media query regarding the Philippine vessel BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), which recently received a fresh shipment of supplies. It was reported that the Philippine side has repeatedly attempted to use such resupply missions to smuggle in reinforcement materials in order to permanently anchor the vessel on the reef. Ren'ai Jiao is part of China's Nansha Qundao, Zhang said, noting that China and the Philippines had reached a provisional arrangement on the humanitarian resupply of living necessities for handling the situation at Ren'ai Jiao. China would not accept any attempt by the Philippines to deliver construction materials, build fixed facilities or establish a permanent outpost on the reef, Zhang said, adding that China would take measures to prevent such actions in accordance with the law. He said China remains committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, while upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea.
No negotiations underway between US, Iran: White House press secretary WASHINGTON AGENCIES
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that there were currently no negotiations underway between the United States and Iran, according to Reuters. In an interview with Fox News, Leavitt also said that "all options" remained on the table. Iran's Ghalibaf says Iran will 'defeat the enemy' in economic war Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says the country is facing an "all-out economic war", saying that the government, backed by the people, the private sector and other branches, will "defeat the enemy in this arena". Ghalibaf made the remarks on Thursday in a message marking Government Week that started on August 24. He stressed the importance of national unity, solidarity and cooperation among different branches of the government to overcome the country’s current challenges. He said supporting the government does not mean overlooking its shortcomings, but rather trusting it to better serve the people. He added that the government has taken effective measures to run the country despite the economic consequences of the war and is working to address its weaknesses. Iran says US owes full compensation for damages caused by unilateral sanctions
Iran said on Wednesday that the US bears international responsibility for damages caused by its unilateral sanctions and must provide full compensation, including restitution and reparations. In a message to the UN and Security Council, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the US measures as an “economic terrorism campaign” carried out through unilateral coercive measures, which he said are unlawful under international law. “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to resort to all available means to pursue accountability, compensation and redress, and to hold the perpetrators of these inhumane and unlawful acts accountable,” Araghchi said, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. He said the US campaign “entails international responsibility, including an obligation to provide full compensation for all material and moral damages, including restitution and reparations, in accordance with international law.” Araghchi also said the US bears “full international responsibility” and can face individual criminal responsibility, if the relevant legal elements are established, for the consequences of “unlawful and criminal acts and the harm caused to the Iranian people.” He urged the UN Security Council and member states to condemn and reject Wash-
ington’s use of “unilateral coercive measures and secondary sanctions” to pressure sovereign states into changing their legitimate economic interests and trade relations. Iran also called on countries not to recognise, approve or implement such measures that seek to link their sovereign rights to policies unilaterally determined by Washington. Araghchi urged the US “to immediately halt threats and coercive actions aimed at forcing third countries and their nationals to alter legitimate economic relations and interests.” He also called on the UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres to assess and report on the humanitarian and human rights consequences of such measures, including their impact on civilians’ access to food, medicine, health care, energy, transportation and humanitarian assistance. Araghchi said relevant evidence should be independently assessed, documented and preserved to ensure future accountability. Greek-operated air defence system shoots down drones over Saudi An air defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted a swarm of drones on Thursday in the wider Yanbu region, home to major oil refining facilities, Greek security sources told Reuters. It was the third time the Greek-operated
system has been used in combat since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, underscoring the widening military role of European allies in defending Gulf energy infrastructure. "The battery engaged the drones in coordination with Saudi air defence systems," one of the sources said, adding that the Greek Patriot system launched three missiles, without detailing the number of drones downed or their origin. Greece has deployed a US-made Patriot air defence battery, operated by Greek personnel, in Saudi Arabia since 2021 under an agreement to help protect the kingdom's energy facilities.
IRAN UNABLE TO IMPORT PETROL AMID US BLOCKADE: OFFICIAL Iran has been unable to import enough petrol to make up for insufficient domestic production because of a US naval blockade, a senior Iranian official said, AFP reported. “Petrol production is insufficient, and because of the US naval blockade, we cannot import it,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah as saying. The remarks came as Iranians have in recent days queued outside petrol stations, with the war with the United States increasingly shifting towards economic pressure on Tehran.
Friday, 28 August, 2026 | KARACHI
CORPORATE CORNER
Siemens Healthineers appoints new CEO for Pakistan & Afghanistan ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Siemens Healthineers has appointed Evelyn Gunnewig as Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan & Afghanistan, reinforcing the company's long-term commitment to advancing healthcare across both markets. In her new role, Gunnewig will lead strategic priorities focused on healthcare innovation, digital transformation, and the adoption of AI-enabled technologies that support better clinical and operational outcomes. Building on a legacy that began in Lahore in 1922, Siemens Healthineers has partnered with healthcare providers in Pakistan for more than a century. The company continues to support healthcare systems through innovation, clinical excellence, and technologies that improve access to quality care. Leveraging its comprehensive portfolio spanning imaging, diagnostics, cancer care, minimally invasive therapies, and digital and artificial intelligence technologies, the company is poised to support critical areas such as Cardiology, Oncology, Neurology, and Non-Communicable Diseases across both markets. Evelyn Gunnewig brings more than 15 years of international leadership experience across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Australia. Her experience in driving business growth, transformation, and strategic partnerships positions her well to further strengthen Siemens Healthineers' engagement with customers and stakeholders across Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Living Life in Light of Seerah, the Holy Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
The 34th Annual Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) Celebration and Unity among Muslims was held on the night of 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1448 AH, corresponding to Tuesday, 25 August 2026, at Mehfil-e-Murtaza, Plot No. L-163, Block 3, PECHS, Kashmir Road, Karachi. The event was hosted by Muhammad Ali Merchant, while the recitation of the Holy Qur’an was presented by Qari Shakoor Ali. Religious scholars, intellectuals, poets, and Naat reciters representing different schools of thought attended the gathering. As part of the programme, Allama Anwar Ali Najafi, Maulana Asghar Dars, Shahid Sher Ali, and Sheikh Mustafa Shafqat Hussain Ahmednagarwala participated in a discussion titled “Place of Worship”, focusing on the Seerah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Mufti Abdul Basit Durrani and Dr. Allama Shah Ferozud-Din Rahmani also addressed the gathering and shed light on various aspects of the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Naat-e-Rasool Maqbool was presented by Qari Waheed Zafar Qasmi, Hussain Mustafa Bhai Shahjapuri, and Naeem Huzaifa Bhai Karachi Wala.
Chinese companies express keen interest in transferring production and technical expertise to Punjab LAHORE
STAFF REOIRT
Punjab has offered itself as a potential manufacturing and export hub for China, with the provincial government highlighting its investment-friendly environment, strategic location, industrial base and incentives for Chinese investors. A Business and Investment Conference was held in Guiyang in collaboration with the government of Punjab and the government of China’s Guizhou province. Provincial Minister for Agriculture Ashiq Kirmani, representing Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, also attended the Foreign Economic and Trade Corporation Symposium. Senior officials of leading Chinese companies and Chinese investors participated in the conference. Leading Chinese business representatives were briefed on Punjab’s investor-friendly environment in line with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision. Chinese investors were invited to visit various Special Economic Zones established across Punjab. Chinese companies expressed keen interest in transferring production facilities and technical expertise to the province. A detailed briefing on Punjab’s economic and investment potential was given at the conference. Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Ashiq Kirmani highlighted the province’s economic strengths and investment opportunities, while the Punjab government apprised Chinese investors of incentives being offered to attract and facilitate Chinese investment. During the conference, the provincial minister also held productive meetings with Chinese companies and business delegations.
NEWS 07 CM MARYAM LEADING REVOLUTIONARY REFORMS IN HEALTHCARE, RESCUE SERVICES AND URBAN SAFETY: AZMA
P
LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
UNJAB Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari on Wednesday said that under the dynamic leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the provincial government was implementing revolutionary and peoplecentric reforms in the key sectors of healthcare, rescue services and urban safety across Punjab. She said the Chief Minister had inaugurated a modern cardiac catheterization (cath) lab in Jhang, while state-of-the-art cath labs would soon become operational in 16 districts of the province. Azma Bokhari said one cath lab would be inaugurated every week and all 16 facilities would be fully functional by next month. She added that these modern units were equipped with the latest medical technology and offered facilities comparable to international-standard hospitals. Highlighting the significance of the initiative, she said that in the past cardiac patients were compelled to travel to far-off cities for angiography, wasting precious time and financial resources and often waiting for days for appointments. With the establishment of modern cath labs at
the district level, she said, patients would now be able to receive timely and quality cardiac care within their own districts. Azma Bokhari said that the Chief Minister’s visits were not ceremonial in nature but focused on direct public engagement, listening to citizens’ concerns and ensuring on-the-spot solutions. She added that government hospitals across Punjab were being upgraded to international standards, with special emphasis on cleanliness, noting that the Chief Minister herself was personally supervising the deep-cleaning process. She expressed these views while addressing a key press conference at the Directorate General Public Relations
(DGPR), alongside Director General Rescue 1122 Dr Rizwan Naseer. Speaking about Rescue 1122, Azma Bokhari said the United Nations certification awarded to the service was a recognition of its dedication, professional competence and sacrifices. She termed it a great honor for Pakistan, particularly Punjab, and emphasized that such recognition was achieved through consistent hard work and professionalism, not mere claims. She further announced that Rescue 1122 services would be expanded to the tehsil level across Punjab within this year to ensure rapid and effective response during emergencies.
KP Sets Historic Benchmark in Municipal Governance PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT
In a landmark step toward establishing fiscal discipline, radical transparency, and modern public financial management at the grassroots level, the Reforms and Monitoring Unit of the Local Government, Elections & Rural Development Department (LGE&RDD), Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has finalized the Local Council Board Accounting and Financial Reporting Rules, 2026. The pioneering regulatory framework is currently undergoing legal vetting at the Law Department and is scheduled for formal submission to the Provincial Cabinet in the first week of September. This initiative marks the first time in Pakistan that municipal bodies are transitioning away from archaic single-entry and manual cash systems to internationally standardized, accrual-based accounting aligned with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). WIDE-RANGING INSTITUTIONAL SCOPE The new rules will immediately govern financial operations across: 134 Tehsil Municipal Administra-
tions (TMAs), The Local Governance School (LGS), and The Local Council Board (LCB) itself. Following Cabinet approval, the Local Government Department will extend this standardized framework in phases by making rules across all local government formations, including Village & Neighbourhood Councils (VCs/NCs), Assistant Directorate Local Government (AD-LG) offices, Urban Area Development Authorities (UADAs), the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), the MD UADA Office, and the Land Use & Building Control Authority. SALIENT PILLARS OF THE 2026 RULES Accrual-Based Accounting & Balance Sheets: Replaces outdated bookkeeping with standardized asset and liability accounting, ensuring complete institutional balance sheets. Daily Bank Reconciliations: Mandates automated, daily reconciliation with commercial accounts to halt cash discrepancies and unauthorized transactions. Robust Internal Control & Audit: Embeds structured internal control mechanisms and an independent internal audit function across all local councils to mitigate fiscal risk. Radical Public Transparency:
FBR Conducts Tax Awareness Session at Pakistan Academy of Letters ISLAMABAD
CCP Records Competition Concerns at Open Hearing on Real Estate Sector ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
On the directions of the Chairman FBR, Mr. Rashid Mahmood Langrial, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote tax awareness and foster a culture of voluntary tax compliance, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) conducted a Tax Awareness Session at the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad. The session was organized by FBR’s Taxpayers’ Services Wing (TPS) and was attended by Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif, Chairperson, Pakistan Academy of Letters, Dr. Bibi Ameena, Deputy Director Academics, Mr. Muhammad Asim Butt, Director/Chief Editor, along with officers and staff members of the Academy. The FBR delegation comprised Mr. Muhammad Muti-ur-Rehman Mumtaz, Secretary, Tax Education & Facilitation and Mr. Abdul Rehman Sheikh, Second Secretary, Tax Facilitation. Mr. Muhammad Muti-ur-Rehman Mumtaz provided an overview of FBR’s mandate and functions and highlighted the importance of tax compliance in national development. He also briefed the participants on the major reforms and digital initiatives undertaken by FBR to facilitate taxpayers, enhance transparency and broaden the tax base. The participants were apprised of key initiatives including Point of Sale Integration, Track & Trace System, Digital Invoicing, Faceless Customs System, Cargo Tracking System, Direct Port Delivery System, Reward & Rating System, and the use of Video Analytics for production monitoring in various sectors.
For the first time, all monthly and annual financial statements, balance sheets, and budget executions of local councils will be published online for direct public review and civil society oversight. A SENIOR OFFICIAL OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT STATED: "True municipal autonomy requires absolute financial integrity. By introducing IPSAS-aligned accounting standards and institutionalizing double-entry controls, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is eliminating the discretion and opacity that historically plagued local councils. This is not merely an administrative update; it is an economic safeguard that ensures every rupee allocated to local bodies is fully accounted for, protected against leakages, and channeled directly into civic development." The official further noted that these regulatory rules serve as the foundational bedrock for the department's broader digital transformation program, under which the Computerized Financial Management Information System (CFMIS) has already been launched, with comprehensive rollout details to be formally unveiled in the coming weeks.
STAFF REPORT
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) held an Open Hearing on competition issues in the real estate sector, bringing consumers, regulators, government bodies and industry representatives together to place their concerns, complaints and responses before the Commission. The hearing gave consumers and investors an opportunity to share their experiences directly, while developers, builders, real estate professionals, industry associations and representatives of federal and provincial regulatory bodies presented their perspectives. Deceptive marketing, misleading claims, hidden charges and misrepresentation of project approvals emerged among the key concerns. The Commission’s bench comprising Chairman CCP Mr. Farid Ahmad Tarar and Member Ms. Bushra Naz Malik conducted the open hearing. It was held under Section 29(c) of the Competition Act, 2010. Senior officials from NAB, CDA, RDA, FGEHA, Ministry of Housing and Works, SECP, PPRA, PTA, IPO Pakistan. Punjab Land Records Authority, ICT Administration and the Office of the District Magistrate participated, along with representatives of major housing societies real estate businesses and consumers were in attendance.Opening the proceedings, Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar said the purpose was to hear all sides before the Commission forms its view on competition concerns affecting the sector. “Real estate represents a major financial commitment for ordinary citizens.
UMT achieves outstanding success in Global Universities Ranking 2026 LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
The University of Management and Technology (UMT) has achieved a significant milestone in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings 2026, securing 4th position among Pakistan’s private universities, 161in Asia and 573 position globally. Chairman and President UMT, Ibrahim Hasan Murad, congratulated the faculty, research scholars, students and
administration on the achievement, saying that UMT’s strong position in the global rankings reflects its commitment to maintaining high standards in education and research, as well as the sustained efforts of the entire UMT community. He said UMT’s continued achievements in education and research are a matter of pride for Pakistan and demonstrate the potential of Pakistani universities to achieve international recognition in education, research and innovation.
Ibrahim Murad said UMT is focusing on further strengthening its global standing through excellence in education, research, innovation and international collaboration. He appreciated the contributions of faculty members, researchers, students and the administrative team, saying that the achievement would serve as an impetus for setting and achieving even higher goals in the future. Chairman UMT expressed confidence that UMT will soon join the ranks
of the world’s leading universities. He emphasized the need to promote highquality research, internationally relevant academic programs and greater opportunities for students and faculty to further strengthen Pakistan’s representation among leading global universities. He reiterated UMT’s commitment to mobilizing all available resources to further elevate the university’s position on the global academic landscape and enhance its contribution to Pakistan’s higher education and research sector.
Expressing sorrow over the Karachi Gul Plaza tragedy, Azma Bokhari described the incident as deeply heartbreaking, extended condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the safe recovery of the missing persons. She said that even prior to this tragedy, the Chief Minister Punjab had been taking concrete steps to further modernize Rescue 1122. She revealed that a building grading system had now been introduced across the province, under which structurally safe buildings would be categorized as Agrade, while others would be graded according to their condition. She added that the firefighting sector was being upgraded with modern technology, including drones and state-of-the-art equipment. Azma Bokhari said that Rescue 1122 would provide WASA with a geo-tagged list of water hydrants, while all stakeholders were being taken on board to ensure strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in plazas, schools and hospitals. She said directives had been issued to ensure complete SOP compliance within two weeks, adding that a separate monitoring cell was being established, with special powers granted to the PERA Force to assist in oversight.
Rubina Khalid chairs BISP World Bank review meeting BEIJING
AGENICES
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search for and rescue people who are missing after a mudslide in Nepal caused casualties at Gyirong border port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday morning. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for efforts to evacuate at-risk residents and provide timely medical treatment to the injured to minimize casualties. He made the instructions after a mudslide occurred around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Nepal, which caused severe casualties and left people unaccounted for at Gyirong border port in Gyirong County. Xi also stressed the need to strengthen monitoring and early warning, ensure scientific rescue operations and guard against secondary disasters. Noting that China is currently in a critical period of flood control, he urged local authorities and relevant departments to prepare for worst-case scenarios and extreme situations, fully implement flood- and typhoon-prevention measures, and step up efforts to identify and address potential risks and hazards. He demanded resolute action to prevent major and catastrophic disasters and accidents and safeguard people's lives and property. Premier Li Qiang also issued instructions, calling for an immediate verification of the number of missing and affected people and for all-out rescue and relief efforts.
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Friday, 28 August, 2026
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