A dangerous war must not be allowed to spread

Pakistan and Iran have once again promised to work more closely together. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni met in Islamabad and spoke about border security, fighting terrorism, stopping drug trafficking, and tackling illegal immigration and human trafficking. All of this sounds good on paper. But Pakistan has heard such promises before, and the real question is whether this meeting will lead to actual change on the ground. The Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan border region has long been a weak point for both countries. Smugglers, drug traffickers, and militant groups have used this stretch of land for years, often moving freely between borders that are poorly monitored. Simply agreeing that better coordination is needed is not enough. What Pakistan and Iran actually need is a clear plan, with deadlines and shared resources, to secure this border properly. Intelligence sharing only works if both sides act on the information they receive, not just discuss it in meetings. The timing of this visit also deserves attention. Tensions between the United States and Iran have grown sharper in recent days, with military exchanges raising fears about wider instability in the Middle East. In such a moment, Pakistan’s outreach to Iran is a sensible move. A stable and cooperative relationship with a neighbour that shares a long and sensitive border is simply good policy, regardless of what is happening between Iran and other countries. However, there is a risk that trade and economic cooperation will once again take a back seat to security talk. Pakistan and Iran have discussed expanding trade, transit, and agricultural cooperation many times in the past, yet actual trade volumes between the two countries remain far below their potential. If this relationship is to mean something for ordinary people, Pakistan must push harder to convert these diplomatic meetings into working trade routes, joint agricultural projects, and real economic opportunities.

An eight-member medical board has found that Mir Raza Ali died from a gunshot wound to the back. The board also found several serious injuries on his body from before death. This discovery changes the direction of a case that has drawn wide attention. The report came after a court ordered his grave to be opened at Karachi’s Rehmanial Masjid Graveyard. Doctors found a small entry wound on his upper back. The bullet broke a rib, tore through the heart, and exited from the chest. Doctors also found blood collected under the skin. This shows the injury happened while he was still alive. The doctors found more injuries too. They found bruises on the skull, a broken nose bone, and swelling on the face. There was also a crack running along the back of the skull, filled with dried blood. Marks were found near the throat area as well, though decay in the body made some tests harder to complete. The board has not given a final cause of death yet. Doctors have sent skin, muscle, hair, and bone samples for further testing. This new report turns the case from a missing person search into a suspected murder investigation. The Sindh government deserves credit here. By backing a court-ordered exhumation and a full medical board review, it has given this case a real chance at truth and justice. This kind of careful, science-based approach is exactly what difficult cases like this need. But what we need is a clear and reliable system for postmortem examinations across the board. Every case deserves properly trained doctors, modern lab facilities, and independent oversight from the start. Delays and unclear reports only hurt victims and their families. The Sindh government should build on this case by setting fixed rules for exhumations and postmortems, so families never have to wait years for the truth.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has given a clear warning. Heavy monsoon rains, thunderstorms and strong winds will hit most of the country from July 24 to July 28. Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are all on the forecast list. This is not a small warning. It is a signal that the country needs to prepare now, not after the flooding starts. The pattern is familiar. Every monsoon season, cities like Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad and Sukkur face urban flooding when drains fail to handle the water. Every year, weak buildings, electric poles and trees fall in strong winds. Every year, people in the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir face landslides and flash floods on slippery roads. These are not surprises anymore. They are known risks, and known risks can be managed if the response starts early. This time, the warning has come with enough notice. Provincial governments and disaster authorities have reportedly been placed on alert, and rescue teams and drainage machinery are said to be on standby. This is a good start. But standby is not the same as action. Drains in major cities need to be cleared before the rain falls, not after water is already standing in the streets. Weak buildings and old electric poles in flood-prone areas need urgent inspection now. Ordinary citizens also have a role to play. Farmers should secure their crops and move livestock to safer ground. Families living near canals, rivers and low-lying areas should keep emergency supplies ready and know their nearest safe shelter. Tourists heading to Gilgit-Baltistan, Hunza, Skardu or Neelum Valley should check road conditions before travelling and avoid unnecessary risks during heavy rain. We cannot control the weather. But it can control how ready it is when the weather turns dangerous. The five days ahead will test how well lessons from past floods have actually been learned. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has told all ministries to meet their deadlines under the privatisation programme. This push for speed and coordination is the right instinct. Pakistan cannot afford more delays in selling off loss making state enterprises. The government has listed 27 public sector organisations for privatisation in three phases. Officials briefed the prime minister on progress at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports. They also updated him on the sale of IESCO, FESCO and GEPCO. Expressions of Interest have already been invited for all three power companies. FESCO submissions close on August 7. GEPCO closes on August 21. IESCO closes on September 7, 2026. International investors are showing interest and roadshows are continuing. This pace is encouraging but Pakistan has been here before. The privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines dragged on for years through failed bids, legal challenges and political hesitation. That delay cost the national exchequer billions in continued losses. It also damaged investor confidence in Pakistan’s ability to complete a sale once it starts one. The government must not let IESCO, FESCO and GEPCO suffer the same fate. Speed alone is not enough. Every step of this process must remain transparent. Bidding criteria, investor qualifications and final sale terms should be made public and open to scrutiny. Citizens deserve to know that state assets are being sold at fair value, not handed over through backroom deals. The prime minister was right to direct that ZTBL continue serving farmers after privatisation. Agriculture remains central to Pakistan’s economy and food security. Any new owner must be bound by clear conditions to protect farmer access to credit. The economy needs the discipline that privatisation brings. But the PIA experience proves that half measures and delays only deepen losses. The government must finish what it starts, openly and on schedule.

The meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide is a welcome sign for Pakistan. It shows that the country is being taken seriously on the world stage. This editorial argues that the growing warmth between Islamabad and Oslo deserves genuine praise and should be built upon further. For too long, Pakistan has struggled to convince the world that it is a victim of terrorism, not a source of it. Naqvi used this meeting to make that case clearly. He told the Norwegian minister that militant groups are using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan. This is a message Pakistan must keep repeating to every foreign visitor. The world needs to understand that Pakistan is fighting a war that was not of its own making. Eide did not just listen politely. He praised Pakistan’s role in the recent US-Iran conflict and called the country’s approach constructive. This is significant. It means Pakistan’s careful diplomacy during a tense regional crisis is being noticed and valued by European leaders. Pakistan should take confidence from this recognition and continue playing the role of a responsible regional actor. The numbers on illegal migration also tell a positive story. A 47 per cent drop in illegal migration from Pakistan to Europe is not a small achievement. It shows that government policy, when applied seriously, produces real results. Naqvi was right to stress that legal migration pathways must be strengthened alongside these enforcement measures. Punishing illegal migration without offering legal alternatives only pushes desperate people back into the hands of human smugglers. Norway’s decision to send its foreign minister to Pakistan after almost a decade is itself a meaningful gesture. It signals renewed interest in trade, investment, technology and security cooperation. Eide also spoke warmly about the Pakistani community in Norway and its contributions in politics and healthcare. This is a reminder that people to people ties often do more for a relationship than formal agreements alone. Pakistan should use this opening wisely. Counterterrorism cooperation, police training and legal assistance agreements with Norway can strengthen Pakistan’s institutions. Trade and investment talks can bring real economic benefit. None of this happens automatically. It requires consistent follow through from both sides. This visit should not be treated as a one-off diplomatic photo opportunity. It should mark the beginning of a deeper and more regular relationship between two countries that clearly have much to offer each other.

The Combined Competitive Examination 2024 was meant to open doors for young Sindh residents seeking government careers. Instead, it has become a symbol of broken trust. Out of more than 4,300 candidates who sat the exam, only 70 passed. This low number alone raised serious doubts. When detailed marks sheets came out, those doubts turned into anger. Candidates found strange errors in their results. A single 100-mark paper in criminology appeared as two papers worth 200 marks. A similar problem showed up in environmental science. These are not small clerical slips. They point to deeper flaws in how the Sindh Public Service Commission handled this process. The protests that followed are justified. Students did not just complain online. They organised sit-ins. They held rallies. They formed the Movement for Restoration of Meritocracy. Their demands are simple and fair. They want the exam cancelled. They want a fresh test conducted properly. They want an independent inquiry into how the SPSC has handled recruitment over the past five years. The legal battle adds another layer of concern. The Sindh High Court suspended the results and asked the SPSC to produce full records. That was a reasonable step toward accountability. But the Federal Constitutional Court later suspended those orders, allowing interviews for the 70 successful candidates to continue. This leaves thousands of young people without answers while the process moves forward around them. This newspaper believes the SPSC owes these candidates transparency, not silence. A spokesperson refusing to comment while the matter sits in court is not good enough. Public institutions exist to serve citizens fairly. When thousands of young people spend years preparing for an exam, they deserve a system they can trust. Sindh’s youth are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for merit to be respected. The government and the SPSC must treat this seriously. An independent judicial inquiry would help restore public confidence. Anything less will only deepen the belief that government jobs go to the connected, not the capable. Young people who play by the rules deserve a system that does the same.