Growing Pakistan-Kuwait ties

Exports rose sharply in July 2026, and this is genuinely good news. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports reached 2.939 billion dollars in July, up from 2.242 billion dollars in June. That is a 31 percent increase in just one month. Compared with July last year, exports grew by over 9 percent. This is a strong start to the new fiscal year, and it deserves credit. Much of this growth appears to come from sectors Pakistan knows well, including textiles, food products, leather goods, sports equipment, surgical instruments, and IT services. Government efforts to support exporters and improve industrial production seem to be paying off. But one good month does not make a trend. Pakistan has seen export numbers rise before, only to fall back a few months later. The real question is whether this growth can be sustained through the rest of the fiscal year. A single strong month should not be treated as proof that the country’s export problems are solved. The economy needs exports to grow consistently, not occasionally. The country still runs a large trade deficit, and one good month does very little to fix that. What Pakistan needs is month after month of rising export figures, not a single spike followed by stagnation. This will not happen on its own. It requires stable energy prices, a predictable exchange rate, and continued government support for exporters. It also requires our exporters to sell more products to more countries, instead of depending on the same limited markets. The government should treat this month’s numbers as a starting point, not a finish line. Pakistan does not need one strong export month. It needs many more of them, back to back, for this to actually mean something for the economy.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has launched Vision Pakistan 2047, a long-term plan to boost jobs, education, technology and growth for young Pakistanis. On paper, the plan looks promising. It talks about giving women a bigger share in jobs, helping startups grow, building new schools, sending students abroad for training, and handing out laptops to deserving students. These are all good ideas that any nation would welcome. But here lies the real problem. Pakistan has never struggled to write good plans. Our history is full of grand visions, five-year plans, and national frameworks that were launched with big promises and bigger ceremonies. Vision 2025, Vision 2030, and several other such documents came before this one. Where are they now? Most were quietly shelved and replaced by the next government’s own vision, often with a new name and the same old promises. This is the real dilemma facing Vision Pakistan 2047. A plan is only as good as the system that carries it forward. Pakistan’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas. It has been a shortage of follow-through. Policies get written, launched, and celebrated, but rarely do they survive a change in government or bureaucracy long enough to show results. Even more troubling is who ends up designing these plans. Often, the same officials and institutions responsible for the failure of earlier visions are handed the task of drafting the next one. If the people who could not deliver Vision 2025 are now writing Vision 2047, what guarantee do citizens have that this one will be different? Reserving 35 per cent jobs for women and 10 per cent funding for startups sounds encouraging. Expanding Danish Schools and distributing laptops are steps in the right direction. But none of this matters unless there is honest accountability, consistent funding, and political will that outlasts one government’s term. Pakistan does not need another beautifully worded vision document. It needs a system that actually delivers on what it promises. Only then will 2047 look different from 1947.

The Foreign Office has welcomed a new development in the Gaza peace process. The development is about Hamas agreeing to disarm. Officials in Islamabad say this could open the door to a lasting political solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the mediation work of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye. He spoke after US President Donald Trump announced that an agreement had been reached on the complete disarmament of Hamas. This issue had remained one of the biggest obstacles since the ceasefire began in October 2025. The prime minister said Pakistan supports the work of the Board of Peace. He said he hopes all commitments under the Gaza Peace Plan will now move toward real action. He also said diplomatic efforts should lead to a clear and time bound political process. This process should follow United Nations resolutions. The goal remains an independent Palestinian state, based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. According to Hamas officials, a committee under the Board of Peace will now supervise how the group’s weapons are stored. Hamas has also asked mediators to make sure Israel keeps its side of the deal. This includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. This raises an important question. While Hamas has agreed to give up its weapons, what steps have been taken to hold Israel accountable? Based on available reports, Hamas and mediating countries have raised the demand for Israeli withdrawal, but no confirmed timeline or enforcement mechanism for this withdrawal has been announced yet. The ceasefire framework places this responsibility on continued diplomatic pressure from mediators such as the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye, rather than on any independent monitoring body with power to act against Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli aggression has not fully stopped. Fresh Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least four Palestinians, including two children. This shows how fragile the situation remains, even as diplomatic talks continue. Egyptian media report that Cairo will host another meeting of ceasefire mediators soon. Representatives from the United States, Qatar, and Türkiye are expected to attend and discuss the next phase of the peace plan. Pakistan has long supported the Palestinian cause. It continues to call for an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. 

Some people are calling it a tragedy on a par with the Peshawar Army Public School. The death of 14 newborn babies in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is a heartbreaking tragedy. These babies had just entered the world and were among the most vulnerable members of society. Their deaths raise serious questions about the safety of public hospitals and the responsibility of those entrusted with protecting patients. The National Assembly’s health committee has rightly questioned the initial claim that an old air conditioner caused the fire. The committee says there is no conclusive evidence so far to establish where the fire began. Other possibilities, including faulty electrical wiring and problems with the oxygen supply system, are now being investigated. Finding the real cause is important. However, the larger question is why a fire in a hospital nursery was allowed to become so deadly. Hospitals must be among the safest places in society. A newborn ward should have the highest level of fire protection, emergency planning and trained staff. This tragedy must not end with another inquiry and a few temporary suspensions. If negligence, poor management or failure to follow safety rules is found, those responsible must face strict action. Accountability should not stop with junior employees. Senior hospital officials and government authorities must also be investigated if they failed to ensure proper safety arrangements. There is an urgent need for practical reforms. Every major public and private hospital should undergo regular independent fire and electrical safety inspections. Fire alarms, smoke detectors, emergency exits and firefighting equipment must be checked regularly and kept in working condition. Hospitals should conduct frequent emergency drills so that doctors, nurses and other staff know exactly what to do during a fire. Special attention must be given to areas containing oxygen pipelines, electrical equipment and highly vulnerable patients. Old buildings should not be used for critical wards unless they meet modern safety standards. Where possible, newborns and intensive-care patients should be shifted to safer and better-equipped facilities. The government should also make the results of hospital safety audits public. This will increase transparency and encourage institutions to take safety rules seriously. Most importantly, safety standards must be enforced before a tragedy happens, not after innocent lives are lost. A fair investigation, strict accountability and strong safety reforms are the minimum that these innocent victims deserve. Pakistan cannot afford to wait for another tragedy before learning the same lesson again.

The protests by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) against rising petroleum prices, the petroleum levy and inflation should not simply be treated as a political activity. The government needs to understand that the public’s economic pain is real. Whenever petrol and diesel prices increase, their impact goes far beyond the fuel station. Transport becomes expensive, food prices rise and the cost of doing business increases. A daily-wage worker, a small shopkeeper, a farmer and a salaried person all feel the pressure. The government’s petroleum levy may provide additional revenue, but it also adds to the burden on ordinary citizens. At a time when many families are already struggling to manage household expenses, every increase in fuel prices creates another problem. The protests in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar show that this issue has become a serious public concern. The government should listen to these voices instead of dismissing them as opposition politics. This does not mean that the government can ignore its own financial difficulties. Pakistan needs revenue to run the state, pay for public services and meet its financial obligations. But revenue collection should not depend too heavily on indirect taxes that affect everyone equally, including poor and middle-class citizens. The government must find a better balance. It should review the petroleum levy, reduce unnecessary taxes and control non-development expenditure. At the same time, it should improve tax collection from sectors and individuals with greater ability to pay. Most importantly, the government must communicate honestly with the public. If higher fuel prices are unavoidable because of international oil prices or economic conditions, people deserve a clear explanation and a plan for relief. The JI protests should therefore be seen as a warning. The government may disagree with the party’s politics, but it cannot ignore the economic reality behind the protests. Pakistan’s economic recovery will have little meaning if ordinary people continue to struggle to afford transport, food and basic necessities. The government must act with sensitivity and provide practical relief before public frustration grows further.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement has reached a new level of importance. US President Donald Trump has publicly welcomed the pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. This is not a small development. When the president of the United States acknowledges a regional defence framework, it sends a signal to the whole world. It tells other nations that this agreement carries real weight, not just symbolic value. Trump called it a step toward greater regional security. He said it shows Middle Eastern and regional states are willing to strengthen their own ability to protect themselves. This recognition matters. It places the pact on the global radar. It also gives Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye a stronger diplomatic standing as they build this new framework of cooperation. The agreement was signed in Makkah on August 7, bringing together Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Erdogan. It focuses on collective deterrence, defence planning, intelligence sharing and strategic coordination. Erdogan himself has called it a message for global peace, especially given rising US-Iran tensions. Yet a serious question remains unanswered. Where is the response from the Gulf Cooperation Council? Where is the voice of the Arab League? Both organisations represent the wider Arab and Gulf world. Both have a direct stake in regional security matters. Their silence on such a major defence pact is puzzling. This agreement was signed in Saudi Arabia, a leading GCC member. It naturally affects the interests of every Gulf state. Yet there has been no clear statement, no formal reaction from these key regional bodies. This silence raises real concerns. Does it suggest internal disagreement among Gulf states? Does it hint at hesitation to publicly support a pact that includes Türkiye and Pakistan? Or is this simply strategic caution before making a formal position? Whatever the reason, this silence cannot continue indefinitely. Regional stability requires clarity, not ambiguity. The GCC and Arab League must break their silence soon. Their voice matters just as much as any global power’s approval.