A fresh start with Afghanistan through Torkham 

Medicine prices have spiralled out of control. The Pakistan Young Pharmacists Association has exposed numbers that should worry every citizen. A simple stomach medicine, Omeprazole, costs the government Rs1.7 per unit. The same medicine sells in the market for Rs67.85. That is an increase of nearly 4,000 percent. Other essential drugs for heart disease, depression, infections and diabetes show similar shocking increases. This is not a small problem. It is a national emergency. The government deregulated medicine prices in February 2024. That decision was meant to help the industry grow. Instead, it opened the door for companies to charge whatever they wish. Five multinational pharmaceutical companies have already left Pakistan. The country has lost billions of dollars as a result. Ordinary patients now pay the price, quite literally, for this policy failure. The allegations against the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan are serious. The association claims officials allowed substandard medical devices to enter the market. It claims this negligence has contributed to disease outbreaks. It claims officials accepted foreign trips as bribes. These are not small accusations. They demand a proper investigation, not silence. Pakistan also produces far too little medicine on its own. Only 500 pharmaceutical units operate in the country. No major new investment has arrived in twenty years. Meanwhile, production that once happened on Pakistani soil has moved to India. This leaves the country dependent on a neighbour it does not trust. The government cannot ignore this crisis any longer. Life saving medicines must remain affordable for ordinary families. Price controls need to return for essential drugs. Corrupt officials must face accountability. Local manufacturing must be encouraged through real investment.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s accusation against India is not new. Pakistan has said for years that India supports terrorism on its soil. What makes his latest remarks important is the second part of his message. He asked Afghanistan’s interim government to stop militants from using Afghan land to attack Pakistan. This appeal deserves more attention than it usually gets, and it deserves a firmer follow-up from Islamabad.  The facts are hard to ignore. Pakistan has lost more than 90,000 lives fighting terrorism. The recent killing of a session judge in Mastung shows the threat has not gone away. Balochistan, the province where Shehbaz spoke, has suffered the most. It is Pakistan’s largest province by land but its smallest by population, and it has paid a heavy price in blood for years. Attacks on judges, security forces and development projects like the Karachi-Chaman highway are not isolated events. They form a pattern, and that pattern often leads back to groups operating from across the Afghan border. This is why Shehbaz’s appeal to Kabul matters more than his repeated claims about India. Pakistan has raised the India accusation for decades, often linked to the wider Kashmir dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. That argument is familiar and, fairly or not, has become background noise in the region. But the Afghanistan question is different. It is about a neighbour Pakistan helped support for years, a neighbour that now hosts groups accused of attacking Pakistani soil. Kind words about good relations are not enough. Kabul needs to show real action against these groups, not just accept diplomatic requests politely and move on. Pakistan’s government also needs to be honest with itself. Blaming outside forces is easy. Building lasting peace in Balochistan requires more than statements at a workshop. It requires trust from local communities, fair development, and consistent follow-through on infrastructure promises like the Karachi-Chaman road. The National Finance Commission Award, which Shehbaz also discussed, must actually deliver Balochistan’s fair share of resources. Without that, the sense of neglect that fuels unrest will not go away, no matter how many speeches are made about foreign conspiracies. The prime minister is not wrong to raise India’s alleged role or to press Afghanistan for cooperation. But blaming others cannot be the whole strategy. Real security in Balochistan will come from addressing local grievances at home just as firmly as Pakistan confronts threats from across its borders.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for a “grand dialogue” on Balochistan is welcome. So is Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s emphasis on development, stability and opportunities for the province’s youth. But after decades of conflict, political mistrust and economic grievances, Balochistan needs more than another declaration of good intentions. It needs a credible process that produces visible results. The most important point in the prime minister’s remarks is his acknowledgement that the people of Balochistan have a legitimate claim to the province’s natural resources. This is not a minor issue. Balochistan is rich in minerals, gas and other natural resources, yet many of its people continue to face poverty, unemployment and inadequate public services. The question, therefore, is not simply whether Pakistan owns these resources. It is whether the people living on this land feel that they receive a fair share of the benefits. This is where the proposed dialogue becomes important. Dialogue cannot mean inviting selected representatives to Islamabad, listening to speeches and then returning to business as usual. If the government genuinely wants to address grievances, the process must include a broad range of Baloch voices, including political parties, elected representatives, tribal elders, young people, civil society and other stakeholders. At the same time, violence cannot be accepted as a solution. The killing of workers because of their ethnic or provincial identity is indefensible. Ordinary citizens from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or elsewhere should not become targets simply because they work in Balochistan. Protecting citizens and maintaining law and order is the basic responsibility of the state. But security alone cannot produce lasting peace. If every political or economic grievance is treated only as a security problem, mistrust will deepen. Similarly, blaming every problem on foreign interference may explain part of the situation, but it cannot replace an honest examination of local grievances. Field Marshal Asim Munir’s emphasis on Balochistan’s youth is equally significant. The province’s young people need universities, technical education, jobs, businesses and a genuine stake in the province’s economic future. Development projects should not merely pass through Balochistan; they should create opportunities for Balochistan’s people. The same principle applies to natural resources. Mining, ports and energy projects can transform the province, but only if local communities see tangible benefits. Transparency in contracts, employment for local people, revenue sharing and investment in education and health should be treated as essential parts of every major project. Also, infrastructure alone cannot create that future. Roads, airports and ports matter, but people must also believe that development is improving their lives. In this context, the vision of both Mr Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir for the people of Balochistan offers a clear direction for the government and the people. 

Rising oil prices are becoming a global emergency, and the blame lies squarely on the actions of the United States, Israel, and their Gulf allies for initiating this ugly war. Crude oil prices are rising fast, and ordinary people everywhere will pay the price. This week, global oil benchmarks jumped to their highest levels in nearly two months. Some cargoes are now trading close to one hundred ten dollars a barrel. Dated Brent, the price used for most of the world’s oil, touched one hundred five dollars and seventy cents on Thursday. This is not a small change. When oil becomes expensive, everything else becomes expensive too. Transport costs rise. Food prices rise. Electricity bills rise. Factories pay more to run machines. Poor countries suffer the most because they cannot absorb these shocks. Rich countries feel the pain too, but developing nations face hunger, inflation, and unemployment on a much larger scale. The real question people should ask is simple. Why is this happening now. The answer points directly at the ongoing confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Tensions between these sides have pushed the region toward war. Gulf partners aligned with Washington have allowed this dangerous situation to continue instead of pushing for peace. Their silence and their support for aggressive policies have made the crisis worse. The world cannot afford this. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important routes for oil shipments. Roughly one fifth of the world’s oil passes through this narrow waterway. Threats to this route create fear across markets, and fear pushes prices higher even before real disruption happens. Kazakhstan’s export terminal on the Black Sea was also hit by drone attacks, cutting the country’s oil output nearly in half. This shows how connected today’s conflicts have become. War in one region shakes markets everywhere. The solution is not complicated. The fighting must stop. The Strait of Hormuz must remain open and safe for all shipping. Iran has suffered heavy losses from sanctions and military pressure, and fair compensation should be part of any lasting settlement. World leaders often speak about protecting the global economy. Now is the time to prove it. The United States, Israel, and their Gulf partners hold real power to de-escalate this crisis. They must choose diplomacy over confrontation, before ordinary families across the world are forced to pay for a war they did not start.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) goes to the polls on Monday, July 27, as the first phase of general elections begins in Mirpur division. Chief Secretary Khushal Khan announced on Sunday that all arrangements stand complete, speaking alongside Election Commission Secretary Raja Mohammad Shakeel Khan at a joint press conference. He confirmed the full election process starts July 27, as the constitution requires. Polling material has already reached returning officers. Nearly 17,000 security personnel will guard the vote, with police units from all four provinces supporting the local AJK police. The chief secretary said authorities are closely watching social media. He warned that anyone spreading false propaganda or attempting to disrupt the vote will face strict legal action. AJK has historically recorded strong voter turnout, and he expects the same trend this year. Raja Mohammad Shakeel Khan confirmed Mirpur division votes on Monday, with roughly 22,000 election staff deployed and preparations finalised. The chief election commissioner visited Mirpur personally and expressed satisfaction with the setup. Police, Rangers, and the Federal Constabulary remain on high alert throughout the region. Khan called voting the public’s most powerful democratic tool and urged citizens to participate fully. He addressed old boycott-call videos circulating online, calling them misleading, and confirmed no untoward incident has marred the campaign so far. All political parties and candidates have accepted the code of conduct. A day earlier, the AJK Information Department urged journalists to report responsibly, sharing only verified and balanced information during polling, counting, and results. Reporters were also asked to avoid content that could trigger unrest or confuse voters. This election is a genuine test, not just a formality. Fair conduct matters more than smooth logistics. Every vote must be counted honestly, and every result must be accepted without manipulation, by winners and losers alike. The banned Joint Action Committee needs to absorb a hard truth here. Street agitation has repeatedly failed to deliver lasting change in Kashmir’s political life, while the ballot box remains the only tool that converts public demand into real, recognised power. Boycotting the system does not weaken it; it simply hands the field to others. PTI’s continued absence from the electoral arena tells the same story. Sitting out elections has never once worked as a strategy anywhere, and AJK will be no exception. Democracy rewards participation, not withdrawal, and those choosing silence now may find their voice missing when it matters most.

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.