Columbia tragedy demands global solidarity

The Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court has voted to remove prosecutor Karim Khan. The vote came over sexual misconduct allegations. His legal team has confirmed the move and called it political. The vote happened on Friday. It came at a time when the ICC faces heavy pressure from the United States and Israel. This pressure grew after Khan issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant in 2024. This timing raises serious questions. Tayab Ali, head of Khan’s legal team, said a judicial panel had unanimously found no misconduct or breach of duty by Khan. Yet member states still voted him out. This decision does not follow the evidence. It does not follow the only judicial finding in the matter. That is unacceptable. Khan was removed by an executive vote while under US sanctions and while the court itself sat under enormous political pressure. He was never given a fair chance to be heard. A process built this way cannot claim to deliver justice. It looks like punishment for doing his job. Minute Mirror stands with Karim Khan on this point. An organisation meant to protect international law must not bend to pressure from powerful states. The ICC was built to hold leaders accountable, including leaders backed by strong allies. If prosecutors can be removed the moment they issue warrants against a protected ally, the court loses its purpose entirely. The ICC has failed Karim Khan. It failed to protect its own official from a process that ignored its own judges. It failed to explain why political timing lined up so closely with the Netanyahu and Gallant warrants. Removing him does not erase those warrants, since only ICC judges can withdraw them. But it damages trust in the court at the exact moment the world needed that trust most. Justice must never depend on who a defendant knows in Washington or Tel Aviv.

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. 

Pakistan and China are entering a new phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, known as CPEC 2.0. This time, the focus is shifting from big government-funded projects to stronger business-to-business ties. This change is a smart and necessary move, but only if Pakistan can actually deliver on it. For years, CPEC meant huge Chinese loans for roads, power plants and infrastructure. Nearly 30 billion dollars went into these projects. They helped fix Pakistan’s energy crisis, but they also added heavy debt. Now, China wants a different kind of partnership, one based on trade, manufacturing and private companies working together instead of government-to-government deals. This shift makes sense. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal rightly pointed out that Pakistan’s biggest problem is not a lack of ideas but a lack of exports. China buys goods worth 2.6 trillion dollars every year from around the world, yet Pakistan sells it barely 3 billion dollars worth of products. That gap shows how much room there is to grow, if Pakistan gets its act together. The plan to focus on manufacturing, agriculture, robotics and automation is encouraging. Bringing in small and medium businesses from both countries could create real jobs and real growth, not just concrete and steel. This is the direction Pakistan should have taken years ago. But good intentions are not enough. Pakistan has often struggled to make its industries competitive enough to compete internationally. Poor production standards, red tape and inconsistent policies have held back exporters for decades. Simply announcing a new phase of cooperation will not fix these problems overnight. China, too, seems more cautious this time. It has not yet committed to financing the long-delayed ML-1 railway project, a sign that Beijing wants to see business results before pouring in more money. CPEC 2.0 offers Pakistan a real chance to fix its economy through trade and industry rather than loans. But turning this vision into results will require discipline, consistency and follow-through, qualities that have often been missing in Pakistan’s economic planning.

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 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 Kuwait’s Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem Al-Sabah and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at General Headquarters is a positive development for both Pakistan and Kuwait. At a time when the Middle East and South Asia face serious security challenges, closer cooperation between friendly countries can help promote peace and stability. Pakistan and Kuwait have enjoyed warm and brotherly relations for many years. Their relationship is based on mutual respect, shared interests and strong people-to-people links. The latest talks show a desire to take this relationship further, particularly in the field of defence and security. Pakistan has a professional and experienced armed forces, with valuable expertise in different areas of defence. Kuwait, meanwhile, is an important country in the Gulf region. Greater military cooperation can help both countries learn from each other and improve their ability to deal with modern security challenges. The discussions at GHQ focused on regional developments and ways to strengthen institutional links between the armed forces of the two countries. Such regular dialogue is important because security challenges do not remain limited to one country. Terrorism, regional conflicts and other threats often require cooperation and the sharing of experience. The Kuwaiti delegation’s appreciation of the professionalism and capabilities of the Pakistan Armed Forces is also encouraging. Pakistan’s military has played an important role in supporting peace and security, both within the country and through international peacekeeping efforts. However, defence cooperation should always have a larger purpose: peace. Stronger relations between Pakistan and Kuwait can contribute to stability, better understanding and closer coordination in the wider region. The commitment expressed by both sides to build a stronger and lasting defence partnership deserves appreciation. Pakistan and Kuwait should continue to expand cooperation through dialogue, joint training and the exchange of professional experience. Their historic friendship can become an even stronger partnership, benefiting not only the two countries but also contributing to peace and stability across the region.