CPEC needs real business, not just promises

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.

Pakistan and the United States have signed a new five-year agreement on higher education. The deal will run from 2026-27 to 2031-32. It brings back the Fulbright programme along with other important scholarships. This is good news for Pakistani students. The agreement covers Fulbright Master’s and PhD programmes. It also includes the Visiting Scholar Programme, the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Programme, and the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship. The plan aims to send 66 Pakistani PhD scholars to the United States over five years. Many more students can benefit from the other programmes too. This move deserves praise. Pakistan needs skilled people in every field. Science, technology, medicine, and education all need trained experts. When young Pakistanis study abroad, they learn new ideas and skills. If they return home, they can use this knowledge to help the country grow. The financial details show serious commitment. The Higher Education Commission will give at least $4.54 million every year. The total cost over five years will reach Rs6.48 billion. Selection will be based on merit only. There will be no quotas based on region or group. This is a fair approach and should be welcomed by everyone. However, appreciation alone is not enough. Pakistan must think beyond sending students abroad. The real test comes when these scholars return home. Sadly, many highly qualified Pakistanis struggle to find good jobs in their own country. Some end up doing work far below their qualification level. Others simply move abroad again because Pakistan does not offer them proper opportunities. This must change. The government should create clear career paths for returning scholars. Universities need more research funding and modern laboratories. Industries should be encouraged to hire local PhD holders instead of relying only on foreign consultants. Without such steps, the country risks losing its best minds all over again. The government should also expand this kind of agreement with other countries. More scholarships mean more opportunities for Pakistani youth. But every scholarship should come with a plan for what happens after graduation. Pakistan has invested in this agreement with hope. That hope will only turn into real progress if the country welcomes its scholars back with real jobs, real research support, and real respect for their hard-earned qualifications.

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 country is having an important conversation again. Should the country create new provinces to fix its governance problems? Or should it strengthen local governments and give real power to mayors instead? Federal Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently argued that the current system of governance has become outdated. He warned that without real reform, Pakistan will still face the same problems ten years from now. He is right that something needs to change. Large provinces, especially Punjab, are simply too big to manage efficiently from one provincial capital. But former State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Hussain offers an important word of caution. He points out that creating new provinces means building an entirely new layer of bureaucracy. Each new province needs its own secretariat, its own cabinet, its own departments, its own buildings and vehicles. All of this adds permanent, recurring costs to a country that is already struggling with debt and financial pressure. Creating a new province does not solve a problem. It often creates an expensive new one. Dr Ishrat Hussain’s proposed solution deserves serious attention. He suggests that instead of drawing new provincial boundaries, Pakistan should strengthen mayoral systems and local governments in every major city. If cities like Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad were given real financial and administrative powers, with elected mayors controlling budgets and development projects, this could fix governance problems without the heavy cost of new provincial structures. His argument makes sense. The real issue is not how many provinces Pakistan has. The real issue is that power has never properly reached the local level, where problems are actually felt and solved. This is a reasonable middle path. Strengthening city governments should be the first priority. Giving elected mayors genuine control over budgets, infrastructure and daily administration would bring government closer to the people it serves, without adding new layers of expensive bureaucracy. That said, there may still be a limited case for new provinces where genuine historical, linguistic and administrative grounds exist. Punjab is an unusually large province, and two regions within it, the Seraiki belt in the south and the Potohar region in the north, have long-standing and distinct identities, dialects and development needs that differ from central Punjab. If any new provinces are ever created, these two are the most defensible candidates, since they rest on real cultural and administrative logic rather than short-term political convenience. But this should remain the exception, not the rule.

A court in New Delhi has sentenced former AAP leader Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. Four other men received the same sentence. This case has been one of the most talked about legal battles to come out of the violence that shook northeast Delhi five years ago. On the surface, this looks like justice being served for a man who lost his life. But many observers, particularly within India’s Muslim community and civil rights groups, view this case with deep unease. Tahir Hussain was a Muslim municipal councillor, and his conviction fits into a wider and troubling pattern many have documented since Narendra Modi’s government came to power. Critics argue that Muslims accused in the 2020 riots have often faced harsher and faster prosecution than Hindu individuals accused of similar or worse violence during the same unrest, where investigations have moved slowly or produced few convictions. Rights groups have long raised concerns about India’s use of anti-terror laws, preventive detention, and prolonged pretrial custody against Muslim activists, students, and political figures since 2019. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both documented what they describe as a shrinking space for religious minorities to seek justice fairly in India today. Hussain’s supporters argue that he was targeted because of his political visibility and religious identity, not purely because of evidence. This does not mean the court’s findings should be dismissed outright. A judge examined evidence over several years, and Ankit Sharma’s family deserves acknowledgment of their loss. But the broader climate around India’s justice system, especially in communally charged cases, deserves scrutiny. When convictions consistently fall along religious lines, the question of whether the process was truly even-handed becomes impossible to ignore.

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.