FBR’s generosity for importers  

Pakistan does not often receive praise from international publications on economic matters. This time, it has earned it. A US publication has praised Pakistan’s efforts to modernise its financial system, saying the country is steadily strengthening its position in the global digital financial landscape through reforms and technological innovation. This praise is well deserved. This did not happen by accident. It happened because Pakistan chose to invest in digital transformation at a time when many countries are still debating whether digital finance is worth the effort. The article rightly noted that Pakistan has the potential to play a meaningful role in the evolving global digital economy. The publication commended his vision, and for good reason. Building a regulatory system for virtual assets from scratch is not easy. Pakistan needed clear rules, not confusion, and PVARA has worked to provide exactly that. The message is simple: Pakistan must actively position itself within the international digital financial system to benefit from emerging technologies and new economic opportunities. What stands out most is a simple but powerful idea from the article. The future will belong to countries that make swift decisions and implement reforms without delay. This is a lesson Pakistan has learned the hard way in other sectors, where slow decision-making has cost the country valuable time. In digital finance, Pakistan appears determined not to repeat that mistake. The article also makes an important point about how governments must operate going forward. It says governments can no longer rely solely on traditional bureaucratic systems. They must instead adopt the speed, flexibility and innovation-driven approach of technology startups. This is a bold statement, but it reflects reality. Digital finance moves fast, and slow institutions get left behind. Digital assets are becoming the foundation of tomorrow’s financial infrastructure. Countries investing in digital finance today will be better positioned for long-term economic growth and global competitiveness. Pakistan is one of these countries, and that deserves recognition. None of this means the work is finished. The government still has a long road ahead in building trust and expanding financial inclusion. But the direction is right, and this recognition from an international publication confirms that Pakistan’s efforts are being noticed. Pakistan should build on this momentum, not lose it.

The Punjab government has set the new wheat release price at Rs3,800 per maund. This decision raises a serious question. Why is the province paying more now than it paid to its own farmers. Earlier this year, wheat growers across Punjab sold their crop at rates far lower than Rs3,800 per maund. Many farmers struggled to cover their basic costs. Fertiliser, diesel, and labour prices kept rising, but the government did not offer a fair price at harvest time. Now, months later, the same government is buying wheat from PASSCO at Rs4,150 per maund. This is imported wheat, bought at a much higher cost than what local farmers received. This gap sends a troubling message to the farming community. It tells them that growing wheat at home is less valuable than buying it from abroad. A farmer who works through the heat, spends money on seeds and water, and waits months for the harvest ends up earning less than what the state later pays for imported grain. This is not fair, and it is not sustainable. If this pattern continues, farmers may simply lose interest in wheat cultivation. Punjab is the backbone of Pakistan’s wheat production. If growers shift to other crops or leave farming altogether, the country could face a bigger crisis in the coming years. Food security cannot depend on imports alone. The federal and provincial governments must rethink this approach. Farmers need a support price that reflects their real costs and effort, announced before sowing season begins, not after imports have already been arranged. Punjab also needs to invest in storage and procurement systems so that local wheat is bought and stored efficiently, without forcing the province to rely on costlier imported stock. Protecting the price of roti for consumers is important. But that protection should not come at the cost of the farmer who grows the wheat in the first place.

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.

The government has decided to open all border crossings and transit routes with Afghanistan. This decision came after a meeting led by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Senior officials and business leaders attended the meeting. They discussed ways to remove obstacles in bilateral trade. This is a wise and welcome step. Trade between neighbours brings benefits to both sides. Pakistani and Afghan traders have suffered due to closed borders. Goods get stuck. Businesses lose money. Ordinary families bear the cost. Reopening these routes will help traders move goods with ease. It will also support economic activity on both sides of the border. The meeting also focused on legal travel between the two countries. Citizens should be able to cross borders through proper channels. Legal procedures must remain in place. This keeps movement safe and orderly. It also protects both nations from misuse of open borders. Pakistan has shown patience and goodwill in this decision. Afghanistan must now respond as a good neighbour. Trade brings prosperity. It creates jobs. It builds markets. It gives ordinary Afghans a better life. Afghanistan can gain much more through honest trade than through any other path. Sadly, some elements continue to use Afghan soil to plan violence against Pakistan. This must stop. Harbouring terrorists brings only destruction. It hurts Afghanistan’s own image in the world. It scares away investors. It keeps the region trapped in conflict instead of growth. Afghanistan holds a choice between two futures. One path leads to markets, jobs and shared prosperity. The other leads to isolation and more suffering for its own people. The fresh step by the government also has a message for those who still carry arms. Violence has brought nothing but loss to this region for decades. Homes are destroyed. Children grow up without safety. Futures are cut short. There is still time to choose peace. Laying down arms and returning to normal life is a far better path than continued bloodshed. Reopening the border is a chance for both nations. Pakistan has extended its hand. Afghanistan must now choose trade and peace over hostility and terror.

Two tribal elders lost their lives on Sunday in Lower South Waziristan. Gunmen shot Haji Gul and Malik Badshah while they travelled from Gul Kach to Zarmilan. Both men belonged to the Suleman Khel tribe. Police say the attackers escaped after the shooting. This is not an isolated case. It is part of a pattern that the state cannot keep ignoring. Tribal elders play a special role in this region. They settle disputes through jirgas. They stop small conflicts from becoming big ones. They keep peace between families and tribes. When someone kills these elders, they are not just killing individuals. They are killing the peace process itself. The list of victims keeps growing. In May, militants killed Malik Tariq Wazir in a bomb blast in Wana. He was a respected elder of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe. He had already survived an abduction in December 2024. He came back and kept working for peace. Then a bomb ended his life near a busy market. In June, gunmen killed two sons of another elder, Malik Jamil Wazir, in the same area. These killings send a clear message. Anyone who works for peace in Waziristan becomes a target. Over the past 18 months, Lower South Waziristan has seen more targeted killings, bomb attacks, kidnappings and extortion. Attacks on police and security forces have also increased. The people who suffer the most are ordinary tribesmen and the elders who try to protect them. Meanwhile, security forces report success in Balochistan. Under Operation Rad-ul-Fitna-3, forces killed 15 militants in areas including Mastung, Bolan, Washuk, Awaran, Sibi, Khuzdar, Harnai and Noshki. They also recovered weapons and ammunition. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the forces for these operations. These operations matter. They weaken militant networks. But military action alone cannot solve the deeper problem. The government needs a two-part plan. First, it must continue operations against armed militants. Second, and just as important, it must protect the peace-loving elders and common citizens who become easy targets. Right now, the second part is missing. Elders like Malik Tariq Wazir and Malik Jamil Wazir did not carry weapons. They carried influence and trust. That made them vulnerable, not safe. Security forces should extend protection to tribal jirga members, especially those who have received threats. Police in Waziristan need better resources to investigate these killings quickly and to make arrests, not just launch preliminary cases that go nowhere. Local communities need faster response times when gunmen attack. Elders who mediate disputes deserve the same level of security attention as government officials, because they are doing work that keeps the state’s own peace efforts alive. Killing militants is one battle. Protecting the elders and common people who choose peace over violence in Waziristan is another. The government must treat both as equally urgent. If peace-loving voices keep dying in silence, fewer people will dare to raise those voices at all.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has made an urgent appeal that the world cannot afford to ignore. Speaking at a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem in Amman, he called on Arab and Islamic countries to unite in defence of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the rights of the Palestinian people. His words carry weight because the situation on the ground demands nothing less than a serious response. For years, Israel has pushed forward with settlement expansion, annexation efforts and the forced displacement of Palestinians. These actions are not minor administrative matters. They are direct violations of international law and multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. Yet the international community continues to watch from the sidelines, offering statements of concern without any real consequences. This silence is not neutral. It is complicity. Al-Aqsa Mosque holds deep religious and historical significance for Muslims across the world. Any attempt to alter its status or restrict access to worshippers is an attack not just on a building, but on the dignity and faith of over a billion people. Dar is right to demand unrestricted access to Jerusalem’s holy sites and to warn that continued violations could inflame tensions far beyond the region. Gaza remains a humanitarian catastrophe. Even after a ceasefire, millions of Palestinians face hunger, displacement and constant insecurity. A ceasefire on paper means little if people cannot eat, find shelter or live without fear. The world celebrated the ceasefire as a diplomatic win, but celebration cannot replace action. Promises must be followed by real relief and real accountability. Pakistan has consistently stood by Palestine, and this position deserves respect. The demand for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, is not a radical idea. It is a long-standing international consensus that keeps getting delayed by powerful nations unwilling to pressure Israel. The new mechanism agreed upon in Amman to document Israeli violations at holy sites is a welcome step. But documentation alone changes nothing if the world refuses to act on the evidence. Muslim countries must move beyond statements and coordinate real diplomatic pressure. The people of Palestine have waited long enough for justice. The world’s continued hesitation to hold Israel accountable is not just a policy failure. It is a moral failure that history will not judge kindly.