Future with old population numbers?

The Punjab Revenue Authority has taken a step that deserves praise. It has banned handwritten and manual receipts for hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and marriage halls. These businesses must now use the Electronic Invoice Management System, known as EIMS, to issue receipts. This is a small change on paper, but it can bring a big shift in how Punjab collects tax. For years, many businesses in Punjab have used handwritten slips or given no receipt at all. This made it easy to hide real sales. A shop could tell the tax authority one number and keep the true earnings elsewhere. Customers rarely questioned this, since a handwritten slip looked normal. This habit cost the province huge amounts of tax revenue every year. The new rule closes this gap. Every sale through EIMS gets recorded electronically. This makes it much harder for a business to underreport what it earns. The PRA has also set firm penalties. Businesses that ignore the rule can face fines between four hundred thousand and one million rupees. Repeat offenders risk having their premises sealed for up to a month. These penalties send a clear message that documentation is no longer optional. This move fits into a wider global pattern. Countries that have moved to digital invoicing have generally seen tax collection improve. Pakistan has struggled for decades with a low tax to GDP ratio, and informal cash transactions are one major reason. Punjab’s decision to enforce digital receipts is a practical, low cost way to fix part of this problem. However, this step should be the beginning, not the end. Digital receipts alone do not close every loophole. A business can still issue a proper digital receipt while asking the customer to pay in cash outside the system. The real solution is to make digital payments themselves mandatory alongside digital receipts. If customers are required to pay through cards, mobile wallets or bank transfers, then every transaction leaves a financial trail that is far harder to manipulate. This is simply how modern economies function. From small cafes to large retail chains, digital payments have become the norm across much of the world. Pakistan is lagging behind, and Punjab has an opportunity to lead the way. Encouraging or eventually requiring digital transactions would also benefit ordinary consumers, who would gain better protection through verified records of what they paid and for what. The Punjab government has taken a sensible first step. The next step should be mandatory digital transactions, not just mandatory digital receipts.

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.

The suicide bombing at Kabal Police Station in Swat has claimed 17 lives. Seven police officials  and 10 civilians were martyred in this attack. More than 23 injured people are still fighting for their lives in hospitals. We pray for their speedy recovery. This attack was not just on a police station. It was an attack on the peace of an entire community. The people of Swat have already suffered greatly from terrorism in the past. They rebuilt their lives after years of conflict. They deserved better than this bloodshed. Markets closed across Kabal as residents mourned their dead. This attack must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The bomber used between six and eight kilograms of explosives. Police officers showed real courage. They stopped the bomber from reaching his main target. Their bravery saved many more lives. These officers deserve recognition, not just words of praise. Their families deserve the full compensation that has been promised to them, delivered without delay. The formation of a Joint Investigation Team is a necessary step. Investigators must move quickly and use every modern tool available to find those responsible. But investigation alone is not enough. Pakistan needs a sustained and serious campaign against terrorism, not scattered responses after each tragedy. Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Khan Afridi used this moment to blame federal security policies. This kind of political point scoring serves no one right now. Terrorism is a threat to the entire country. It cannot be treated as a provincial problem or a political weapon. What Khyber Pakhtunkhwa needs is genuine cooperation between the provincial and federal governments, not finger pointing while bodies are still being buried. The Rs20 billion allocation for police capacity is a welcome move. But money alone will not defeat this threat. Pakistan needs unity among political parties, religious leaders, security forces, and ordinary citizens. Terrorists thrive on division. They exploit political blame games and public distrust. Every time leaders turn a tragedy into a political argument, they hand terrorists a small victory. The victims of Kabal deserve more than condolences. They deserve a state that protects its citizens and brings the guilty to justice without delay. They deserve leaders who put aside politics and work together against a common enemy. Pakistan has defeated terrorism before through unity and sacrifice. It must find that same resolve again. Swat has bled too many times. This must be the last time.

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.

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.

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.