Government must protect peace-loving elders

The country is trying to build hospitals, schools and jobs for its people. But there is a big problem. The government does not have fresh data on how many people live in the country and what they need. The last full population and health survey was done in 2017 and 2018. This survey is supposed to happen every five years. It has now been many years since it was updated. This is not a small issue. It is a serious weakness that can damage the whole planning system of the country. The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives raised this concern in a recent meeting. The committee, led by Senator Quratulain Marri, asked why the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics had not completed a new survey on time. This newspaper believes this question deserves a clear answer, not delays. Without updated data, the government is working blindly. It cannot know exactly how many hospitals are needed. It cannot know how many schools should be built. It cannot know how many jobs must be created. Planning without correct numbers is like building a house without knowing how many people will live in it. The committee was also told that a huge amount of money, around Rs1.68 billion, has been spent on importing contraceptives for population welfare programmes. Yet the committee was not satisfied with the answers given about how these contraceptives are being used and how many people are benefiting. This raises a fair question. If the government cannot explain how money is being used, how can citizens trust that the programme is working well? The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics must complete its new survey quickly. The Ministry of National Health Services must explain its spending clearly. Delay and confusion only weaken public trust and hurt the people who depend on these services the most.

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.

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.

This editorial is based on a news story published in Minute Mirror newspaper. Punjab’s government promised that buying medical supplies centrally would save public money. It has done the opposite. Minute Mirror’s investigation into the province’s Rs40 billion procurement deal for surgical and medical disposables shows a system that looks broken from top to bottom. The numbers speak for themselves. Out of 125 medical device categories, 50 attracted only one bidder. That is 40 percent of the entire deal decided without any real competition. When only one company bids for a contract, there is no pressure to keep prices fair. This is not how public procurement should work. The price hikes are shocking. Surgical blades that should cost around Rs14 are being bought for Rs 78. Sutures that cost Rs77 are now priced at Rs 289. Even simple IV cannulas and blood transfusion sets have jumped far beyond reasonable benchmark rates. These are not luxury items. These are basic supplies used every single day in emergency rooms and operating theatres across Punjab’s public hospitals. Taxpayers were told centralizing this system would bring bulk discounts. Instead, it appears to have opened the door to inflated rates and limited competition. Even more troubling, the final financial outcomes seem to contradict objections raised earlier by vendors before the Grievance Redressal Committee. Such contradictions cannot be brushed aside. They must be explained clearly and honestly. This is public money. It belongs to the people of Punjab, not to a handful of favoured suppliers. The Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department owes the public a full explanation. An independent inquiry should be launched immediately. Every contract award must be reviewed, and every price hike must be justified. Minute Mirror urges the provincial government to act now. Transparency is not optional when public health and public money are both at stake.

Some people are calling it a tragedy on a par with the Peshawar Army Public School. The death of 14 newborn babies in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is a heartbreaking tragedy. These babies had just entered the world and were among the most vulnerable members of society. Their deaths raise serious questions about the safety of public hospitals and the responsibility of those entrusted with protecting patients. The National Assembly’s health committee has rightly questioned the initial claim that an old air conditioner caused the fire. The committee says there is no conclusive evidence so far to establish where the fire began. Other possibilities, including faulty electrical wiring and problems with the oxygen supply system, are now being investigated. Finding the real cause is important. However, the larger question is why a fire in a hospital nursery was allowed to become so deadly. Hospitals must be among the safest places in society. A newborn ward should have the highest level of fire protection, emergency planning and trained staff. This tragedy must not end with another inquiry and a few temporary suspensions. If negligence, poor management or failure to follow safety rules is found, those responsible must face strict action. Accountability should not stop with junior employees. Senior hospital officials and government authorities must also be investigated if they failed to ensure proper safety arrangements. There is an urgent need for practical reforms. Every major public and private hospital should undergo regular independent fire and electrical safety inspections. Fire alarms, smoke detectors, emergency exits and firefighting equipment must be checked regularly and kept in working condition. Hospitals should conduct frequent emergency drills so that doctors, nurses and other staff know exactly what to do during a fire. Special attention must be given to areas containing oxygen pipelines, electrical equipment and highly vulnerable patients. Old buildings should not be used for critical wards unless they meet modern safety standards. Where possible, newborns and intensive-care patients should be shifted to safer and better-equipped facilities. The government should also make the results of hospital safety audits public. This will increase transparency and encourage institutions to take safety rules seriously. Most importantly, safety standards must be enforced before a tragedy happens, not after innocent lives are lost. A fair investigation, strict accountability and strong safety reforms are the minimum that these innocent victims deserve. Pakistan cannot afford to wait for another tragedy before learning the same lesson again.

The Sindh cabinet’s decision to keep Dr Nighat Shah on as a professor at Jinnah Sindh Medical University, right after her retirement, and while the same post is already advertised, is a troubling example of a culture this country must abandon. Rehiring retired officials is not a reward. It is a curse. Every time a retired person is brought back through a special order, one door closes for someone else. Younger doctors, teachers, and officers who have spent years waiting patiently in line for promotion suddenly find that the position they worked toward has been given to someone who was supposed to have already left. This is deeply unfair. It sends a clear message to hardworking juniors that seniority, patience, and merit do not matter. What matters instead is influence. This problem is not limited to government departments. Private organisations often do the same thing. A senior executive retires, and instead of allowing a deserving junior to rise, the company brings the retired person back on contract. The result is always the same. Staff morale suffers. Younger employees lose motivation, because they see no real chance of advancement. Over time, these organisations lose their best talent to competitors who do offer growth. This is one of the quiet reasons many institutions eventually decline. We do not doubt that Dr Nighat Shah has had a distinguished career. Her contributions to gynaecology and obstetrics, and to medical education, are acknowledged. But outstanding achievement does not require staying in the same chair forever. A person of her experience can serve the nation in many other ways. She can mentor young doctors informally. She can join advisory boards. She can write, train, and guide the next generation without occupying a post that others are competing for through proper process. The PMDC policy allowing retired faculty to be retained until the age of sixty five is optional, not mandatory. Institutions are not required to use it. The Sindh cabinet should withdraw this order and let the ongoing selection process proceed fairly. Retired professionals deserve respect and gratitude for their service. What they do not need, and what the country cannot afford, is another door closed on the next generation.