Indian students’ win

Rising oil prices are becoming a global emergency, and the blame lies squarely on the actions of the United States, Israel, and their Gulf allies for initiating this ugly war. Crude oil prices are rising fast, and ordinary people everywhere will pay the price. This week, global oil benchmarks jumped to their highest levels in nearly two months. Some cargoes are now trading close to one hundred ten dollars a barrel. Dated Brent, the price used for most of the world’s oil, touched one hundred five dollars and seventy cents on Thursday. This is not a small change. When oil becomes expensive, everything else becomes expensive too. Transport costs rise. Food prices rise. Electricity bills rise. Factories pay more to run machines. Poor countries suffer the most because they cannot absorb these shocks. Rich countries feel the pain too, but developing nations face hunger, inflation, and unemployment on a much larger scale. The real question people should ask is simple. Why is this happening now. The answer points directly at the ongoing confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Tensions between these sides have pushed the region toward war. Gulf partners aligned with Washington have allowed this dangerous situation to continue instead of pushing for peace. Their silence and their support for aggressive policies have made the crisis worse. The world cannot afford this. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important routes for oil shipments. Roughly one fifth of the world’s oil passes through this narrow waterway. Threats to this route create fear across markets, and fear pushes prices higher even before real disruption happens. Kazakhstan’s export terminal on the Black Sea was also hit by drone attacks, cutting the country’s oil output nearly in half. This shows how connected today’s conflicts have become. War in one region shakes markets everywhere. The solution is not complicated. The fighting must stop. The Strait of Hormuz must remain open and safe for all shipping. Iran has suffered heavy losses from sanctions and military pressure, and fair compensation should be part of any lasting settlement. World leaders often speak about protecting the global economy. Now is the time to prove it. The United States, Israel, and their Gulf partners hold real power to de-escalate this crisis. They must choose diplomacy over confrontation, before ordinary families across the world are forced to pay for a war they did not start.

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has struck western Colombia. The disaster has taken at least 164 lives. More than 880 people are injured. Over 3,200 people remain missing. These numbers may still rise as rescue teams continue searching through collapsed buildings. Our hearts go out to the people of Colombia. Families have lost loved ones. Homes have turned into rubble. Hospitals meant to save lives have themselves collapsed, forcing doctors to treat patients on the streets. Even a historic cathedral, standing tall since the 1920s, could not survive the shaking earth. This is a moment of deep grief for Colombia and for all of humanity. This tragedy reminds us of another dark chapter closer to home. In October 2005, a massive earthquake struck Azad Jammu and Kashmir and northern Pakistan. That disaster killed over 73,000 people. Entire towns were destroyed within seconds. Schools collapsed while children were still inside. The scars of that day remain fresh in the memories of countless families even today. Nature does not choose its victims. Earthquakes can strike any nation, rich or poor, prepared or unprepared. Yet the scale of destruction often depends on how ready a country is. Colombia’s new government now faces this crisis just days after taking office. Pakistan knows well how difficult such moments can be. The world must treat these repeated disasters as a wake-up call. Governments should invest more in earthquake-resistant buildings. Hospitals and schools must be built to withstand strong tremors. Early warning systems and trained rescue teams can save many lives when disaster strikes. Colombia now needs support from the international community. Rescue equipment, medical aid and financial help can ease the suffering of affected families. Pakistan, having faced similar pain in 2005, understands this need better than most nations. We mourn with Colombia today. We also hope this tragedy pushes every vulnerable nation, including our own, to take earthquake preparedness seriously before the next disaster strikes.

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.

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 directed the Federal Board of Revenue to build a scientific method for measuring how much tax each sector of the economy can actually pay. This is a welcome step. For years, tax collection in Pakistan has relied on guesswork and old habits, leaving many sectors under taxed while honest taxpayers carried the burden. The new system aims to fix this. It will help identify sectors where tax potential is being missed. It will also help find businesses and individuals working in the informal economy who avoid paying taxes altogether. The prime minister gave these directions during a meeting on FBR reforms held in Islamabad. He asked officials to work closely with the power sector to trace hidden businesses and tax evaders. He also ordered legal action against anyone found guilty of evasion. This shows a firm commitment to enforcing the law rather than just talking about it. There is real progress to point to already. For the first time in the country’s history, sugar production data now matches FBR records. The prime minister praised FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and his team for this achievement, and it is a sign that better monitoring is starting to pay off. The plan does not stop at sugar. Digital tracking systems are being expanded to textile, beverages, steel, poultry, edible oil, ghee and tyre sectors by December. Tracking is already working in sugar, cement, tobacco, tiles and fertiliser. This kind of digital oversight makes it much harder for anyone to hide production and dodge taxes. Alongside this, Shehbaz Sharif reviewed Pakistan’s digital vision, including plans for a national data centre and a single digital identity for citizens to access government services. Taken together, these reforms signal a government serious about modernising tax collection and public services, and that effort deserves genuine appreciation.

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.