Lahore finds a champion in Nawaz Sharif

Arshad Nadeem remains one of the finest athletes Pakistan has ever produced, and one disappointing outing in Glasgow cannot erase that fact. His early exit from the Commonwealth Games javelin event has understandably worried fans, but this is a moment for support, not despair. Every great athlete faces setbacks. What matters is how they respond. Former coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari has raised a valid point about fitness levels ahead of the Glasgow event. He noted that Nadeem did not appear to have the same intensity he showed during earlier training sessions under his guidance. Bukhari, who worked closely with Nadeem for eight years and helped him reach the Tokyo Olympics, believes physical preparation is the foundation of success in any sport. He also called for regular fitness testing before athletes compete internationally, a suggestion authorities should take seriously. It is worth remembering that Nadeem has already given Pakistan its proudest sporting moment. His gold medal throw of 92.97 metres at the Paris Olympics in 2024 remains a historic achievement that will be remembered for generations. A single poor performance in Glasgow does not undo that legacy. Sport, by nature, involves highs and lows, and no athlete performs at their peak every single time. Bukhari believes Nadeem does not need another extraordinary throw to prove himself. He has already shown the world what he is capable of. What he needs now is to refocus, correct small mistakes and rebuild his mindset. This is completely achievable for an athlete of his caliber. Questions raised about coordination between Nadeem, his current coach Salman Butt and the Athletics Federation of Pakistan deserve honest attention. Stronger cooperation between all parties can only help Nadeem perform better on the international stage. This is the time for Pakistan to stand behind Arshad Nadeem, not criticize him. Defeat is part of every sportsperson’s journey, and true champions are defined by how they bounce back. 

Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langau escaped an attack on his security squad in Mastung. He praised the police for their quick response. Officers confronted the attackers and forced them to flee before the attack could succeed. Five police personnel were injured in the exchange of fire. Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, the minister said the people of Balochistan have suffered violence for a long time. He urged those hiding in the mountains and carrying weapons to understand that this path leads nowhere. He asked both Baloch and Pashtun communities not to fall for what he called terrorist propaganda. He also asked families to protect their children from this cycle of violence. Langau alleged that terrorists are getting support from India and Afghanistan. He said the government and security forces will keep working to stop terrorism and protect ordinary citizens. This attack raises a question that many people in Balochistan are now asking. For years, we heard about attacks on common citizens, on laborers, on travelers, and on ordinary security checkpoints. Now the attackers are targeting VIPs and even provincial ministers. This shift shows that militants are growing bolder, not weaker. If a home minister’s own security team can come under fire in broad daylight, ordinary citizens have every right to ask why the state’s counter terrorism strategy is not delivering real results. Press conferences and strong statements are not enough. People want to see fewer attacks, not more explanations after each attack. Balochistan has paid a heavy price in blood for many years. Every attack, whether on a common worker or on a top official, adds to that pain. The government must move beyond statements and build a strategy that actually reduces violence on the ground. Until that happens, incidents like Mastung will keep repeating, and the trust between the people and the state will keep weakening.

The Foreign Office has welcomed a new development in the Gaza peace process. The development is about Hamas agreeing to disarm. Officials in Islamabad say this could open the door to a lasting political solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the mediation work of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye. He spoke after US President Donald Trump announced that an agreement had been reached on the complete disarmament of Hamas. This issue had remained one of the biggest obstacles since the ceasefire began in October 2025. The prime minister said Pakistan supports the work of the Board of Peace. He said he hopes all commitments under the Gaza Peace Plan will now move toward real action. He also said diplomatic efforts should lead to a clear and time bound political process. This process should follow United Nations resolutions. The goal remains an independent Palestinian state, based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. According to Hamas officials, a committee under the Board of Peace will now supervise how the group’s weapons are stored. Hamas has also asked mediators to make sure Israel keeps its side of the deal. This includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. This raises an important question. While Hamas has agreed to give up its weapons, what steps have been taken to hold Israel accountable? Based on available reports, Hamas and mediating countries have raised the demand for Israeli withdrawal, but no confirmed timeline or enforcement mechanism for this withdrawal has been announced yet. The ceasefire framework places this responsibility on continued diplomatic pressure from mediators such as the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye, rather than on any independent monitoring body with power to act against Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli aggression has not fully stopped. Fresh Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least four Palestinians, including two children. This shows how fragile the situation remains, even as diplomatic talks continue. Egyptian media report that Cairo will host another meeting of ceasefire mediators soon. Representatives from the United States, Qatar, and Türkiye are expected to attend and discuss the next phase of the peace plan. Pakistan has long supported the Palestinian cause. It continues to call for an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. 

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.

Pakistan and China marked the 99th founding anniversary of China’s People’s Liberation Army at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir praised the Chinese military and called the friendship between the two nations a bond built on trust. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong thanked Pakistan for hosting the event and promised continued support under the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. The words on both sides were warm, and the friendship is real. It has lasted through decades of change. But warmth alone does not build an economy. Pakistan needs more than ceremonies and speeches. It needs results. China has shown the world what discipline and planning can achieve. In a few decades, it moved millions of people out of poverty. It built factories, highways, ports and technology companies that now compete with the best in the world. Pakistan should study this record closely and ask what lessons apply at home. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was meant to be a turning point. It has delivered roads and power plants, but progress on trade, industry and jobs has been slow. Pakistan’s leaders talk often about brotherhood with China. They talk far less about learning from China’s work ethic, its focus on exports, and its long-term planning. Friendship between nations should serve the people of both countries. For Pakistan, that means turning diplomatic goodwill into factories that run, exports that grow, and jobs that last. It means learning how China trains its workers, manages its cities, and plans decades ahead instead of just one budget cycle. Pakistan and China have a friendship worth celebrating. But the next chapter of this relationship must move beyond guards of honour and official statements. It must bring real economic change to ordinary Pakistanis.