Learning from China for economic prosperity 

Pakistan and Iran have once again promised to work more closely together. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni met in Islamabad and spoke about border security, fighting terrorism, stopping drug trafficking, and tackling illegal immigration and human trafficking. All of this sounds good on paper. But Pakistan has heard such promises before, and the real question is whether this meeting will lead to actual change on the ground. The Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan border region has long been a weak point for both countries. Smugglers, drug traffickers, and militant groups have used this stretch of land for years, often moving freely between borders that are poorly monitored. Simply agreeing that better coordination is needed is not enough. What Pakistan and Iran actually need is a clear plan, with deadlines and shared resources, to secure this border properly. Intelligence sharing only works if both sides act on the information they receive, not just discuss it in meetings. The timing of this visit also deserves attention. Tensions between the United States and Iran have grown sharper in recent days, with military exchanges raising fears about wider instability in the Middle East. In such a moment, Pakistan’s outreach to Iran is a sensible move. A stable and cooperative relationship with a neighbour that shares a long and sensitive border is simply good policy, regardless of what is happening between Iran and other countries. However, there is a risk that trade and economic cooperation will once again take a back seat to security talk. Pakistan and Iran have discussed expanding trade, transit, and agricultural cooperation many times in the past, yet actual trade volumes between the two countries remain far below their potential. If this relationship is to mean something for ordinary people, Pakistan must push harder to convert these diplomatic meetings into working trade routes, joint agricultural projects, and real economic opportunities.

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.

The Combined Competitive Examination 2024 was meant to open doors for young Sindh residents seeking government careers. Instead, it has become a symbol of broken trust. Out of more than 4,300 candidates who sat the exam, only 70 passed. This low number alone raised serious doubts. When detailed marks sheets came out, those doubts turned into anger. Candidates found strange errors in their results. A single 100-mark paper in criminology appeared as two papers worth 200 marks. A similar problem showed up in environmental science. These are not small clerical slips. They point to deeper flaws in how the Sindh Public Service Commission handled this process. The protests that followed are justified. Students did not just complain online. They organised sit-ins. They held rallies. They formed the Movement for Restoration of Meritocracy. Their demands are simple and fair. They want the exam cancelled. They want a fresh test conducted properly. They want an independent inquiry into how the SPSC has handled recruitment over the past five years. The legal battle adds another layer of concern. The Sindh High Court suspended the results and asked the SPSC to produce full records. That was a reasonable step toward accountability. But the Federal Constitutional Court later suspended those orders, allowing interviews for the 70 successful candidates to continue. This leaves thousands of young people without answers while the process moves forward around them. This newspaper believes the SPSC owes these candidates transparency, not silence. A spokesperson refusing to comment while the matter sits in court is not good enough. Public institutions exist to serve citizens fairly. When thousands of young people spend years preparing for an exam, they deserve a system they can trust. Sindh’s youth are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for merit to be respected. The government and the SPSC must treat this seriously. An independent judicial inquiry would help restore public confidence. Anything less will only deepen the belief that government jobs go to the connected, not the capable. Young people who play by the rules deserve a system that does the same.

Rivers across the country are rising fast. Heavy monsoon rain, combined with water released from Indian dams upstream, has pushed combined river flows to 454,000 cusecs. The Indus is swelling at Tarbela, Kalabagh and Chashma. The Chenab is already at medium flood level at its main headworks. Officials warn that high flooding may hit the Chenab within hours, and the Jhelum is also expected to rise. Melting glaciers in the north, driven by unusually high temperatures in Skardu, add another layer of danger. The human cost is already visible. At least six people have died in Khyber district and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including a mother and her two children buried under a landslide in Kotli. In Landi Kotal, floodwaters swept away vehicles and killed three people. Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 12 people have died and 14 have been injured in the last 24 hours alone, five of them children. These numbers should alarm the nation, but they should not surprise it. Pakistan faces this same tragedy almost every monsoon season. Rivers swell, hillsides collapse, and families in low-lying villages pay the price. The problem is not only the rain. It is the gap between the warnings issued by the Flood Forecasting Division and the action taken on the ground before disaster strikes. Pre-flood safety measures save more lives than any rescue operation after the fact. Families living near rivers and in flood-prone valleys must be relocated before water levels reach danger marks, not after. Local administrations should identify vulnerable settlements in advance and prepare clear evacuation routes. Simple steps such as keeping emergency contact numbers visible in villages, stocking basic supplies, and avoiding travel through known landslide zones during heavy rain can prevent needless deaths. Public awareness campaigns deserve far more attention than they currently receive. Many rural families do not know how to interpret a flood warning or what to do when one is issued. Radio, mobile alerts and community announcements in local languages can close this gap quickly and cheaply. Authorities should not wait for rivers to reach danger levels before informing residents. Warnings must go out the moment forecasts show risk, giving people time to move to safety. The government has shown it can respond once a disaster hits, with rescue teams and heavy machinery deployed to clear roads and relocate residents. But response is not prevention. Pakistan must invest in early warning systems, train local volunteers, and build a culture where communities know exactly what to do before the water arrives.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has told all ministries to meet their deadlines under the privatisation programme. This push for speed and coordination is the right instinct. Pakistan cannot afford more delays in selling off loss making state enterprises. The government has listed 27 public sector organisations for privatisation in three phases. Officials briefed the prime minister on progress at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports. They also updated him on the sale of IESCO, FESCO and GEPCO. Expressions of Interest have already been invited for all three power companies. FESCO submissions close on August 7. GEPCO closes on August 21. IESCO closes on September 7, 2026. International investors are showing interest and roadshows are continuing. This pace is encouraging but Pakistan has been here before. The privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines dragged on for years through failed bids, legal challenges and political hesitation. That delay cost the national exchequer billions in continued losses. It also damaged investor confidence in Pakistan’s ability to complete a sale once it starts one. The government must not let IESCO, FESCO and GEPCO suffer the same fate. Speed alone is not enough. Every step of this process must remain transparent. Bidding criteria, investor qualifications and final sale terms should be made public and open to scrutiny. Citizens deserve to know that state assets are being sold at fair value, not handed over through backroom deals. The prime minister was right to direct that ZTBL continue serving farmers after privatisation. Agriculture remains central to Pakistan’s economy and food security. Any new owner must be bound by clear conditions to protect farmer access to credit. The economy needs the discipline that privatisation brings. But the PIA experience proves that half measures and delays only deepen losses. The government must finish what it starts, openly and on schedule.

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.