NA Committee calls for better support for children with Dyslexia

Pakistan’s Counsellor at the United Nations, Saima Saleem, strongly criticised India during a meeting of the UN Security Council. She accused New Delhi of violating international law, ignoring UN Security Council resolutions and pursuing policies that threaten regional peace and stability. In her address, Saleem said it was contradictory for India to present itself as a supporter of peace while, according to Pakistan, it continues to violate international law and fail to implement UN Security Council resolutions related to the Kashmir dispute. She also alleged that India has pursued aggressive policies toward neighbouring countries and has been involved in activities that undermine regional security. The Pakistani diplomat highlighted what she described as a clear difference between the situations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). She said people in AJK enjoy political freedoms, while residents of IIOJK continue to face restrictions, arrests and alleged human rights violations. Saleem said the denial of basic rights in the disputed territory cannot be ignored. She stressed that political freedom and the suppression of civil liberties cannot be viewed as the same. According to her, the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to possess an inalienable right to self-determination under relevant UN resolutions. She further stated that Jammu and Kashmir is not an integral part of India and cannot be treated solely as its internal matter. She said India’s position does not change the internationally recognised status of the dispute and called for implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The Pakistani representative also said that India had originally taken the Kashmir issue to the United Nations and is now distancing itself from the resolutions adopted by the Security Council. She maintained that the dispute remains on the UN agenda and requires a peaceful resolution in accordance with international law. Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty, Saleem criticised India’s decision to suspend the agreement. She said the move violates international legal obligations and warned that water should never be used as a political or military tool. She described the Indus River system as a lifeline for millions of people and stressed that international agreements must be respected. She also alleged that terrorism networks linked to India have expanded beyond the region. In addition, she claimed that the rise of Hindutva ideology has contributed to increasing Islamophobia in India and accused the Indian government of promoting discriminatory policies against Muslims.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Climate Change Authority has been called back before a Senate committee only days after Chairperson Sherry Rehman strongly questioned why a new authority was operating alongside the Climate Change Ministry, asked what new work it was actually doing and raised concerns over staff costs, duplication and the use of public money. The fresh meeting will again focus almost entirely on the authority, its work, projects, programmes and progress. The quick return of the issue to the committee has increased pressure on the authority to clearly explain why it exists and what results it has produced that the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination could not already deliver. At the previous meeting, Sherry Rehman repeatedly asked officials what work the authority was doing that the ministry was not already responsible for. She questioned whether the government had effectively created a parallel structure carrying out the same work on climate mitigation, adaptation, coordination and policy implementation. Rehman said the presentation before the committee did not show a clear new role for the authority. She also questioned why another institution was being created at a time when the ministry itself was facing shrinking development budgets. One of the strongest moments came when the committee discussed the authority’s staffing and expenditure. Rehman referred to a sanctioned strength of 24 positions and said employee related expenditure had already reached around Rs 80 million according to the presentation placed before the committee. She questioned why these costs were being incurred when she could not see a clear difference between the work of the authority and the ministry. She warned officials not to treat the meeting as a routine presentation exercise and demanded direct answers about public spending and actual results. Rehman also questioned whether creating the authority had brought new climate experts into government. Members asked whether the purpose was to recruit technocrats who could not otherwise be brought into the ministry. However, Rehman said the presentation appeared to show many of the same officials who had already worked inside government departments. She described the situation as a reshuffling of bureaucracy rather than the creation of a new technical institution. She said fragmentation was already a major government problem, with different organisations working separately on connected climate and disaster issues. According to her argument, creating another body without a clearly different mandate could increase costs while making responsibility more confusing. Rehman also questioned why the authority had been activated years after the law creating it first appeared. She said the law allowed the authority to exist but argued that this did not necessarily mean the government was forced to operationalise it. She said earlier governments had discussed removing such overlapping structures instead. During the exchange, she said she had opposed operationalising the authority while serving as minister because she feared it would create duplication. She told the committee that the result now appeared close to what she had warned about: officials were moving between the ministry and the authority instead of creating a completely new technical team. The authority defended its role. Dr Muhammad Rafiq told the committee that the authority was originally designed to provide technical support to the ministry. He acknowledged that more explanation was needed regarding what the authority was delivering against its original responsibilities. He suggested that the ministry and authority should be given an opportunity to return with a clearer presentation explaining what results they expected to achieve and what the authority could do that the ministry could not. The committee was told that the authority was still incomplete. Officials said a permanent chairperson was still being appointed and that only three members were working at the authority with a limited number of staff against the total positions planned. The authority also presented one of its strongest arguments in defence of its performance. An authority member told the committee that it had become Pakistan’s first public sector organisation to qualify as a delivery partner with the Green Climate Fund through the relevant mechanism. The official said this had been achieved by only three members and without technical assistance. He argued that this status could help the authority develop technical proposals and bring more climate finance into Pakistan. Rehman was not convinced that this achievement alone justified a separate authority. She argued that Green Climate Fund financing had already been coming to Pakistan through government structures and questioned why a completely new authority was needed when a climate finance office could operate within the ministry. She again asked why project development and technical hiring could not be handled directly by the ministry. Her central question remained the same throughout the discussion: what exactly could the new authority do that the ministry could not already do? The ministry told the committee that it had a supervisory and controlling role over the authority and that the authority’s budget passed through the ministry. However, Rehman continued to question how effective that control was if the authority could hire staff and exercise statutory powers separately. She asked officials to explain how rotating officials into a separate authority would make climate work more efficient when the ministry itself was losing development resources. Professor Dr Zahoor Ahmed Bazai, who identified himself as an unpaid member nominated to the authority and as a climate change academic, defended the institution. He told the committee that the authority was included in the climate law and that members had been nominated through the formal process. He argued that the authority was intended to provide expertise and serve an advisory role. Rehman said her criticism was not directed personally at individual members. She said the bigger problem was duplication between institutions and the growing number of attached bodies dealing with similar climate matters. The committee chairperson was also critical of the presentation the authority gave. Rehman said the presentation was not strong enough to be used by Pakistan at an international climate forum and described it as outdated in style. She said that if the authority wanted to demonstrate its value and

An internal report has revealed that 268 borrowers have defaulted on loans worth more than Rs2.68 billion at the Bank of Punjab (BOP), raising questions about the recovery of outstanding loans at the province’s government-owned bank. According to the report, each of the 268 borrowers has outstanding liabilities exceeding Rs1 crore. The list reportedly includes individuals, firms and companies with significant loan defaults. Sources familiar with the matter claimed that some prominent political and business figures may also be included among the borrowers. However, the identities and details of the alleged defaulters have not been independently verified. The reported figures have renewed concerns over the bank’s loan recovery mechanisms and lending practices. Large loan defaults can affect a financial institution’s liquidity and its ability to extend credit to other customers, particularly when recovery remains delayed. The Bank of Punjab is a major government-owned financial institution in Punjab and conducts both commercial and government-related banking operations. The Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank is another state-owned financial institution, but its activities are primarily focused on the cooperative sector. Banking experts have called for stronger monitoring of large loans, improved recovery mechanisms and greater transparency in lending by state-owned banks. They say timely recovery of defaulted loans is essential to protect public resources and maintain confidence in the banking system. The report has also raised questions about the circumstances under which the loans were approved and the steps taken by the bank to recover the outstanding amounts. The Bank of Punjab management has so far not issued an official statement confirming or rejecting the figures contained in the report. Further verification of the reported list, including the identities of the borrowers and the status of recovery proceedings, would be necessary before any individual or company can be held responsible for the alleged defaults.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Islamabad on Wednesday. The two officials discussed the evolving situation in the Middle East. They also reviewed Pakistan-Kuwait relations and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The Kuwaiti foreign minister is visiting Pakistan on an official trip. He arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday at the invitation of Ishaq Dar. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Dar and Sheikh Jarrah held a warm and productive meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two sides reviewed the full range of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kuwait. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the longstanding ties between the two countries. The officials described Pakistan and Kuwait as brotherly nations. Their relations are based on shared history, mutual trust and close cooperation. The meeting also focused on regional and international developments. The Middle East situation was a major part of the discussions. The two officials exchanged views on the rapidly changing regional environment. The visit comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Pakistan has continued to engage with regional countries on developments affecting peace and stability. The Kuwaiti minister’s visit is also expected to provide an opportunity for both countries to deepen diplomatic coordination. The Foreign Office said the visit reflects the close and longstanding relationship between Islamabad and Kuwait. The visiting minister was received at Islamabad International Airport after arriving in the capital on Tuesday. Zahid Hussain, an additional secretary at the Foreign Office, welcomed him. The Kuwaiti foreign minister is also expected to meet Pakistan’s senior leadership during his stay. The visit comes amid discussions between Pakistan and Kuwait on expanding cooperation in several areas. Pakistan has reportedly been negotiating a broader defence arrangement with Kuwait. Energy cooperation and investment are also part of the discussions. The proposed cooperation could further expand the strategic and economic relationship between the two countries. Both sides have maintained close ties for decades. Kuwait has also remained an important partner for Pakistan in the Gulf region. The latest meeting between Dar and his Kuwaiti counterpart highlights the importance Islamabad attaches to its relations with Kuwait. It also signals continued diplomatic engagement between the two countries on regional and international issues.