Pakistan can bring Iran, America back to the table

The Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court has voted to remove prosecutor Karim Khan. The vote came over sexual misconduct allegations. His legal team has confirmed the move and called it political. The vote happened on Friday. It came at a time when the ICC faces heavy pressure from the United States and Israel. This pressure grew after Khan issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant in 2024. This timing raises serious questions. Tayab Ali, head of Khan’s legal team, said a judicial panel had unanimously found no misconduct or breach of duty by Khan. Yet member states still voted him out. This decision does not follow the evidence. It does not follow the only judicial finding in the matter. That is unacceptable. Khan was removed by an executive vote while under US sanctions and while the court itself sat under enormous political pressure. He was never given a fair chance to be heard. A process built this way cannot claim to deliver justice. It looks like punishment for doing his job. Minute Mirror stands with Karim Khan on this point. An organisation meant to protect international law must not bend to pressure from powerful states. The ICC was built to hold leaders accountable, including leaders backed by strong allies. If prosecutors can be removed the moment they issue warrants against a protected ally, the court loses its purpose entirely. The ICC has failed Karim Khan. It failed to protect its own official from a process that ignored its own judges. It failed to explain why political timing lined up so closely with the Netanyahu and Gallant warrants. Removing him does not erase those warrants, since only ICC judges can withdraw them. But it damages trust in the court at the exact moment the world needed that trust most. Justice must never depend on who a defendant knows in Washington or Tel Aviv.

The meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide is a welcome sign for Pakistan. It shows that the country is being taken seriously on the world stage. This editorial argues that the growing warmth between Islamabad and Oslo deserves genuine praise and should be built upon further. For too long, Pakistan has struggled to convince the world that it is a victim of terrorism, not a source of it. Naqvi used this meeting to make that case clearly. He told the Norwegian minister that militant groups are using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan. This is a message Pakistan must keep repeating to every foreign visitor. The world needs to understand that Pakistan is fighting a war that was not of its own making. Eide did not just listen politely. He praised Pakistan’s role in the recent US-Iran conflict and called the country’s approach constructive. This is significant. It means Pakistan’s careful diplomacy during a tense regional crisis is being noticed and valued by European leaders. Pakistan should take confidence from this recognition and continue playing the role of a responsible regional actor. The numbers on illegal migration also tell a positive story. A 47 per cent drop in illegal migration from Pakistan to Europe is not a small achievement. It shows that government policy, when applied seriously, produces real results. Naqvi was right to stress that legal migration pathways must be strengthened alongside these enforcement measures. Punishing illegal migration without offering legal alternatives only pushes desperate people back into the hands of human smugglers. Norway’s decision to send its foreign minister to Pakistan after almost a decade is itself a meaningful gesture. It signals renewed interest in trade, investment, technology and security cooperation. Eide also spoke warmly about the Pakistani community in Norway and its contributions in politics and healthcare. This is a reminder that people to people ties often do more for a relationship than formal agreements alone. Pakistan should use this opening wisely. Counterterrorism cooperation, police training and legal assistance agreements with Norway can strengthen Pakistan’s institutions. Trade and investment talks can bring real economic benefit. None of this happens automatically. It requires consistent follow through from both sides. This visit should not be treated as a one-off diplomatic photo opportunity. It should mark the beginning of a deeper and more regular relationship between two countries that clearly have much to offer each other.

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 is right to celebrate Pakistan’s progress at the Indus Robotics and Autonomous Systems Expo 2026. Local drones, simulators and autonomous platforms on display are genuine achievements, and the government deserves credit for organising this event. Such expos give young innovators a stage, and they should happen far more often. One expo a year is not enough for a country trying to catch up in robotics and artificial intelligence. But an honest look tells us something the speeches often skip. Pakistan’s technology sector has largely grown because of private effort, not government funding. Young software engineers, startup founders, freelancers and university students have kept this sector alive, often without meaningful state support. Many built their skills through free online courses, self-funded projects and sheer persistence, not through government grants or well-funded labs. When government share of support has been minimal, it is unfair for credit to travel only upward. The youth of this country deserve real recognition, not just polite mentions in a prime ministerial address. If Pakistan genuinely wants technological independence, praise alone will not build it. Research budgets remain thin. Universities struggle with outdated labs and low funding, a problem raised repeatedly by academics themselves. Local innovators frequently move abroad, not because they lack patriotism, but because opportunities and funding are stronger elsewhere. Indigenous drone and simulator production is encouraging, but it cannot substitute for a broader national investment in research, education and startups. The government’s job now is to convert one successful expo into a lasting system. That means consistent funding for research institutions, easier access to capital for young tech entrepreneurs, and closer partnerships between universities and defence industries. It means holding such expos regularly, not as one-off showcases, but as part of a serious innovation calendar.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for a “grand dialogue” on Balochistan is welcome. So is Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s emphasis on development, stability and opportunities for the province’s youth. But after decades of conflict, political mistrust and economic grievances, Balochistan needs more than another declaration of good intentions. It needs a credible process that produces visible results. The most important point in the prime minister’s remarks is his acknowledgement that the people of Balochistan have a legitimate claim to the province’s natural resources. This is not a minor issue. Balochistan is rich in minerals, gas and other natural resources, yet many of its people continue to face poverty, unemployment and inadequate public services. The question, therefore, is not simply whether Pakistan owns these resources. It is whether the people living on this land feel that they receive a fair share of the benefits. This is where the proposed dialogue becomes important. Dialogue cannot mean inviting selected representatives to Islamabad, listening to speeches and then returning to business as usual. If the government genuinely wants to address grievances, the process must include a broad range of Baloch voices, including political parties, elected representatives, tribal elders, young people, civil society and other stakeholders. At the same time, violence cannot be accepted as a solution. The killing of workers because of their ethnic or provincial identity is indefensible. Ordinary citizens from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or elsewhere should not become targets simply because they work in Balochistan. Protecting citizens and maintaining law and order is the basic responsibility of the state. But security alone cannot produce lasting peace. If every political or economic grievance is treated only as a security problem, mistrust will deepen. Similarly, blaming every problem on foreign interference may explain part of the situation, but it cannot replace an honest examination of local grievances. Field Marshal Asim Munir’s emphasis on Balochistan’s youth is equally significant. The province’s young people need universities, technical education, jobs, businesses and a genuine stake in the province’s economic future. Development projects should not merely pass through Balochistan; they should create opportunities for Balochistan’s people. The same principle applies to natural resources. Mining, ports and energy projects can transform the province, but only if local communities see tangible benefits. Transparency in contracts, employment for local people, revenue sharing and investment in education and health should be treated as essential parts of every major project. Also, infrastructure alone cannot create that future. Roads, airports and ports matter, but people must also believe that development is improving their lives. In this context, the vision of both Mr Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir for the people of Balochistan offers a clear direction for the government and the people. 

The federal government has taken a step that deserves real appreciation. Every government employee in Islamabad will now undergo mandatory hepatitis screening. This is not a small decision. Hepatitis often hides quietly inside the body. Many patients show no clear symptoms until the disease has already caused serious damage. By making screening compulsory, the government is finally choosing prevention over regret. This initiative falls under the Prime Minister’s Hepatitis Programme. The programme carries a massive allocation of Rs67 billion. That is a serious commitment, not just a token gesture. Employees who test positive will get a free PCR test. Those confirmed positive will receive free medicines. This removes the financial fear that often stops people from seeking treatment. Many patients avoid testing simply because they cannot afford it. This programme removes that barrier completely. More than 50,000 screening kits have already been purchased. PCR testing machinery is now installed at the National Institutes of Health. This shows the groundwork has been done properly, not rushed for show. Early detection saves lives. It also saves the healthcare system from handling advanced, costly cases later. But here is where the government must think bigger. Hepatitis is not a problem limited to Islamabad. It affects cities and villages across Pakistan. Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan all carry a heavy hepatitis burden. If mandatory screening works for federal employees in the capital, there is no reason it cannot work everywhere else.