Pakistan can bring Iran, America back to the table

The Sindh cabinet’s decision to keep Dr Nighat Shah on as a professor at Jinnah Sindh Medical University, right after her retirement, and while the same post is already advertised, is a troubling example of a culture this country must abandon. Rehiring retired officials is not a reward. It is a curse. Every time a retired person is brought back through a special order, one door closes for someone else. Younger doctors, teachers, and officers who have spent years waiting patiently in line for promotion suddenly find that the position they worked toward has been given to someone who was supposed to have already left. This is deeply unfair. It sends a clear message to hardworking juniors that seniority, patience, and merit do not matter. What matters instead is influence. This problem is not limited to government departments. Private organisations often do the same thing. A senior executive retires, and instead of allowing a deserving junior to rise, the company brings the retired person back on contract. The result is always the same. Staff morale suffers. Younger employees lose motivation, because they see no real chance of advancement. Over time, these organisations lose their best talent to competitors who do offer growth. This is one of the quiet reasons many institutions eventually decline. We do not doubt that Dr Nighat Shah has had a distinguished career. Her contributions to gynaecology and obstetrics, and to medical education, are acknowledged. But outstanding achievement does not require staying in the same chair forever. A person of her experience can serve the nation in many other ways. She can mentor young doctors informally. She can join advisory boards. She can write, train, and guide the next generation without occupying a post that others are competing for through proper process. The PMDC policy allowing retired faculty to be retained until the age of sixty five is optional, not mandatory. Institutions are not required to use it. The Sindh cabinet should withdraw this order and let the ongoing selection process proceed fairly. Retired professionals deserve respect and gratitude for their service. What they do not need, and what the country cannot afford, is another door closed on the next generation.

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.

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. 

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Washington this week. They came with Palestinian flags. They came with banners. They came with one clear demand. They want Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested the moment he sets foot in the United States. This demand is not extreme. It is based on law. The International Criminal Court has already issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Judges at the court found reasonable grounds to believe he bears responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Countries that respect international law are expected to act on such warrants. The United States chose not to. President Donald Trump made his position clear before Netanyahu even landed. He said Netanyahu would not be arrested on American soil. He defended Israel’s actions in the region without hesitation. This sends a troubling message. It tells the world that some leaders are above the law, as long as they have powerful friends. The protesters deserve credit. They did not stay silent. They stood outside in the summer heat and said what many people around the world are thinking. Gaza has suffered enormous destruction. Tens of thousands of civilians have died. Homes, hospitals and schools have been reduced to rubble. Ordinary people watching this unfold have every right to demand accountability from the man who led that campaign. It is worth noting that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken a braver stance than the federal government. He has said his city will look into enforcing the ICC warrant if Netanyahu travels there in September for the United Nations General Assembly. This is what leadership looks like. It is a reminder that not every American official is willing to look away. Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump this week was billed as a discussion of regional strategy after their joint military action against Iran. But the real story outside the White House gates was the crowd demanding justice. Their voices should not be dismissed as noise. They represent a growing global frustration with double standards in how international law is applied. The world should stands with those who believe no leader, however powerful his allies, should be shielded from accountability. The protesters in Washington were not the problem this week. The problem was the decision to protect a man wanted by the world’s highest court.

Lahore’s old city is finally getting the attention it deserves. Nawaz Sharif, the three time former prime minister, has now been made chairman of the newly formed board of the Lahore Heritage Area Revival project. He has also been named patron in chief of the Punjab Walled Cities and Heritage Areas Authority. This is a welcome change, and it deserves praise. Earlier, Nawaz Sharif only held the title of chief patron. He could give advice, but he had no real power to act. Now, under a new notification issued by the Punjab government, a proper board has been formed. This board has full executive and administrative powers. This means decisions can be made faster, without getting stuck in bureaucratic delays. This move shows something important. A senior political leader is choosing to give his time and attention to restoring the heritage of his own city. Lahore’s old streets, its Mughal era buildings, its Sikh period structures, and its colonial landmarks carry the memory of centuries. For too long, many of these sites were left to decay. Now, with pedestrian zones planned from New Anarkali to Paan Gali, and from Kacheri Chowk to Neela Gumbad, the old city may finally get the dignity it deserves. Nawaz Sharif has a track record of completing large projects on time. Motorways, roads, and infrastructure schemes from his earlier terms are still remembered today. If he brings that same energy to Lahore’s heritage revival, the city stands to gain a great deal. This is not just about buildings. It is about restoring identity, culture, and pride for the people who live there. This is why other politicians across Pakistan should take note. Every city in this country has its own history, its own old markets, its own forgotten buildings. Karachi, Multan, Peshawar, and Quetta all carry stories that deserve to be preserved. Political leaders in these cities should step forward the way Nawaz Sharif has done for Lahore. Owning a city means more than winning votes there. It means protecting its identity for future generations. At the same time, the federal government must think bigger. If provinces and cities can be revived one by one, the whole country can be revived together. Pakistan does not just need leaders who own their cities. It needs a government that owns the entire nation, its heritage, its people, and its future.

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.