Punjab’s Rs40 billion health deal needs answers

The Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production has exposed a governance failure that Pakistan cannot afford to ignore. The Export Processing Zones Authority has been running without a permanent chairman for an extended period. This is not a minor administrative gap. It is a warning sign of how casually the government treats institutions that are meant to drive industrial growth and attract investment. Senator Saleem Mandviwalla was right to raise alarm during the committee session. Leadership vacuums do not just delay paperwork. They shake investor confidence, stall strategic decisions, and put Pakistan at risk of falling short on commitments made under the IMF Extended Fund Facility. The phase-out of incentives and restrictions on EPZ sales to the domestic market are not small technical details. They are conditions tied directly to Pakistan’s economic credibility on the world stage. The situation around the draft Automotive and Auto Parts Manufacturing Policy 2026-31 tells a similar story. The policy has admirable goals. It wants to promote New Energy Vehicles, increase domestic value addition, and boost exports. But good intentions are not enough. Local manufacturers are being squeezed by high tariffs on raw materials and steep duties that put them at a serious disadvantage. Without resolving these operational bottlenecks first, the policy risks becoming another document full of promises that never translate into results on the ground. The government must understand that ambition without execution is meaningless. If domestic producers cannot compete because of avoidable cost disadvantages, foreign competitors will fill the gap while Pakistan’s own industry falls further behind. It is encouraging that the committee has directed stakeholders to submit formal grievances and scheduled a follow-up session with the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industries and Production. But scheduling meetings is not the same as solving problems. The government must move quickly to appoint permanent leadership at the EPZ Authority and address the structural issues raised by industry representatives. The country does not have the luxury of time. Every delay chips away at investor confidence and puts the country’s IMF compliance and international trade credibility further at risk. The government must take stock of this situation now, before it becomes yet another missed opportunity for industrial growth.

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. 

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.

A court in New Delhi has sentenced former AAP leader Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. Four other men received the same sentence. This case has been one of the most talked about legal battles to come out of the violence that shook northeast Delhi five years ago. On the surface, this looks like justice being served for a man who lost his life. But many observers, particularly within India’s Muslim community and civil rights groups, view this case with deep unease. Tahir Hussain was a Muslim municipal councillor, and his conviction fits into a wider and troubling pattern many have documented since Narendra Modi’s government came to power. Critics argue that Muslims accused in the 2020 riots have often faced harsher and faster prosecution than Hindu individuals accused of similar or worse violence during the same unrest, where investigations have moved slowly or produced few convictions. Rights groups have long raised concerns about India’s use of anti-terror laws, preventive detention, and prolonged pretrial custody against Muslim activists, students, and political figures since 2019. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both documented what they describe as a shrinking space for religious minorities to seek justice fairly in India today. Hussain’s supporters argue that he was targeted because of his political visibility and religious identity, not purely because of evidence. This does not mean the court’s findings should be dismissed outright. A judge examined evidence over several years, and Ankit Sharma’s family deserves acknowledgment of their loss. But the broader climate around India’s justice system, especially in communally charged cases, deserves scrutiny. When convictions consistently fall along religious lines, the question of whether the process was truly even-handed becomes impossible to ignore.

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.

The war in the Middle East is not shrinking. It is spreading. The recent Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea are proof that a conflict once confined to Yemen’s borders is now reaching into international waters, threatening ships that carry oil and goods for the whole world. This is a dangerous moment, and it deserves plain, honest words rather than diplomatic silence. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was right to call these attacks a violation of international law. Commercial ships are not military targets. When tankers are attacked in the Red Sea, it is not just Saudi Arabia that suffers. Shipping costs rise, insurance costs rise, and ordinary families far from the region end up paying more for fuel and food. This is why the prime minister called it a threat to the global economy, not only a regional dispute. Pakistan’s response also reflects a long and real relationship. For decades, Islamabad and Riyadh have stood together, through shared faith, economic support, and security cooperation. Millions of Pakistani workers live and earn their livelihood in Saudi Arabia. When Saudi Arabia faces a security threat, it is natural that Pakistan feels it too, not as a distant headline, but as something close to home. The prime minister’s message of solidarity, delivered alongside Field Marshal Asim Munir, reflects this old and genuine bond, not a hollow diplomatic gesture. But solidarity with a friend does not mean closing our eyes to the wider picture. A war that keeps expanding helps no one, not Saudi Arabia, not Yemen, and not the region as a whole. Yemen has already endured years of war, hunger and displacement. Its people deserve peace, not another chapter of conflict. At the same time, attacks on tankers cannot be excused as a fair response to that suffering. Two wrongs will only deepen the crisis. This is why Pakistan’s call for restraint must be addressed to both sides. The Houthis must stop attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia and its partners must also avoid actions that push the conflict further, and instead pursue a political settlement in Yemen. The Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz are lifelines for global trade. Keeping them open and peaceful is not just in Saudi Arabia’s interest, or Pakistan’s interest, but in everyone’s interest. The world cannot afford another war zone at sea.