Surplus on paper, burden on people

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has struck western Colombia. The disaster has taken at least 164 lives. More than 880 people are injured. Over 3,200 people remain missing. These numbers may still rise as rescue teams continue searching through collapsed buildings. Our hearts go out to the people of Colombia. Families have lost loved ones. Homes have turned into rubble. Hospitals meant to save lives have themselves collapsed, forcing doctors to treat patients on the streets. Even a historic cathedral, standing tall since the 1920s, could not survive the shaking earth. This is a moment of deep grief for Colombia and for all of humanity. This tragedy reminds us of another dark chapter closer to home. In October 2005, a massive earthquake struck Azad Jammu and Kashmir and northern Pakistan. That disaster killed over 73,000 people. Entire towns were destroyed within seconds. Schools collapsed while children were still inside. The scars of that day remain fresh in the memories of countless families even today. Nature does not choose its victims. Earthquakes can strike any nation, rich or poor, prepared or unprepared. Yet the scale of destruction often depends on how ready a country is. Colombia’s new government now faces this crisis just days after taking office. Pakistan knows well how difficult such moments can be. The world must treat these repeated disasters as a wake-up call. Governments should invest more in earthquake-resistant buildings. Hospitals and schools must be built to withstand strong tremors. Early warning systems and trained rescue teams can save many lives when disaster strikes. Colombia now needs support from the international community. Rescue equipment, medical aid and financial help can ease the suffering of affected families. Pakistan, having faced similar pain in 2005, understands this need better than most nations. We mourn with Colombia today. We also hope this tragedy pushes every vulnerable nation, including our own, to take earthquake preparedness seriously before the next disaster strikes.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue to build a scientific method for measuring how much tax each sector of the economy can actually pay. This is a welcome step. For years, tax collection in Pakistan has relied on guesswork and old habits, leaving many sectors under taxed while honest taxpayers carried the burden. The new system aims to fix this. It will help identify sectors where tax potential is being missed. It will also help find businesses and individuals working in the informal economy who avoid paying taxes altogether. The prime minister gave these directions during a meeting on FBR reforms held in Islamabad. He asked officials to work closely with the power sector to trace hidden businesses and tax evaders. He also ordered legal action against anyone found guilty of evasion. This shows a firm commitment to enforcing the law rather than just talking about it. There is real progress to point to already. For the first time in the country’s history, sugar production data now matches FBR records. The prime minister praised FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and his team for this achievement, and it is a sign that better monitoring is starting to pay off. The plan does not stop at sugar. Digital tracking systems are being expanded to textile, beverages, steel, poultry, edible oil, ghee and tyre sectors by December. Tracking is already working in sugar, cement, tobacco, tiles and fertiliser. This kind of digital oversight makes it much harder for anyone to hide production and dodge taxes. Alongside this, Shehbaz Sharif reviewed Pakistan’s digital vision, including plans for a national data centre and a single digital identity for citizens to access government services. Taken together, these reforms signal a government serious about modernising tax collection and public services, and that effort deserves genuine appreciation.

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.

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.

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. 

Rising oil prices are becoming a global emergency, and the blame lies squarely on the actions of the United States, Israel, and their Gulf allies for initiating this ugly war. Crude oil prices are rising fast, and ordinary people everywhere will pay the price. This week, global oil benchmarks jumped to their highest levels in nearly two months. Some cargoes are now trading close to one hundred ten dollars a barrel. Dated Brent, the price used for most of the world’s oil, touched one hundred five dollars and seventy cents on Thursday. This is not a small change. When oil becomes expensive, everything else becomes expensive too. Transport costs rise. Food prices rise. Electricity bills rise. Factories pay more to run machines. Poor countries suffer the most because they cannot absorb these shocks. Rich countries feel the pain too, but developing nations face hunger, inflation, and unemployment on a much larger scale. The real question people should ask is simple. Why is this happening now. The answer points directly at the ongoing confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Tensions between these sides have pushed the region toward war. Gulf partners aligned with Washington have allowed this dangerous situation to continue instead of pushing for peace. Their silence and their support for aggressive policies have made the crisis worse. The world cannot afford this. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important routes for oil shipments. Roughly one fifth of the world’s oil passes through this narrow waterway. Threats to this route create fear across markets, and fear pushes prices higher even before real disruption happens. Kazakhstan’s export terminal on the Black Sea was also hit by drone attacks, cutting the country’s oil output nearly in half. This shows how connected today’s conflicts have become. War in one region shakes markets everywhere. The solution is not complicated. The fighting must stop. The Strait of Hormuz must remain open and safe for all shipping. Iran has suffered heavy losses from sanctions and military pressure, and fair compensation should be part of any lasting settlement. World leaders often speak about protecting the global economy. Now is the time to prove it. The United States, Israel, and their Gulf partners hold real power to de-escalate this crisis. They must choose diplomacy over confrontation, before ordinary families across the world are forced to pay for a war they did not start.