Daily Times Editorials 17th August 2026

Payback Playback

Bangladesh is making its displeasure clear. A visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman remains under discussion, but Dhaka says a “propitious” environment must first be created. There is little mystery about what that means. Bangladesh wants movement on its demand for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister who fled to India during the 2024 uprising that ended her 15-year rule. She was sentenced to death in absentia last November for ordering a deadly crackdown on protesters, charges she denies as politically motivated.

Foreign ministry spokesman Shahidul Karim said on Sunday that Bangladesh was still waiting for an Indian response to its extradition request. The irritation has been compounded by Hasina continuing to speak publicly from India. Her media appearance, in which she demanded the lifting of the ban on the Awami League and said she intended to return home in December, was denounced by Dhaka as an affront to its sovereignty.

There is symbolism in what has happened since Mr Rahman took office in February. His first foreign tour took him not to Delhi but to Malaysia and China, where the agenda ranged from migrant labour to investment, infrastructure and the Teesta river project. That Bangladesh does not want its foreign policy organised around a single capital should worry New Delhi more than the choreography of an official visit.Executive Branch

India clearly understands that a repair job is necessary. The appointment of veteran politician Dinesh Trivedi as high commissioner-an unusual choice outside the professional diplomatic service-was itself read as evidence of the seriousness with which New Delhi views the reset.

Hasina, however, has become both a legal case and a political symbol. India says her extradition must proceed through its legal procedures, with Indian officials arguing that the final decision rests with the courts. Dhaka sees something larger: whether India is prepared to deal with the Bangladesh that emerged after 2024 rather than continue sheltering the leader identified with the order it rejected.

There is a lesson here for Pakistan as well. Islamabad should resist the temptation to view the fall of Hasina as geopolitical payback. A “Bangladesh First” government is not necessarily a Pakistan-first government, an India-last government or even a China-first one. The emerging Bangladeshi instinct appears to be to deal with all of them while becoming dependent on none. Pakistan would do better to compete through trade, connectivity, education and sustained diplomatic engagement rather than nostalgia about old political alignments.

Khawarij Barrage

Security forces are doing brave and necessary work. The recent operations in Kharan and Khuzdar demonstrate the seriousness of the campaign against terrorism. Seven militants were killed in Kharan and another 10 in Khuzdar.

According to officials, they were involved in extortion, kidnapping, targeted killings and preparations for suicide attacks. Removing such threats before they can strike saves innocent lives. Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3 is therefore a necessary step and deserves national support.

These militants do not operate in isolation. Officials have repeatedly alleged that groups described as Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan receive external support, including from India. If so, the challenge goes beyond ordinary law and order. It becomes a question of national security and sovereignty.

But bullets and operations alone cannot solve the problem. The numbers tell a sobering story. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan together accounted for nearly 96 per cent of all violence-related deaths in the country during the second quarter of 2026.

Such a concentration of violence cannot be addressed through military means alone. It demands sustained political attention as well.

The government must therefore look beyond security operations. People in these provinces need jobs, functioning schools and hospitals, credible political representation and a meaningful voice in decision-making. Years of neglect and mistrust have created spaces that militant groups can exploit to recruit disaffected young men.

Corrective political measures, honest engagement with local communities and equitable development spending must accompany all military campaigns. None of this diminishes the necessity of confronting terrorists with force. It simply recognises that counterterrorism succeeds most decisively when militants are denied not only territory, but also the grievances and alienation they seek to exploit.

Security forces can win battles on the ground. Lasting peace in Balochistan and KP, however, will come only when the state also succeeds in winning the confidence of its own people. *