Dawn Editorials 30th September 2025

Petty politics

IT is disappointing that the Indian cricket team felt compelled to engage in theatrics on what should have been a celebratory occasion.

Having clinched the Asia Cup after a thrilling contest with Pakistan, the side ought to have basked in its triumph. Instead, it spoiled the moment by refusing to accept the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council chief, because he is a Pakistani national.

That act of arrogance was not isolated. From its captain’s refusal to shake hands in the opening match to his overtly political comments in the post-match awards ceremony, the Indian cricket team’s behaviour seemed scripted to turn the game into another stage for New Delhi’s nationalist posturing. Their prime minister wasted no time in reinforcing this narrative, describing India’s victory as “Operation Sindoor on the games field”.

That he felt compelled to cast a sporting win in the language of war spoke less of confidence than of his insecurity, betraying the scars of his government’s military misadventure against Pakistan earlier this year.

The pettiness is particularly regrettable given cricket’s history in the region. Since the beginning, the game has seen fierce rivalry but also provided some rare occasions for goodwill between the two nations.

Vajpayee’s “friendship through cricket” initiative in 2004 and the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, famously attended by the prime ministers of both countries, reminded South Asians that sport offers respite from hostility. These occasions gave ordinary people a glimpse of what statesmanship and sportsmanship could achieve. India’s current approach is the opposite. Even as its team shone on the field, it chose to be arrogant off it, ensuring the tournament would be remembered less for its skill and more for its churlish behaviour. The disappointment is immense, especially for fans who turn to cricket for joy, not as a platform for leaders to flaunt their insecurities.

Equally troubling is the general political climate that feeds this behaviour. India insists on Pakistan’s culpability in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, but has yet to provide any compelling evidence. Its leaders repeat the allegation endlessly, as if that can substitute for proof. It was this unyielding stance that brought both countries to the brink of nuclear catastrophe earlier this year.

To now see the same rhetoric spilling into cricket is extremely dangerous. It narrows the space for peace, deepens mistrust, and denies the region any room for optimism. The Indian cricket team had a chance to show grace in victory; to remind millions that the sport can offer relief when politics fails. Instead, it left behind not only the trophy it refused to receive, but also a lasting impression of the country’s insecurities. The people of the two countries deserve better. Their shared love of the game should not be exploited in so crass a manner.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2025

Regional CT stance

THE fact that four of Afghanistan’s neighbours have spoken unanimously against Afghan soil being used by militants should send a strong message to the ruling Taliban. The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Iran, Russia and China, meeting on the sidelines of the 80th UNGA last week, have issued a joint statement calling for Afghanistan to be “free from terrorism [and] war”. The quadripartite grouping highlighted various issues in the document, mincing no words about their mutual concern regarding terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. It urged the Afghan rulers to take “effective, concrete and verifiable actions” against terrorism, while adding that militant groups based in the country, such as IS, Al Qaeda, TTP and BLA, among others, “continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security”. The grouping also appreciated Pakistan and Iran for hosting Afghan refugees. Furthermore, the statement raised concern about narcotics from Afghanistan flowing into the larger region. Interestingly, in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s desire to retake Bagram airbase, the quadripartite grouping “firmly opposed” efforts to re-establish military bases in Afghanistan “by the countries responsible for the current situation”.

The threat Afghanistan-based militant groups pose to regional states is clear. Pakistan has particularly been affected by cross-border terrorism. On Friday security forces said they had neutralised at least 17 terrorists in KP’s Karak district. Meanwhile, the minister of state for interior told a recent presser that “80pc of terrorist attackers are Afghans”. It is hoped that when Afghanistan’s neighbours, particularly China and Russia, speak, the Taliban will listen. Moscow is the only state to recognise the Taliban regime, while Beijing has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Afghanistan. Therefore, while Afghan officials may reiterate that their territory will not be used against others, when the foreign ministers of four of Afghanistan’s neighbours issue a detailed statement expressing concern about militants based on Afghan soil, denials from Kabul hold little weight. If the Afghan Taliban truly desire recognition and reintegration into the global community, they must first prove that their neighbours will not face threats from inimical actors based on their soil. In fact, unless militant activity by groups based in Afghanistan decreases visibly, Kabul’s neighbours might consider downgrading ties to the bare minimum, until the Taliban change their tune.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2025

Erratic planning

THE objections of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association to the government’s plan of boosting power generation capacity by nearly 50pc to 64,000 MW by 2035 merit attention. In its comments on the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan 2025-35, Aptma has rightly argued that the IGCEP is built on faulty assumptions that electricity demand will rise automatically with population and GDP growth. Such projections are simplistic and threaten to further destabilise the power sector. With almost half the existing capacity lying idle as industries, households, shopkeepers and farmers switch to cheaper off-grid solutions such as rooftop solar, adding more megawatts will only entrench the vicious cycle of overcapacity, rising tariffs, stranded plants and spiking circular debt. Falling demand amid generation overcapacity has already pushed fixed costs from a fraction to over half of the tariff in barely a decade, making grid power unaffordable for households and industry and deepening the demand slump, something the IGCEP refuses to see.

This is not the first time that the IGCEP’s authors have wrongly predicted demand growth. Nor is Aptma the only consumer to point this out. Energy sector experts have repeatedly raised red flags over previous versions of the IGCEP not only because of their flawed demand forecasts but also the choice of fossil fuel for future generations. Both, demand overestimation and preference for dirty generation, represent a failure of planning in the power sector. Little wonder that the shaky foundations of planning are bringing down the entire power edifice. Households and industries do not need more megawatts — at least not now. Instead, they require affordable and reliable electricity supplies. Without structural reforms to reduce crippling capacity or fixed charges and improve supply networks, the power sector’s competitiveness will continue to erode, prices will soar and consumers will leave the grid. Thus, planning must prioritise affordability and competitiveness, not whimsical targets of adding capacity.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2025