DAWN Editorials 13th September 2026

Iran war endgame

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has predicted that the Iran war will end “very soon”. Yet the facts on the ground belie this assumption.

While speaking in Ireland on Saturday, the American leader repeated that in his calculation, the conflict would wind down “right after election time”, referring to US midterm polls in November. However, much can happen between now and November, and wars are not cut-and-dry affairs that can be ended with the push of a button.

If he is serious about concluding the war, Mr Trump should immediately reach out to the Iranians to achieve a negotiated solution.

After all, there is much to worry about as the war — and its connected conflicts — have spread across the Middle East.

There have been intermittent exchanges between the US and Iran over the past few days. Meanwhile, the Saudi-Houthi ceasefire has collapsed, with the pro-Iran group seizing more territory in Yemen, and aiming its guns at the Bab al-Mandeb strait to prevent Saudi vessels from crossing it.

On the other hand, the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia — a critical alternative for transporting petroleum after the Hormuz blockade — has been struck apparently from Iraq. Riyadh has said it has held off on taking action after a request from the “brotherly Iraqi government” but reserves the right to respond. Though powerful pro-Iran militias are active in Iraq, no group had, at the time of writing, taken responsibility for the attack.

In Lebanon, Israel continues its savage bombardment as it tries to bring Hezbollah to its knees. Thousands of Lebanese have been killed in these brutal attacks, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced. It should be remembered that a ceasefire in Lebanon was a crucial part of the Islamabad MoU.

All these interconnected conflicts indicate that a Middle East ceasefire cannot wait for November.

As the aggressor in this war, the US should take the first step by ending hostilities with Iran; Tehran should respond in kind. Talks between Iran and the Gulf states regarding the Strait of Hormuz are scheduled in Oman on Monday. Hopefully, the regional states can reach an agreement for the reopening of the crucial waterway.

As a confidence-building measure, the US should announce the cessation of hostilities against Iran, and an end to the blockade of Iranian ports. Wars are unpredictable, and American confidence that Washington can control the tempo of hostilities till November is misplaced. A peaceful solution is required now.

Moreover, the war is deeply unpopular in the US, and many top American generals have reportedly warned their bosses against escalating. Therefore, it is time to end this futile misadventure, and reopen channels of dialogue through trusted third parties such as Pakistan and other regional states.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2026

Smog response

PUNJAB’S decision to begin fighting smog before the air turns poisonous deserves support. For years, the province’s response to winter pollution has too often appeared reactive: schools close, outdoor activity is restricted and emergency measures follow once Lahore’s air becomes hazardous. The latest “pre-smog crackdown”, targeting construction dust, dry sweeping, crop-residue and waste burning, brick kilns, and vehicle emissions, is therefore a sensible change in approach. Some of the new steps are practical: ending dry sweeping, requiring wet or mechanical cleaning, covering construction material, checking vehicle emissions and using technology to identify violations can reduce avoidable pollution. Making dust-control compliance at construction sites a condition of project approval would be useful, provided penalties apply equally to public and private projects. Likewise, farmers should be helped to dispose of crop residue through modern machinery rather than simply punished for burning it; enforcement without affordable alternatives will invite evasion. The real test, however, is implementation. Punjab already has rules against waste burning, emissions standards and dust-control protocols, yet the EPA itself says inspections in Lahore found poor compliance at several development projects despite SOPs issued last year. That should temper official claims of progress.

Punjab must resist treating smog as a three-month problem. Transport, industry, waste management and urban construction pollute throughout the year. Winter weather merely traps these emissions closer to the ground and makes the consequences harder to ignore. Cleaner public transport, stricter vehicle fitness regimes, better fuel quality, modernised industry, proper waste collection and continuous air-quality monitoring matter as much as raids and fines. Authorities should publish emissions data, inspection results and penalties so the public can judge whether enforcement is sustained and whether repeat offenders are being deterred. Greater coordination among provincial departments and city authorities is important. Citizens, too, have a role, but official appeals for cooperation cannot replace governance. Individuals cannot regulate kilns, redesign transport systems or police construction sites. Those are state responsibilities. Punjab is right to act before October, but the crackdown will only count as progress if it becomes routine.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2026

Failing health

OVER the period of a decade, dengue has spread at an unprecedented scale in the country. The virus caseload rose by over 3,000pc from 2012 to 2022, according to new research from Aga Khan University. It indicates that the disease is a far greater public health concern than recognised earlier. Our national dengue burden surged from around 100,000 in 2012 to 3.28m in 2022. Sindh featured as a hotspot — “an estimated 2.6m cases, mainly affecting adults aged 15-49 years”. Karachi East posted the highest score, underlining the inequity in targeted action. The lowest figure of about 6,785 cases came from Balochistan. These findings speak volumes about the rot in the health system, and expose the low count in official records. The level of underreporting, and apathy towards healthcare is shocking.

While climate conditions inflate the dengue toll, the disease is now more than a seasonal hazard. Extended humidity and unpredictable weather patterns translate into a longer mosquito breeding season, and more potent strains. It results in debilitating infections that last for weeks. Irregular rainfall and broken drainage systems make vast hatcheries out of urban areas. Additionally, inconsistent fumigation drives, stagnant water, and the scarcity of testing kits worsen the crisis. Yet the government’s lapses remain consistent: non-transparent data, lack of disease-related research, no awareness campaigns, and poor training. Crucially, the report mentions vaccines and Wolbachia mosquitoes — a method that uses natural bacteria to prevent disease transmission. The health apparatus must incorporate the latest practices to combat evolving pathogens. Robust surveillance, especially in high-risk zones, ecofriendly control steps and “sustainable multimodal prevention strategies” are necessary. Spraying insecticides, often after public furore, and calls for hygiene will not work. The fact that each year sees the same virus return with foreseeable intensity, and create preventable pain, is beyond shameful.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2026