DAWN Editorials 19th August 2026

Gulf deadlock

APPREHENSIONS regarding a fresh round of US-Iran hostilities are palpable, as the 60-day window for negotiations envisaged under the Islamabad MoU expired on Monday, with no forward movement on the diplomatic front.

In fact, Tehran disputes the characterisation of the 60-day window as a deadline, with Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman saying it was only a “framework” to facilitate talks. Meanwhile, the noises coming out of Washington are not reassuring at all. US President Donald Trump has asked Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender” while also threatening to bomb his ally Oman if it “gets in the way”.

Oman is currently negotiating with Iran to resolve the Strait of Hormuz crisis. Mr Trump’s latest pronouncement has been to declare the strait a “new US territory”. Such unhinged Trumpian antics have made it particularly difficult for America to extricate itself from a quagmire of its own making.

If the past six months have shown anything, it is that the Iranians do not yield to threats. Therefore, asking Tehran to surrender is a non-starter. And, threatening to bomb Oman defies logic. The Gulf sultanate is one of the few states that maintain close ties with both Iran and the US, and can play a crucial role in taking the diplomatic process forward.

Clearly, very little thought — if any — goes into the American leader’s ‘diplomacy’, as he lambastes both friends and foes with incendiary comments. If there are any adults left in the White House situation room, they need to stand up and be counted, and offer wiser counsel to their boss.

The fact is that saner elements within the US leadership, as well as in Iran, must realise that the Islamabad MoU still offers the best framework for peace. Therefore, it would be a mistake to discard the document. If the MoU is allowed to lapse, and a hot war resumes, it will be devastating for all. The front line has already expanded, pulling in the GCC states and Iraq, while Yemen’s pro-Iran Houthis seek to replicate the closure of the Strait of Hormuz with the Bab al-Mandeb blockade.

Their attacks on Saudi targets are also expanding. Therefore, there is a need to revive and expand the MoU. Lebanon was included in the document, but Israel has been raining fire on the country despite a supposed ceasefire. In fact, the Iranian foreign minister has said that Israel is trying to sabotage the Iran-US deal.

All these fronts — the Gulf, Lebanon, Yemen — require an immediate, coordinated and lasting ceasefire, while Washington must offer genuine sanctions relief to Iran, and ditch its threats and absurd claims. Tehran, conversely, should pledge to keep Hormuz open, and end its attacks on the GCC states. Without these concessions, a far more destructive conflict could ensue.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026

Climate hits home

EUROPE’S summer has come to mirror the warnings climate scientists have issued for years. Wildfires have swept through France, Greece, Spain, Croatia and Germany, while repeated heatwaves have strained water supplies and power systems, damaged crops and forced evacuations. Western Europe recorded its hottest June-July period on record, while Britain entered a fifth heatwave this summer. Across the Atlantic, Canada and the US have also faced fires, smoke, flooding and extreme heat. Such events were once regarded as freak weather. And now, the World Meteorological Organisation warns that extreme heat is becoming more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting as the planet warms. For Pakistan, this is all too familiar. This country has long lived on the front line of climate change despite contributing less than 1pc of global greenhouse-gas emissions. The catastrophic floods of 2022 caused more than $30bn in damage and economic losses, while recurring heatwaves, glacial melt, erratic monsoons and drought continue to punish people who did little to create the crisis. There should be no satisfaction in seeing richer societies suffer. But perhaps experiencing climate disruption at home will make governments understand the urgency felt in countries such as Pakistan.

That understanding must be translated into money and action. Developed countries promised $100bn a year in climate finance by 2020, yet the target was first reached only in 2022. COP29 replaced it with a goal of at least $300bn annually for developing countries by 2035, alongside a broader effort to mobilise $1.3tr a year. COP30 then called for adaptation finance to be tripled by 2035. These figures must not become another series of impressive announcements followed by delayed delivery, inaccessible funds or loans that deepen debt. Climate finance must be predictable, grant-based and easier to access, with serious funding for adaptation and loss and damage. Wealthy countries have discovered that adaptation is expensive: fires, drought and heat are imposing enormous costs on public budgets and insurers. That should strengthen the case for solidarity. When COP31 meets in Antalya in November, the question should no longer be whether climate change is real or expensive. The evidence is burning across landscapes and overwhelming communities. The test is whether proximity to disaster has finally produced political seriousness — and the conscience to honour obligations to those who have borne the heaviest burden for the least responsibility.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026

Overdue relief

THE Supreme Court finally intervened on Tuesday, about three months after it was approached by former prime minister Imran Khan for enforcement of his rights as a prisoner.

Acting on recent medical reports showing what appeared to be a concerning deterioration in the jailed leader’s health, the court directed the relevant authorities to move the PTI founder to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital for a complete medical examination under the supervision of one of his sisters and a personal physician, along with other health specialists.

“We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation of the state, and consequently of the Supreme Court, to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of persons in custody,” the court observed in its ruling. That was not the only relief granted to the ailing ex-PM. The court also directed the jail authorities to ensure weekly meetings between Mr Khan and his family members, as well as telephonic conversations with his sons. Soon afterwards, one of Mr Khan’s sisters was able to meet him in prison.

Going by reports about the PTI leader’s health, Mr Khan seems to have suffered some ailment or the other for many months now. However, his jailers have persistently denied he may be unwell, apparently going as far as to actively resist and thwart efforts to have him examined by physicians of his choosing.

It is unbecoming of a state to treat former leaders so poorly. Other leaders, including the two senior-most leaders of the PML-N and PPP, have suffered similar or worse cruelties in the past. It would have earned them much goodwill if they had intervened, even once, to ensure that rival leaders were not treated as poorly during their own terms.

It seems pertinent to point out here that several other political leaders remain in jail, including women, who have been suffering similarly from poor health or the vagaries of old age. They, too, deserve the state’s sympathy.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026