DAWN Editorials 1st August September 2026

A reckoning

LAST week’s horrific fire tragedy at the Pims’ nursery has elicited a flurry of responses from the state. Inquiries have been launched, officials have faced the axe, and pledges have been made to rectify the glaring lacunae that led to the heart-wrenching deaths of 14 newborns at the Islamabad hospital.

Yet while the sudden burst of activity is expected, these promises will remain meaningless unless the state prioritises safety protocols at hospitals and all major public and private buildings. The findings of the inquiry report are damning. It says that while the cause of the fire cannot be conclusively established at this point, there were “serious shortcomings” in Pims’ fire safety arrangements. A fire had also broken out at the same hospital in July. However, after that blaze, “corrective measures had not been adequately implemented”. Those responsible for such criminal negligence must be made to answer for their lapses.

Elsewhere, the Islamabad administration has swung into action, sealing buildings and fining hospitals for fire safety violations. Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, it has emerged that there are no hydrants at any government hospital in the entire division. The Punjab government, on the other hand, has announced several steps to prevent similar tragedies. This includes deploying Rescue 1122 units at all teaching hospitals in the province, as well as preparing SOPs for nurseries and neonatology units.

These are positive first steps, and they need to be made part of established procedures nationwide to prevent future tragedies. The Sindh government has also identified over 3,300 buildings for safety audits. The provincial chapter of the Pakistan Medical Association has warned that many health facilities in Sindh remain vulnerable, particularly rural and district hospitals. It has also called for third-party safety and security audits of all public and private hospitals in the province. These warnings must be heeded before another tragedy occurs.

What must emerge from all of this is a resolve to put safety first, especially in settings like hospitals, schools, factories, apartments and other buildings where large numbers of people live and work. The outrage must be channelled into proactive public policy where the safety of citizens is prioritised.

There have been many such tragic episodes in recent memory — the Baldia fire disaster, Gul Plaza etc. However, in the aftermath of the Pims blaze, it cannot be business as usual. Accidents happen, but if established safety protocols are in place, precious lives can be saved and the damage minimised. Clearly, these protocols were not in place at the Pims’ nursery. In most Pakistani cities, fire hazards sit in plain sight. Addressing these dangers is a monumental task, but we cannot afford to sacrifice more lives to official lethargy.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026

EV transition

PAKISTAN’S transition to electric mobility is stalling not for want of ambition but consistency. The government’s plan for 30pc EV penetration within five years, meant to save $4.5bn annually on fuel imports, sits uneasily alongside a policy environment that sends mixed signals to investors, manufacturers, auto parts makers and consumers alike. Oil marketing companies, which should be natural partners in building the charging infrastructure needed, keep pouring capital into conventional retail expansion. The absence of investment in charging infrastructure reflects where OMCs expect the money to keep flowing. Their decision is shaped directly by what government policy signals, or does not signal, about the future. With different lobbies trying to influence the upcoming auto policy, the government has delayed its announcement, creating more market uncertainty.

The situation is not unique to Pakistan, but our history of policy reversals gives such lobbying particular traction. Consumers remember. Investors remember. This is one of the biggest obstacles to EV adoption: nobody wants to bet on infrastructure or vehicle purchases when the policy underpinning them could be reversed many times in its five-year life. The way out is not to pick winners indefinitely but to be clear about which winner is being picked, and for how long. Electric mobility deserves front-loaded fiscal support: import duty concessions on batteries and EV components, purchase incentives for consumers, and preferential tax treatment that make the total cost of ownership competitive with conventional ICE and hybrid technologies. But even incentives for EVs should have a sunset date and be linked to the manufacturers’ localisation effort. This is standard practice in every successful EV market. Beyond that specific push for electrification, policy should stop playing referee between technologies. Whatever comes next should compete on its own economic and environmental merit rather than on whoever has the better lobbyist in Islamabad. A technology-neutral framework beyond the EV push would strip entrenched players of their lobbying incentive, letting markets decide which non-EV technologies survive. Charging infrastructure will follow this transition, not lead it. OMCs will not sink capital into charging networks ahead of demand — that misreads how the industry allocates money. Push EV sales past a threshold, and charging becomes commercially rational on its own.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026

Fishermen’s return

TENSIONS between Pakistan and India have been particularly detrimental for hapless fishermen in jails and their families on either side. These detainees end up spending years behind bars due to slow trials, denial of consular access and no legal aid. Against this grim backdrop, the recent repatriation of 25 fishermen who crossed back into Pakistan through the border in Lahore on Saturday, is encouraging. In July, Pakistan urged India to free and repatriate 97 Pakistani prisoners who had completed their sentences; 33 of them are fisherfolk.

Dozens of fishermen frequently cross the unmarked maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea in pursuit of catch. The stakes are higher around the disputed Sir Creek area. Their arrest and incarceration must be seen as a humanitarian crisis that devastates families who are left without breadwinners. Ideally, poor anglers should be released after their nationality has been verified. Both countries need to revisit the Agreement on Consular Access, signed in 2008, for the sake of justice, humanity and the right of ordinary citizens to liberty. Additionally, the two countries are in breach of the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The pact ordains “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country”. As a confidence-building measure, the two states should adopt a no-arrest policy for fisherfolk, and establish a dedicated cell to ensure legal aid, translators, identity authentication, consular access, contact with kin and swift trials. If fishermen inadvertently breach maritime borders, instead of arresting them, the authorities should issue warnings to turn around. A ‘buffer zone’ safe for fishermen to fish without restraint should be considered. Finally, diplomacy can hardly be stalled indefinitely. Bilateral relations must at least progress to a stage where poor and vulnerable people are able to rely on the implementation of political agreements.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026