DAWN Editorials 25th August 2026

Fixing agriculture

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s renewed push to strengthen agricultural research, provide quality seeds to smallholders and medium-scale farmers, and improve crop estimate systems could help address some of the sector’s long-standing weaknesses in farm productivity.

But good intentions alone are not enough. The real question is whether the government can turn his directives into a coherent policy and implement it effectively. That would require reforming federal and provincial agriculture policies, markets and institutions that determine what farmers produce, what they pay for inputs and what they earn. Above all, an agricultural policy must be responsive to the needs of small and medium-sized farmers rather than powerful lobbies.

Take the example of the sugar sector. Policy has repeatedly been designed around the interests of millers, who have traditionally enjoyed political influence. Decisions on support prices, cane procurement, export, and other interventions aim to protect them. Cotton illustrates another failure of the agricultural system. Farmers often do not receive a fair share of the value generated by their crop, with middlemen and other parts of the supply chain capturing much of the margin. The result is reduced yields over the years.

Improving farm productivity means little if farmers remain trapped in inefficient markets and weak bargaining arrangements. A serious agricultural reform programme must address these structural problems. Smallholders need easier and cheaper access to bank credit, fairly priced and reliable inputs, protection against adulterated pesticides and poor-quality fertiliser and certified, high-yielding and climate-resilient seeds.

They also need better extension services that take modern farming techniques from research institutions to the field. Market reform is as important. Farmers should have greater direct access to efficient markets and buyers, instead of remaining dependent on middlemen. Better storage, grading, transport, digital market information and transparent price mechanisms can help reduce the gap between what consumers pay and what farmers receive. The proposed national system for estimating crop production is overdue. Reliable data is essential for planning imports, exports, storage and prices. But such a system will be useful only if its estimates are credible and produced through modern technology.

The question, therefore, is not whether the PM’s intentions are honest. They are. The question is whether his government has what it takes to confront the entrenched interests that benefit from the system. Agricultural modernisation requires a comprehensive plan covering research, seeds, credit, inputs, extension, markets, water management and value chains, with the smallholder at its centre. It also requires political will to reform policies that currently favour powerful groups. Without these, no intervention will deliver the productive gains that farmers and the economy urgently need.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026

Secure identities

THE common citizen’s interactions with the bureaucracy are rarely pleasant in Pakistan. But over the last 26 years, at least where securing identity documents is concerned, Nadra has attempted to streamline this process. The latest development in this regard is the move to make proof of life certificates required by pensioners free, and to expand the channels through which senior citizens can access the document. Seniors can now personally, or through an immediate family member, access the certificates through the PakID mobile app, eliminating the need for physical verification. Nadra also recently created the National Pensioners Register to help eliminate fraud, and streamline verification. Moreover, the authority has announced the launch of QR-based ID cards, which will replace chip-based cards. This should help reduce data entry errors.

The creation of Nadra in 2000 resulted in the replacement of the old National Identity Cards — which were much easier to forge — with computerised IDs. Though the authority has achieved much over the decades, there is still room for improvement. For example, it has suffered major data breaches, which resulted in the sensitive information of millions of citizens being leaked to unscrupulous elements. Therefore, in the digital age, improved cybersecurity is essential for Nadra to protect the personal information of citizens. Those not entitled to CNICs — for instance, foreigners — are still able to secure the key document because of the presence of corrupt officials within the organisation. Hence, better internal oversight is needed; Nadra says it has introduced AI tools and iris scanning to identify ineligible individuals who have secured ID cards. Overcrowding and long queues at Nadra centres are another matter of concern for the public. Partly because of the large number of applicants, and partly due to bureaucratic lethargy and system breakdowns, applicants often have to queue up for hours to get their documents made. These processes need to be made faster and more efficient without compromising essential security checks, although the promotion of the Nadra app can perhaps help reduce the long lines at registration centres. Nadra needs to keep adapting to keep pace with the digital age, while also ensuring that citizens have a hassle-free experience when getting their documents made.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026

Women’s trauma

THE blame for the miserable state of women lies at the door of successive governments that did little to shape protective structures and pro-women narratives. Three women were lost to brutality recently. In Rawalpindi, 45-year-old Hina Javed was found dead with torture marks, hands tied, and a wire around her neck; her husband and domestic help have been arrested. Hina Zareef from Islamabad was allegedly shot by her father because she was ending an abusive marriage. Sukkur’s Jannat Khatoon was burnt during a quarrel in her marital home. What these victims had in common was facing deadly abuse within the confines of their ‘safe’ spaces. Familiar condemnations from politicians and social media outrage followed. Meanwhile, the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus has condemned the murder in Rawalpindi. Sadly, so far, no one has taken to the streets — an effective means of protest.

Laws for women’s safety — including a mandatory prison term for ‘honour’ killing — exist. Yet, poor enforcement by a chauvinistic criminal justice system has thrown up conviction rates that linger at a dismal 0.5pc for ‘honour’ killings and rape, 0.1pc for kidnapping, and 1.3pc for domestic violence. Most instances go unreported. This crisis of accountability has left us with an epidemic of violence. The state’s failure to end impunity stands in the way of females living well. Patriarchal attitudes have long seeped into law enforcement. As a result, victims are either doubted and blamed or compelled to withdraw their cases for out-of-court settlements. Reforms, including a consequential increase in the number of women in the police force with fast-track courts for cases of gender-based violence, are needed. Survivors must get legal aid and identity protection. Families of the slain must see perpetrators punished. Violence — the daily truth of Pakistan’s women — has placed the country among the most dangerous places for females. Justice alone can keep the social contract between citizens and the state from fraying.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026