Express Tribune Editorials 30th August 2026

11th place

Pakistan's hockey team beat South Africa 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Friday to finish 11th at the FIH Hockey World Cup in Amstelveen. It is a miserable finish for a four-time champion nation, no better in substance than the 12th place secured in 2010 and 2018, and no real advance on missing the tournament altogether in 2014 and 2023. Set against recent history, this is not progress. Set against what Pakistan hockey once was, it is confirmation of a decline that shows little sign of reversing.

The manner of the win does nothing to soften that. Trailing 2-0 inside the first quarter, Pakistan clawed back, finishing the match 4-4 with a last minute equaliser. In the shootout itself, Rana Waheed Ashraf missed a stroke that would have ended the contest outright before captain Ammad Butt held his nerve to finish it. A team that needs a stoppage-time rescue and a missed opposition chance just to beat a mid-tier side has nothing worth defending in its performance. Eleventh place in a sixteen-team World Cup means Pakistan did not escape the group phase and spent the tournament's second half competing for placement rather than for a medal. India was the only genuinely competitive side in the group, and England underperformed through the tournament, leaving a route to the second round that a side with any real ambition should have taken. Pakistan let it go unclaimed. A programme that once produced four World Cup titles and three Olympic golds now fields a mid-table side whose best current ambition is edging mid-tier teams.

The challenges are foundations. The domestic league gives players too little competitive hockey between World Cups. Promising talent keeps drifting toward club contracts abroad rather than staying to build a national core. What the federation owes the team now is a plan that repairs the qualification pathway and gives players a functioning domestic circuit to return to.

Flood control an afterthought

In another upsetting report that surprised no one, the Senate was informed by the Prime Minister's Office that the 2025 floods inflicted an estimated loss of Rs853 billion on Pakistan's economy. More than a thousand lives were lost, millions displaced, and vast swathes of agricultural land rendered barren. No significant action has been taken to mitigate similar future floods, despite the fact that Pakistan has had about half a dozen 'flood of the century' events in the past 16 years. Instead, the people entrusted with the nation's safety would rather blame the rest of the world for overpromising and underdelivering on relief aid.

But floods are now hitting Pakistan with such intensity and frequency that economists can reliably estimate annual losses due to flood damage - about 9.5% of GDP. A bad flood season can erase more than a full year's economic gains. Yet, despite tall claims, the government's flood strategy remains almost entirely reactive, with - as we mentioned - a significant component consisting only of complaining. Even though foreign donors could do more, evidence on the ground suggests that what little they do provide is quickly squandered by local governments and other implementing bodies. That is why, despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance, water level monitoring in several parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is still stuck in time, relying on the less-than-cutting-edge system of measuring notches on bridge pillars. Meanwhile, after almost a decade of existence, the National Flood Protection Plan has failed to address the root causes of the problem and barely makes a difference for the millions of people affected by floods every year. It has, however, doubled in cost.

If the government is serious about addressing floods, it should forget about chasing other countries to demand aid and instead correct existing laws and rules. The National Flood Protection programme remains thin on unique achievements, but its budget is now twice what it was when it began operations.

AJK: new govt, new task

A tumultuous and bitterly contested electoral process in AJK - marred by a historically low turnout - came full circle as the PML-N's Iftikhar Ali Gillani was sworn in as Prime Minister. The incumbent secured 30 votes, while his sole rival, from the PPP, bagged 14, demonstrating the PML-N's decisive majority in the Legislative Assembly. While the new PM has vowed to ensure good governance, digitise the economy and protect the fundamental rights of the citizens, he and his party must now walk the talk.

Conducted in three phases for the first time in AJK's history, these elections have undeniably left a bitter mark, stoking polarization in a historically harmonious society. The true test for Gillani and the PML-N lies in how swiftly and collaboratively they can engage with aggrieved factions to undertake a necessary damage-control initiative. The primary agenda for the new government must be to initiate dialogue with the apolitical Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been banned by the government, and resolve the grievances that pushed the region to the brink. In doing so, the administration must exercise restraint, allowing the JAAC to present its perspective in a conducive environment. Delivering timely justice to individuals detained during the recent skirmishes, alongside compensating for their losses, will serve as crucial signals on the path to reconciliation.

Gillani and his cabinet must also initiate a broad-based legislative debate regarding the viability of reserved seats, incorporating the perspectives of both the JAAC and the opposition before finalising any decision. The fact that Islamabad and Muzaffarabad have consistently championed the Kashmiri freedom struggle, while maintaining an unhindered, autonomous electoral process, remains a core strength. This democratic foundation can be further strengthened by resolving the final JAAC demand concerning assembly seats for Kashmiri refugees.

The fact that politics in AJK has always been issue-oriented remains a source of pride. Major parties like the PML-N, PPP, PTI and Muslim Conference collectively share a responsibility to deliver on this legacy, consolidating a sense of absolute unity across the state.