Express Tribune Editorials 3rd September 2026

Digital shield for our children

The Punjab Assembly's unanimous passage of a resolution seeking to ban social media accounts for children under 16 is a welcome move that recognises the biggest crisis facing children around the world. While social media does have its benefits, far too often, mixing children's still-developing brains with a forum where they can choose to be nameless and faceless, or be forced to become nobodies, exposes them to extreme bullying, sexual exploitation, inappropriate content and psychological stress that no child should have to endure.

While the resolution is merely a starting point, it still strongly reflects the unanimous desire of the provincial assembly to improve the lives of children in the province. Research links social media to mental health issues among all age groups, but especially minors, who are at increased risk of anxiety, depression, self-harm, addiction and adverse effects on cognitive and emotional development.

Social media also does not live up to its claims of bringing people closer. Yes, it may increase our ability to occasionally communicate with people great distances away, but it is actually causing a loneliness epidemic as children and adults alike spend hours online and forget how to build meaningful real-world relationships and engage in other healthy activities.

Digital rights groups claim bans are a flawed, regressive response, but this argument has its own fatal flaw in that most of the useful information online that these groups say children would lose access to is actually available at several unaffected locations online. TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X should not be anyone's go-to source of information.

And with more countries passing social media restrictions for teens, lawmakers will also have several examples to model their own proposals. As for criticism that enforcement will be difficult, this is true of all restrictions. Just because it is hard to control the supply of drugs does not mean the government should stop catching drug dealers, and as many users will admit, social media is as addictive and dangerous as any street drug.

Agri deal with Riyadh

Pakistan has aptly connected the dots on its agrarian potential by mapping Saudi Arabia as a valued food export market. It plans to export $3 billion of food products, including red meat, within the next two years, in addition to expanding cooperation in water-efficient agricultural technologies. Since Saudi Arabia is predominantly a sprawling desert, green fodder has been identified as a major raw export ingredient. Moreover, fruits, concentrates, rice and cereals - alongside Pakistani textiles - are already in high demand. This new trade alignment coincides with Saudi Arabia's food security strategy under its Vision 2030, and it will go a long way in providing an impetus to Pakistan's desire to tap new forex avenues for its struggling economy.

Bilateral trade currently stands at $4.75 billion and is heavily tilted in Saudi Arabia's favour. As a net fuel importer, Pakistan's oil bill reaches $4.06 billion, while it exports only $687 million worth of goods to the Kingdom. This imbalance could be significantly rectified if the proposed food package materialises, acting as a catalyst for Pakistan's agrarian and livestock sectors to gear up for greater competition. Other Gulf states that are low on agrarian production - owing to harsh weather conditions and water scarcity - can also explore Pakistan as a viable market for food imports. Technology transfer is another lucrative domain that can be mutually tapped by both countries, expanding their existing water-efficient irrigation programme in Bhakkar. Similar initiatives for small farmers are the way forward for cooperation in agricultural sectors.

The new understanding on agricultural trade necessitates pivotal research in both countries to identify products that can be cultivated and marketed more effectively. In 2025, Pakistan exported $163 million worth of rice and $167 million worth of red meat to the kingdom. Saudi Arabia's affluent population of 35 million represents a lucrative market for premium food produce from Pakistan, helping forge a new network of entrepreneurial partnerships across the public and private sectors.

SCO's Afghan lens

The SCO took a high moral stand as it called for an inclusive government in Afghanistan. The 10-member security and economic group censured the reclusive government in Kabul for failing to abide by its 2020 Doha commitments, and for acting as a safe haven for terror outfits. A resolution passed on the occasion clearly demonstrated that the SCO is conscious of the terror threat emanating from the Southwest Asian state, which has the potential to jeopardise transnational corridors built for the common good of the region's three billion citizens.

The Bishkek declaration went on to address Afghanistan as a hub of war, terrorism and drugs, while reaffirming its commitment to peace prospects and development in the war-torn country. This astuteness on the part of the multilateral group (of which Afghanistan remains an observer) to call out Kabul shows growing maturity and a courage to proverbially take the bull by the horns. The way forward for all member states is to prevail upon the Taliban regime in Kabul to abide by the collective wisdom of the regional group by shunning radicalism.

Pakistan, as the new chairperson of the SCO, led from the front in convincing the bloc that diplomacy is the only viable path forward. It also highlighted its diplomatic mediation successes. This strategy apparently cornered India, as evidenced by the body language of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose policy of self-styled hegemony has led the country into regional isolation. Furthermore, Pakistan added another feather to its cap when Lahore was named the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital, providing a strong impetus to its efforts toward transnational networking.

The SCO is an emerging reality as the unipolar world slides toward multilateralism. BRICS and the Global South are other key components rising to challenge the US-led world order. The fact that SCO states refused to give in to the unilateral economic coercive measures of Washington is a signature development, one that will go a long way in contesting the post-Bretton Woods order. The SCO's focus on counterterrorism and geopolitical inclusivity must find dividends under Islamabad's leadership.