DAWN Editorials - 23rd May 2025

[zarnishhayat]

Regional bonhomie

THE informal trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan in Beijing has raised prospects of greater regional integration and cordial ties.

At a time of global and regional conflict, all efforts to bring together states in the neighbourhood are welcome. Two principal developments emerged from the meeting. The first was an improvement in Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, as both states agreed to exchange ambassadors.

Second, Kabul has been invited to join the multibillion-dollar CPEC scheme under the BRI. Along with improving ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, these developments highlight China’s diplomatic prowess.

Beijing has quietly been making strides in international diplomacy. For example, in 2023, it helped broker a thaw between Saudi Arabia and Iran, while last year Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah signed a ‘unity deal’ in the Chinese capital. The trilateral effort bringing together Pakistan, Afghanistan and China is the latest in this series of diplomatic manoeuvres.

With Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi by his side, Chinese FM Wang Yi highlighted the main outcomes of the talks. Significantly, he said it was “imperative to deepen Belt and Road cooperation, promote the extension” of CPEC to Afghanistan and improve regional connectivity.

Moreover, in an apparent nod to Pakistan’s concerns about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Mr Wang called upon the three states to “oppose all forms of terrorism” and “jointly combat terrorist forces of concern to each side”.


Pakistan has valid concerns about TTP activity originating from Afghanistan, as the banned terrorist group has spilt much blood in this country. In fact, concerns about the TTP and other terrorist groups have been the biggest obstacle in the way of better ties with Kabul. Border and territorial disputes are also a matter of concern, and both sides have traded fire on account of these issues. Hopefully, with Chinese involvement, these matters can be addressed to the satisfaction of all.

If CPEC is extended to Afghanistan, and China increases its investments in that country, it could prove to be a regional game-changer. However, it must be remembered that trade and security are inseparable, and for the Afghan Taliban to take advantage of the opportunities ahead, they must take strong action against terrorist groups on their soil.

Trilateral cooperation and commercial activity can lead to prosperity for all involved, specifically delivering much-needed investment and jobs to Afghanistan. And, if the Taliban assure Afghanistan’s neighbours of zero tolerance for terrorism on their part, and promise basic rights to the Afghan people, it may even lead to international acceptance of their government. Here China could succeed where many others before it have failed — bringing hope and stability to Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025


New normal?

WHY can’t the PTI and its jailed leader decide what they want? Even while leverage is slipping from its hands, the party remains in two minds about whether it ought to negotiate a way out or continue on its path of ‘resistance’. It believes that “it is in Pakistan’s interest” for the state to engage with the PTI, but has never really explained what it is willing to concede in return. It is also quite unjustified to demand that politics be reduced to a zero-sum game between PTI on one side and all other parties on the other. To top it off, Imran Khan continues to maintain a frustrating ambiguity about his position on negotiations, even with the establishment. His remarks to confidantes, which often make their way to social media, seem to consistently undermine the work his own party leaders have been doing to start a dialogue. This chaotic approach has taken a toll on the party. Over time, the urgency for a negotiated settlement has gradually subsided, and the ruling regime has used its position to manufacture various new means of ensuring its continuity in power. Meanwhile, the PTI has been able to make little headway towards its goals.

At some point, the party should have reconsidered whether its approach was the right one. While the government may be unpopular with the public, and its legitimacy may continue to remain in doubt, its legislative measures have now ensured that it would be difficult to dislodge it. Indeed, the country has paid, and continues to pay, a steep price for maintaining the status quo, and it is in the nation’s long-term interest that a political ceasefire is reached soon. Things must return to normal. Unfortunately, the appetite for ‘normalcy’ appears to be running out, and the ‘power is power’ doctrine has been gaining in force. But while it is still by and large the PTI that is on the losing end today, the backward slide does not bode well for Pakistani democracy in general. In the absence of defined rules of the game, the political class remains at the mercy of non-political forces and their agendas. It is better for the different parties to work out a modus vivendi based on fair principles and mutual respect than to resign themselves to playing second fiddle in policymaking and governance.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025


Local government bill

THE PML-N leadership is known for concentrating powers in the hands of the top political office and governing through a coterie of favourite bureaucrats. The disdain of the PML-N’s inner circle for elected representatives, even belonging to their own party, is no secret. Combine this with the party leadership’s fear of the rival PTI’s popularity and we can see why the new Punjab local government law was passed. That the new law hands all financial and administrative powers to deputy commissioners, practically stripping elected offices of their core responsibilities, means that the chief minister’s office will actually be controlling the local governments. Legal experts argue that the bill undermines Article 140A of the Constitution which mandates devolution of power to elected local governments. Others believe that the new legislation is aimed at preventing the rise of powerful local leadership from rival political parties. In either case, the law signifies democratic backsliding in Pakistan’s most populous province.

This backsliding has not gone unnoticed even by PML-N lawmakers, many of whom criticised the bill when it was time to vote on it in the provincial assembly on Wednesday. Even the Speaker expressed reservations although he and other critics of the bill could not stop its passage. Some treasury members rightly observed that it would “bury local governments in Punjab”, and insisted it would dismantle local governance. The law negates the core principle of any democratic system — devolution — as most devolved services, including graveyards, would continue to be controlled by the provincial authorities through vehicles created for this purpose. Not that the other provinces have ideal local government laws, but Punjab has hit a new low in the transfer of powers to elected local officials. As long as the politicians fail to give more details in the Constitution regarding the devolution of powers to the grassroots level, Pakistan will remain without an effective third tier of government.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025