DAWN Editorials - 31st May 2025

[zarnishhayat]

Security threats

AS recent events have shown, Pakistan continues to face considerable internal security challenges, particularly acts of terrorism perpetrated by militant groups in KP and Balochistan.

The military’s media wing said on Thursday that 12 terrorists had been neutralised in both provinces over the past few days. However, the counterterrorism operations have come at a high cost, as a number of security men were martyred in various incidents.

These include four troops in North Waziristan, who lost their lives while confronting “Indian-sponsored” khawarij (the term the state uses for the banned TTP), as well as the loss of two Coast Guard men in Jiwani, who were reportedly attacked by militants near the Iranian border. These vulnerabilities must be plugged to prevent the loss of more troops.

There had been some media reports that an Afghan Taliban commander had apparently issued a warning to fighters against attacking Pakistani forces and launching self-styled jihad. Attributed to an individual named Saeedullah Saeed, the warning stated that fighting Pakistan would be considered fasad (corruption) rather than jihad.

The veracity of this statement is hard to establish. Even if we were to assume that the statement had been made, the warning has not had its intended effect, as the continuing TTP terrorist attacks inside Pakistan show. What is needed from the Afghan Taliban are firm commitments that they will not let their territory be used for staging attacks against Pakistan.

This principle had been clearly enunciated at the trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China’s foreign ministers in Beijing earlier this month. Summarising the main points of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had said that the three participants had agreed “to oppose all forms of terrorism … and … jointly combat terrorist forces of concern to each side”.

Perhaps Islamabad and Beijing need to remind Kabul of this commitment. Hopefully, Pakistan’s elevation of diplomatic relations with Afghanistan to ambassadorial level should help improve matters.

Regarding Balochistan, ties with Iran are largely cordial, so both sides must reinforce CT cooperation. As for the larger problem of Baloch separatist militancy, CT efforts must be carried out in tandem with a political process to address Balochistan’s challenges.

Beating terrorism requires proactive engagement with foreign friends and neighbours, as well as internal security efforts and intel operations to bust terrorist cells. While hostile actors in the region may well be supporting terrorist groups, Pakistan must remain vigilant to thwart fresh threats.

The key remains blending kinetic efforts with sociopolitical interventions to address immediate terrorist threats and the underlying factors that fuel militancy. Pakistan succeeded in thwarting foreign aggression, and with resolve the domestic terrorist threat can also be neutralised.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2025

Why just K-Electric?

NEPRA has taken serious note of relentless and excessive power blackouts exceeding 12 hours a day in Karachi during peak summer. In a letter sent to K-Electric, the country’s only privatised distribution company, the power regulator wants its management to put an end to consumers’ hardship. In addition to causing suffering, it has noted that blackouts of long duration are disrupting economic activity in the nation’s financial and commercial hub. It has sought an explanation from the utility over what it describes as its deteriorating performance across several key parameters, including but not limited to transmission and distribution losses and lower recoveries. The downward trend in KE’s performance undermines the intended goals of its privatisation — ie, “improvements in operational efficiency and ... a reliable, uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers within its service territory”. It says the current situation “raises serious questions about KE’s ability and commitment to fulfil its obligations”. Nepra has attributed the ongoing problems being faced by Karachi residents to the KE’s mismanagement and operational inadequacies.

That the regulator has finally noticed the impact of enforced blackouts on private consumers and businesses is a positive development. In fact, it has finally conceded that feeder shutdowns to control T&D losses or force recoveries is neither legally justifiable nor ethically acceptable, and “unfairly punish compliant consumers and undermine public trust in the utility’s management”. Nevertheless, it is perplexing to see Nepra training its guns only at KE, which is, after all, not the only power utility enforcing ‘illegal’ blackouts in low-recovery, high-theft areas within its jurisdiction. It is stated government policy that is being implemented nationwide, including by public sector utilities for many years now — a practice also being followed by gas companies to minimise their losses. The government-controlled Discos, too, are facing issues related to rising T&D losses and theft due to increased electricity prices. Indeed, in the eyes of many, KE’s performance may have left a lot to be desired since its privatisation. However, the fact that it has reduced T&D losses from 38pc to 20pc through an investment of $4bn in network upgradation while restricting enforced load-shedding to only 30pc of the areas in its jurisdiction is a major accomplishment. Singling it out for enforced blackouts, lower recoveries or T&D losses will only strengthen resistance to the privatisation of other power companies the government is struggling to sell.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2025


Save the girls

SOME traditions that hinder individual progress are a heavy cross for society to bear. In Pakistan’s deeply patriarchal environment, where a female child’s agency is determined by her biological age, President Asif Zardari’s assent to the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, despite resistance from the Council of Islamic Ideology — which said that classifying under-18 marriages as rape was in conflict with religious law — deserves applause. Pakistan, where some 19m girls are married off before they turn 18, is home to the sixth highest number of child brides in the world. Almost half of these youngsters become pregnant before the age of 18, and a mere 13pc complete secondary school. The bill is now law; however, its desperately needed implementation will depend on the government’s political commitment to safeguarding the girl child’s right to health, education and opportunities to realise their potential.

The lethal mix of regressive customs and socioeconomic distress leads to early marriage. The new video campaign from Unicef, featuring its National Ambassador for Child Rights, actor Saba Qamar, is a timely move that promises to reach scores, open minds and drive change. It encourages society to question the practice, spells out the consequences of underage nuptials for girls and calls for the empowerment and protection of young females in Pakistan. Child marriage is no child’s play; it means lost childhoods, vulnerability to domestic violence, death during childbirth, poor health and even cervical cancer; the second most common cancer among females between 15 and 44 years. As a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Pakistan cannot afford lethargy. It is also hoped that lawmakers will not allow conservative sections to hold constitutional liberties, including the safety and dignity of women and children, hostage to their whims. The CII has an advisory role, and there should be no pressure on lawmakers to comply with all its wishes.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2025