DAWN Editorials - 11th August 2025

[zarnishhayat]

Gaza indifference WITH Israel planning to occupy Gaza City, chances of the ongoing genocide ending in the devastated Palestinian territory anytime soon are extremely slim. And while there has been almost universal global condemnation of Israel’s latest moves, it is unlikely that the regime in Tel Aviv will change tack. Words alone will not stop the Zionist state’s bloodstained forays — only action will.

But action has been severely lacking, particularly where the Arab and Muslim states are concerned. For their part, most Western governments have solidly stood by Israel as the latter has murdered Palestinian civilians. As per the latest developments, the Israeli regime intends to create a ‘security perimeter’ in Gaza and bring in “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority”. This is a dubious plan, which intends to replace Palestine’s two main representative parties with local Israeli collaborators that consist of armed gangs and looters with no credibility.

Yet it must be asked why, despite Israel’s mass murder and manmade famine in Gaza, Muslim and Arab states have done nothing to stop the bloodshed. At most, they have offered statements of shock and regret. What is worse is that many regional Arab and Muslim states continue to trade with Israel and maintain diplomatic relations.

In fact, one of Israel’s Arab neighbours has recently signed a multibillion-dollar gas deal with the Zionist state. Contrast this with what ordinary citizens in many Western states are doing to express solidarity with the besieged Palestinian people.

Hundreds of thousands of them have marched in London, Sydney and other cities to denounce the Gaza genocide, and demand accountability for Israel’s crimes. While their governments may be complicit in the genocide, large numbers of citizens in Western states are asserting ‘not in our name’. Elsewhere, some states with no cultural, geographical or religious links with occupied Palestine have taken brave steps. They include Bolivia, which has severed ties with Tel Aviv, and South Africa, which has filed a case against Israel at the ICJ. These states realise that they are linked to Palestine by the bonds of humanity, and cannot sit back and simply watch the livestreamed famine and holocaust unfold.

If the world — particularly the Muslim world — is serious about ending the nightmare in Gaza, and ensuring that no more Palestinian men, women and children are butchered by Israel, then solid action is needed. Until Tel Aviv agrees to an unconditional ceasefire, there must be a global arms and trade embargo of Israel. The Arab and Muslim states must lead the way to ensure Israel is unable to arm itself, or fund the genocide in Gaza through trade. Anything short of this will fail to stop the Palestinian holocaust.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2025

E-vehicle incentive THE new initiative to roll out a Rs100bn subsidy scheme for e-bikes and e-rickshaws is an important step in Pakistan’s transition to electric mobility. The goal is to distribute 116,000 e-bikes and 3,170 e-rickshaws over five years as part of the effort to reduce the country’s dependence on dirty fuels, cut the oil import bill, curb pollution, offer cleaner mobility solutions to the middle class and utilise excess electricity. The scheme will be subsidised with a new 1-3pc e-vehicle adoption levy on the sale of petrol-fuelled vehicles, which is projected to generate Rs122bn. Financing will be available through interest-free bank loans of up to Rs200,000 for e-bikes and Rs880,000 for e-rickshaws. The loans will be backed by government guarantees and interest rate subsidies to help reduce the high upfront cost of electric-powered vehicles, particularly for youth and low-income individuals who rely on two- and three-wheelers for livelihoods and daily commutes.

Reflecting an integrated approach to EV transport policy — where climate goals and economic obligations will be pursued simultaneously — this levy creates a self-sustaining financing mechanism. Besides, the scheme stresses on inclusivity and social targeting, with quotas allocated for women, students and underserved Balochistan in recognition of the equity dimension of electric mobility. Although the scheme is aligned with climate mitigation efforts, a broader push for transition to electric mobility requires more than this initiative to meet the goal of converting 30pc of new vehicle sales to electric by 2030. Pakistan needs a holistic strategy to attract investment in charging infrastructure, improving power grid readiness, introducing bank financing options and giving incentives to local vehicle and battery manufacturing in order to slash the upfront costs of the transition to electric-powered vehicles, which can be twice or thrice the price of comparable petrol-fuelled vehicles. At the end of the day, the choice between a petrol-fuelled or an e-vehicle — be it a two- or three-wheeler or a car — is determined by economic factors like the price of the vehicle. That is why the adoption of e-vehicles in Pakistan has been disappointing despite benefits like fuel savings and the ease of mobility. That said, while the new push to subsidise electric mobility through a tax on petrol-fuelled vehicles may be fine to the extent of rickshaws and motorbikes, the use of these funds to cut the prices of cars for the rich would be unacceptable.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2025

Fire hazards CONSIDERING the widespread lack of public awareness regarding fire safety, poor response mechanisms and the absence of adequate protective equipment, urban spaces across Pakistan have turned into tinderboxes. At least eight people were injured after a blaze broke out at a factory in Karachi’s Landhi Export Processing Zone on Thursday. Thankfully, there was no loss of life. Rescue officials told the media that it is likely the workers were injured after they had been forced by the management to salvage goods from the burning building. They also pointed out that firefighters faced issues battling the blaze due to lack of proper water supply, while fire tenders from several different departments had to be called in to deal with the situation. Such fire hazards are becoming common in our cities. Last month there was a major blaze at Lahore’s Hafeez Centre, while Pakistan’s worst fire incident was the 2012 Baldia factory inferno in Karachi. Though the latter disaster was caused by deliberate arson, matters were exacerbated by the fact that many exits were either locked or blocked. Clearly, safety measures at many factories continue to be poor.

As per official figures, the Karachi fire department received nearly 3,000 distress calls last year. It is also a matter of great concern that, according to experts, around 70pc of the city’s buildings lack proper fire safety mechanisms. As our cities grow denser, and develop vertically, there is a dire need for proper safety protocols to be installed in residential, commercial and industrial buildings in order to prevent tragedy. No new building should be constructed unless it has proper fire escapes and a firefighting system. Moreover, fire drills are needed at the school level, while apartment dwellers and those working in factories and offices must be aware of where the closest exits are located. Provision of better equipment and coordination between fire and rescue services is also a must to prevent fatalities in emergency situations.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2025