DAWN Editorials - 8th March 2025
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 4:06 pm
PIA taking off?
IN the second round, the government says it is going to make prospective buyers of PIA an offer they can’t refuse. What that offer is going to be will not be known until the authorities call expressions of interest for the sale of the national carrier three months from now. However, from what the outgoing privatisation minister said the other day, it is clear that the authorities plan to address most of the concerns of investors interested in acquiring the debt-ridden airline. These concerns, including but not limited to 18pc GST on the acquisition of new aircraft and transfer of a portion of the existing debt liabilities to buyers, were enough to scare away some bona fide investors days before the botched first attempt to sell 60pc of the government shareholding in the company, leaving behind only one real estate developer, who offered peanuts, and a hole of $4.3m in the exchequer.
Something has changed since. Reports suggest that some major business groups from Karachi and Lahore are gearing up to bid for the airline and inject the required equity of half a billion dollars to expand the fleet and operations over the next several years if an unencumbered offer is made. Restarting PIA’s profitable European operations followed by its resumption of flights to the UK and US will be added attractions for buyers. PIA still has the potential to make a rapid recovery if injected with fresh equity to expand its operations and managed professionally — something which is not possible as long as the company remains in the control of a parasitic bureaucracy. The successful sale of loss-making PIA is crucial for privatisation not just for the airline’s own revival — the alternative is its liquidation — but also for the resumption of the overall process of privatisation of SOEs. The sale must be crafted in a manner that attracts businessmen who not only revive the airline but also provide credibility to the privatisation programme.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025
Egyptian plan
AS the Gaza ceasefire faces an uncertain future, the Arab world has endorsed a new proposal for the occupied Palestinian territory’s governance and rebuilding to counter Donald Trump’s monstrous ‘Riviera’ plan. Hammered out by the Egyptians, the Arab League has supported the plan that seeks an administrative committee for the devastated Strip, while envisioning a multibillion-dollar reconstruction of Gaza without removing its Palestinian inhabitants. As opposed to this, the Trumpian scheme proposes shipping the Gazans off to other Arab states as their homeland is transformed into a garish real estate project, overseen by the US. The Egyptian plan is a definite improvement over this hideous proposition, though many questions remain. The US has rejected it, with an official stating that “President Trump stands by his vision” for a Gaza “free from Hamas”. In fact, Mr Trump again threatened Gaza’s people with extermination unless the Israeli hostages were released.
Where the future of Gaza — and all the occupied Palestinian territories — is concerned, it is the Palestinians who should decide the fate of their land. Keeping this principle in mind, Mr Trump’s plan is a non-starter, and should be consigned to the dustbin. The Egyptian plan can be implemented, but realistically speaking, there are too many variables involved, and its long-term success is questionable. For example, while Hamas has tacitly accepted Cairo’s plan, it has rejected the imposition of a “non-Palestinian administration” in the Strip. Moreover, will the Saudis and Emiratis — whose riyals and dirhams are crucial for the plan’s success — be willing to put in money without Hamas’s removal, considering their deep distrust of the Palestinian group? Likewise, Washington and Tel Aviv will also want Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions out of the picture. Therefore, it is very difficult to foresee this plan working, and Hamas exiting the scene. The only practical point to emerge from the Arab plan is that the Palestinian Authority has committed to holding elections in the occupied territories “if circumstances” allow. Hence, perhaps the goal, along with Gaza’s rehabilitation, should be the revival of the poll process in occupied Palestine, so that its people can chart a democratic course for their future, and freedom struggle. Externally imposed plans, without a clear timeline for the end of Israeli occupation, are bound to fail.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025
Miles to go
IS the state deliberately unconversant with the desolation faced by females? On International Women’s Day, global communities applaud women’s contributions in various spheres.
But for many places, this day is a reflection of the challenges that plague women’s journey towards empowerment. Take regressive societies and conflict zones — Afghanistan and Gaza — where women endure adversities that beggar description: they are made invisible through moral policing, denial of education, healthcare and employment, and experience violence, aggression, starvation and more.
On the home front, the realisation that a large part of Pakistan’s misfortunes is a consequence of women’s oppression is lost on the rulers. Pakistan’s women, largely encumbered by poverty, health risks and abuse, with scanty access to knowledge and opportunities, bear a weighty cross. Hence, the UN theme ‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’, which demands action that assures equal rights, prospects and a “feminist future”, particularly for young females and adolescent girls, holds particular significance for a country devoid of them.
Over the years, the reluctance shown by our leadership to liberate the country’s institutions from the visceral language and culture of patriarchy and power has turned the possibility of moving towards purposeful empathy into a tall ask.
Despite definitive movement in the form of pro-women legislation, constitutional protections and commitments to international treaties, the statistics narrate a sorry tale: in 2024, the human rights ministry said that in the last three years, 63,000 cases of violence against women were reported; most cases, sadly, do not come to light.
The Global Gender Gap Index 2023, released by the World Economic Forum, ranks Pakistan 142 out of 146 countries and as one of the worst performing countries in gender parity, with grim literacy and high school dropout rates, and an age-old climate of disdain towards women’s education. The Labour Force Survey 2020-21 shows that female participation stood at 15.5pc.
So what hope do Pakistani women have of breathing in an equitable rights environment? There is defiance aplenty alongside some glimmers of hope. Two Pakistani women became international portraits of courage under fire — Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch and singer Hadiqa Kiyani featured in the BBC 100 Women 2024 list, and novelist Alishba Khan Barech was a finalist for the 2025 Women Changing the World Awards.
Interestingly, Aurat March will occur on multiple dates; ‘2025: The year of the Aurat March Caravan’ states that challenging norms and accommodating varied feminist representations are central to the movement.
But the fact that a new order remains a utopian dream is a brutal indictment of the state. Patronage extended to reactionary quarters is the original sin. Without it, this struggle could have been condensed into years. We now face a moment of truth.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025
IN the second round, the government says it is going to make prospective buyers of PIA an offer they can’t refuse. What that offer is going to be will not be known until the authorities call expressions of interest for the sale of the national carrier three months from now. However, from what the outgoing privatisation minister said the other day, it is clear that the authorities plan to address most of the concerns of investors interested in acquiring the debt-ridden airline. These concerns, including but not limited to 18pc GST on the acquisition of new aircraft and transfer of a portion of the existing debt liabilities to buyers, were enough to scare away some bona fide investors days before the botched first attempt to sell 60pc of the government shareholding in the company, leaving behind only one real estate developer, who offered peanuts, and a hole of $4.3m in the exchequer.
Something has changed since. Reports suggest that some major business groups from Karachi and Lahore are gearing up to bid for the airline and inject the required equity of half a billion dollars to expand the fleet and operations over the next several years if an unencumbered offer is made. Restarting PIA’s profitable European operations followed by its resumption of flights to the UK and US will be added attractions for buyers. PIA still has the potential to make a rapid recovery if injected with fresh equity to expand its operations and managed professionally — something which is not possible as long as the company remains in the control of a parasitic bureaucracy. The successful sale of loss-making PIA is crucial for privatisation not just for the airline’s own revival — the alternative is its liquidation — but also for the resumption of the overall process of privatisation of SOEs. The sale must be crafted in a manner that attracts businessmen who not only revive the airline but also provide credibility to the privatisation programme.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025
Egyptian plan
AS the Gaza ceasefire faces an uncertain future, the Arab world has endorsed a new proposal for the occupied Palestinian territory’s governance and rebuilding to counter Donald Trump’s monstrous ‘Riviera’ plan. Hammered out by the Egyptians, the Arab League has supported the plan that seeks an administrative committee for the devastated Strip, while envisioning a multibillion-dollar reconstruction of Gaza without removing its Palestinian inhabitants. As opposed to this, the Trumpian scheme proposes shipping the Gazans off to other Arab states as their homeland is transformed into a garish real estate project, overseen by the US. The Egyptian plan is a definite improvement over this hideous proposition, though many questions remain. The US has rejected it, with an official stating that “President Trump stands by his vision” for a Gaza “free from Hamas”. In fact, Mr Trump again threatened Gaza’s people with extermination unless the Israeli hostages were released.
Where the future of Gaza — and all the occupied Palestinian territories — is concerned, it is the Palestinians who should decide the fate of their land. Keeping this principle in mind, Mr Trump’s plan is a non-starter, and should be consigned to the dustbin. The Egyptian plan can be implemented, but realistically speaking, there are too many variables involved, and its long-term success is questionable. For example, while Hamas has tacitly accepted Cairo’s plan, it has rejected the imposition of a “non-Palestinian administration” in the Strip. Moreover, will the Saudis and Emiratis — whose riyals and dirhams are crucial for the plan’s success — be willing to put in money without Hamas’s removal, considering their deep distrust of the Palestinian group? Likewise, Washington and Tel Aviv will also want Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions out of the picture. Therefore, it is very difficult to foresee this plan working, and Hamas exiting the scene. The only practical point to emerge from the Arab plan is that the Palestinian Authority has committed to holding elections in the occupied territories “if circumstances” allow. Hence, perhaps the goal, along with Gaza’s rehabilitation, should be the revival of the poll process in occupied Palestine, so that its people can chart a democratic course for their future, and freedom struggle. Externally imposed plans, without a clear timeline for the end of Israeli occupation, are bound to fail.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025
Miles to go
IS the state deliberately unconversant with the desolation faced by females? On International Women’s Day, global communities applaud women’s contributions in various spheres.
But for many places, this day is a reflection of the challenges that plague women’s journey towards empowerment. Take regressive societies and conflict zones — Afghanistan and Gaza — where women endure adversities that beggar description: they are made invisible through moral policing, denial of education, healthcare and employment, and experience violence, aggression, starvation and more.
On the home front, the realisation that a large part of Pakistan’s misfortunes is a consequence of women’s oppression is lost on the rulers. Pakistan’s women, largely encumbered by poverty, health risks and abuse, with scanty access to knowledge and opportunities, bear a weighty cross. Hence, the UN theme ‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’, which demands action that assures equal rights, prospects and a “feminist future”, particularly for young females and adolescent girls, holds particular significance for a country devoid of them.
Over the years, the reluctance shown by our leadership to liberate the country’s institutions from the visceral language and culture of patriarchy and power has turned the possibility of moving towards purposeful empathy into a tall ask.
Despite definitive movement in the form of pro-women legislation, constitutional protections and commitments to international treaties, the statistics narrate a sorry tale: in 2024, the human rights ministry said that in the last three years, 63,000 cases of violence against women were reported; most cases, sadly, do not come to light.
The Global Gender Gap Index 2023, released by the World Economic Forum, ranks Pakistan 142 out of 146 countries and as one of the worst performing countries in gender parity, with grim literacy and high school dropout rates, and an age-old climate of disdain towards women’s education. The Labour Force Survey 2020-21 shows that female participation stood at 15.5pc.
So what hope do Pakistani women have of breathing in an equitable rights environment? There is defiance aplenty alongside some glimmers of hope. Two Pakistani women became international portraits of courage under fire — Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch and singer Hadiqa Kiyani featured in the BBC 100 Women 2024 list, and novelist Alishba Khan Barech was a finalist for the 2025 Women Changing the World Awards.
Interestingly, Aurat March will occur on multiple dates; ‘2025: The year of the Aurat March Caravan’ states that challenging norms and accommodating varied feminist representations are central to the movement.
But the fact that a new order remains a utopian dream is a brutal indictment of the state. Patronage extended to reactionary quarters is the original sin. Without it, this struggle could have been condensed into years. We now face a moment of truth.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2025