DAWN Editorials - 13th March 2025
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2025 3:04 pm
Shocking ambush
THE chilling ambush of the Jaffar Express on Tuesday by terrorists is a rude wake-up call, reminding us of the state’s shrinking writ in Balochistan.
Late Wednesday evening, the military confirmed the counterterrorism operation was over. But the fact that BLA terrorists were able to waylay and hijack the train carrying hundreds of passengers, as well as security men, in a desolate region is terrifying. Passengers have recounted distressing accounts about how they survived the traumatic experience. This is not the first time this particular train has been singled out; the suicide bombing last year at Quetta railway station also targeted the Jaffar Express. The fact is that in Balochistan freedom of movement has been greatly curtailed, with militants able to hijack trains and block highways.
The time for platitudes is over. Balochistan needs a solid security plan to ensure its people can live in peace, and carry on with their lives without the fear of violence. Up till now, the state has failed to do its duty on these counts. While there have been CT operations carried out in the province, resulting in the martyrdom of security men, no long-term stability has been achieved through these actions.
This means that the state must review its strategy. For one, there can be no more no-go areas and ungoverned spaces where militants run fiefdoms. The state must exercise its writ over the entire province. Secondly, the military has confirmed that the terrorists who attacked the Jaffar Express were in contact with “supporters and masterminds” in Afghanistan. Pakistan must forcefully take this matter up at the diplomatic level with the Afghan Taliban regime, while other hostile states must also be warned not to indulge in misadventures. There can be no compromise on internal security. The sophistication of the attack indicates that the separatists likely had support from experienced external players.
Beyond kinetic actions, there must be sincere efforts to address the root causes of Balochistan’s misery that are exploited by separatists. These include enforced disappearances, the province’s appalling socioeconomic indicators, and curbs on political activity. While no cause can justify atrocities that target civilians, many voices — including this paper’s — have been raising these issues for years. But those who make and execute policies in this country are not listening.
Security and the rule of law are essential. Lasting peace in Balochistan, however, can only come when there is good governance, the province’s people have a share in its mineral wealth and other resources, and the genuine representatives of the inhabitants are allowed to take the democratic process forward. The Jaffar Express assault shows that time may be running out before the separatist insurgency spreads further. The rulers must act now to save Balochistan.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
Suffocating crisis
THREE of the five countries with the most polluted air on Earth are in South Asia. They include Pakistan, which has earned itself the unwanted bronze medal in the rankings, coming behind Chad in Africa and Bangladesh. The country’s annual average concentration of PM2.5 stands at a staggering 73.7 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the World Air Quality Report published by IQAir, a Swiss air-quality firm. That is nearly 15 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO. The situation is particularly bad in urban centres. Lahore crossed the 100μg/m³ threshold for the first time since 2018. November saw five cities exceed 200μg/m³, while December recorded nine cities above 120μg/m³. Such toxic air had great ramifications: school closures, shuttered public spaces and hospitals overwhelmed with respiratory cases.
A noxious cocktail of factors drives this crisis. Agricultural stubble burning meets temperature inversions in winter months, trapping pollutants at ground level. Brick kilns, operating with antiquated technology, spew particulates skyward. Industrial facilities, many operating without proper emissions controls, add to the miasma. Vehicular emissions from ageing transport fleet further thicken the haze. Regional dynamics complicate matters. Pollution recognises no borders, and events like Diwali celebrations in India contribute to transboundary contamination. Yet pointing fingers across frontiers offers little relief to citizens choking on toxic air. The government’s response offers a case study in policy incoherence. Efforts to regulate brick kilns have been sporadic and poorly enforced. Public transport initiatives remain underfunded. Air quality monitoring networks are patchy at best, leaving citizens in an information vacuum about the dangers they face. What Pakistan needs is a national clean air policy that matches the scale of the crisis. Declaring air pollution an emergency would be a start, followed by the creation of a dedicated regulatory body with genuine enforcement powers. Market-based mechanisms could accelerate the adoption of cleaner technologies, complemented by stricter emissions standards. The farm sector requires alternatives to stubble burning, potentially through waste-to-energy programmes that turn a pollution problem into an opportunity. The economic costs of inaction are substantial. Lost productivity from illness, premature deaths and diminished cognitive function among children represent a drag on our already struggling economy. Pakistan must act decisively or resign itself to its citizens perpetually gasping for breath.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
Captive grid
IT is a common practice: the government makes commitments with global lenders for their money and then tries to wriggle out of them when faced with pressure from powerful lobbies that might be affected. Previously, it would find a way around the agreed reforms. But no longer. On Tuesday, it had to notify a grid levy of Rs791/mmBtu on all supplies of domestic gas and imported LNG to captive power plants as required under the ongoing IMF programme. The policymakers had been delaying the levy under pressure from the wealthy textile lobby but were forced to notify it after the visiting IMF mission, currently scrutinising progress on the present loan agreement, took a “tough stance”.
The new levy raises the gas prices for captive power by 23pc to Rs4,291 and comes on top of the recent increase of Rs500 to meet power sector restructuring benchmarks under the IMF loan. The idea behind making gas supplies expensive for captive power is to discourage cheaper self-generation by the industry, and force it to switch to grid power for its electricity needs to boost consumption of excess grid electricity for long-term power sector viability. The shift will deprive the industries of a cheaper energy source, making exports more expensive. However, it will potentially lead to an average reduction of Rs2 per unit for every consumer linked with the grid, a goal for which Aptma and FPCCI had launched a campaign against the IPPs. Besides, it must force textile exporters to invest in plant efficiencies, and move towards value-added products for higher export earnings. Simultaneously, distribution companies will have to invest in their networks to ensure reliable supplies to industrial users apart from expanding to areas where factories still cannot access the grid. That said, the government needs to urgently come up with a plan to reduce the burden of Rs1.5 per unit on grid users due to its bad rooftop green metering policy for affluent segments of society.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
THE chilling ambush of the Jaffar Express on Tuesday by terrorists is a rude wake-up call, reminding us of the state’s shrinking writ in Balochistan.
Late Wednesday evening, the military confirmed the counterterrorism operation was over. But the fact that BLA terrorists were able to waylay and hijack the train carrying hundreds of passengers, as well as security men, in a desolate region is terrifying. Passengers have recounted distressing accounts about how they survived the traumatic experience. This is not the first time this particular train has been singled out; the suicide bombing last year at Quetta railway station also targeted the Jaffar Express. The fact is that in Balochistan freedom of movement has been greatly curtailed, with militants able to hijack trains and block highways.
The time for platitudes is over. Balochistan needs a solid security plan to ensure its people can live in peace, and carry on with their lives without the fear of violence. Up till now, the state has failed to do its duty on these counts. While there have been CT operations carried out in the province, resulting in the martyrdom of security men, no long-term stability has been achieved through these actions.
This means that the state must review its strategy. For one, there can be no more no-go areas and ungoverned spaces where militants run fiefdoms. The state must exercise its writ over the entire province. Secondly, the military has confirmed that the terrorists who attacked the Jaffar Express were in contact with “supporters and masterminds” in Afghanistan. Pakistan must forcefully take this matter up at the diplomatic level with the Afghan Taliban regime, while other hostile states must also be warned not to indulge in misadventures. There can be no compromise on internal security. The sophistication of the attack indicates that the separatists likely had support from experienced external players.
Beyond kinetic actions, there must be sincere efforts to address the root causes of Balochistan’s misery that are exploited by separatists. These include enforced disappearances, the province’s appalling socioeconomic indicators, and curbs on political activity. While no cause can justify atrocities that target civilians, many voices — including this paper’s — have been raising these issues for years. But those who make and execute policies in this country are not listening.
Security and the rule of law are essential. Lasting peace in Balochistan, however, can only come when there is good governance, the province’s people have a share in its mineral wealth and other resources, and the genuine representatives of the inhabitants are allowed to take the democratic process forward. The Jaffar Express assault shows that time may be running out before the separatist insurgency spreads further. The rulers must act now to save Balochistan.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
Suffocating crisis
THREE of the five countries with the most polluted air on Earth are in South Asia. They include Pakistan, which has earned itself the unwanted bronze medal in the rankings, coming behind Chad in Africa and Bangladesh. The country’s annual average concentration of PM2.5 stands at a staggering 73.7 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the World Air Quality Report published by IQAir, a Swiss air-quality firm. That is nearly 15 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO. The situation is particularly bad in urban centres. Lahore crossed the 100μg/m³ threshold for the first time since 2018. November saw five cities exceed 200μg/m³, while December recorded nine cities above 120μg/m³. Such toxic air had great ramifications: school closures, shuttered public spaces and hospitals overwhelmed with respiratory cases.
A noxious cocktail of factors drives this crisis. Agricultural stubble burning meets temperature inversions in winter months, trapping pollutants at ground level. Brick kilns, operating with antiquated technology, spew particulates skyward. Industrial facilities, many operating without proper emissions controls, add to the miasma. Vehicular emissions from ageing transport fleet further thicken the haze. Regional dynamics complicate matters. Pollution recognises no borders, and events like Diwali celebrations in India contribute to transboundary contamination. Yet pointing fingers across frontiers offers little relief to citizens choking on toxic air. The government’s response offers a case study in policy incoherence. Efforts to regulate brick kilns have been sporadic and poorly enforced. Public transport initiatives remain underfunded. Air quality monitoring networks are patchy at best, leaving citizens in an information vacuum about the dangers they face. What Pakistan needs is a national clean air policy that matches the scale of the crisis. Declaring air pollution an emergency would be a start, followed by the creation of a dedicated regulatory body with genuine enforcement powers. Market-based mechanisms could accelerate the adoption of cleaner technologies, complemented by stricter emissions standards. The farm sector requires alternatives to stubble burning, potentially through waste-to-energy programmes that turn a pollution problem into an opportunity. The economic costs of inaction are substantial. Lost productivity from illness, premature deaths and diminished cognitive function among children represent a drag on our already struggling economy. Pakistan must act decisively or resign itself to its citizens perpetually gasping for breath.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
Captive grid
IT is a common practice: the government makes commitments with global lenders for their money and then tries to wriggle out of them when faced with pressure from powerful lobbies that might be affected. Previously, it would find a way around the agreed reforms. But no longer. On Tuesday, it had to notify a grid levy of Rs791/mmBtu on all supplies of domestic gas and imported LNG to captive power plants as required under the ongoing IMF programme. The policymakers had been delaying the levy under pressure from the wealthy textile lobby but were forced to notify it after the visiting IMF mission, currently scrutinising progress on the present loan agreement, took a “tough stance”.
The new levy raises the gas prices for captive power by 23pc to Rs4,291 and comes on top of the recent increase of Rs500 to meet power sector restructuring benchmarks under the IMF loan. The idea behind making gas supplies expensive for captive power is to discourage cheaper self-generation by the industry, and force it to switch to grid power for its electricity needs to boost consumption of excess grid electricity for long-term power sector viability. The shift will deprive the industries of a cheaper energy source, making exports more expensive. However, it will potentially lead to an average reduction of Rs2 per unit for every consumer linked with the grid, a goal for which Aptma and FPCCI had launched a campaign against the IPPs. Besides, it must force textile exporters to invest in plant efficiencies, and move towards value-added products for higher export earnings. Simultaneously, distribution companies will have to invest in their networks to ensure reliable supplies to industrial users apart from expanding to areas where factories still cannot access the grid. That said, the government needs to urgently come up with a plan to reduce the burden of Rs1.5 per unit on grid users due to its bad rooftop green metering policy for affluent segments of society.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025