DAWN Editorials - 9th May 2025
Posted: Sun May 18, 2025 4:35 pm
Climate casualties
ACROSS Pakistan — from the floodplains of Punjab to the heat-stricken cities of Sindh — the climate crisis is taking a quiet, deadly toll. Children and the elderly are dying not just from drowning or heatstroke, but from the diseases, displacement and neglect that follow. Yet the true scale of this loss remains hidden. According to a new Amnesty International report, fewer than 5pc of deaths in Pakistan are officially recorded. Most go undocumented during disasters. The report reveals a bleak picture. In Badin, child mortality surged by 57pc during the 2022 floods. In Karachi, morgues overflowed during the 2024 heatwave. Older adults with chronic illness and young children, whose bodies cannot regulate temperature, are the most vulnerable — yet the least visible in data, policy and disaster planning.
The government owes them more. Health spending must rise from 2.91pc of GDP (based on 2021-22 numbers) to meet global norms. Healthcare workers must be trained to recognise and manage climate-related illness in children and the elderly. Death registration should be expanded by removing fees and using outreach models that improved birth registration. Older people must be included in health data systems and protected with a universal pension to reduce economic vulnerability during heatwaves and floods. Children’s access to education must be preserved in disaster times through resilient schools and alternative teaching methods. Displacement camps must be tailored to the needs of children and older people. Local disaster authorities must be funded to deliver early warnings, cooling centres, and plans that prioritise the vulnerable. Restrictions on NGOs that delay relief work must be lifted. There is also a role for the international community. Climate finance to Pakistan must come in the form of grants, not loans, and must prioritise adaptation and social protection. Heatwaves, floods, or storms should not be a death sentence. The state must act — and the world must assist — to protect those most at risk.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025
Military trials
THE October 2023 judgement had been widely hailed as ‘historic’. The one issued by five judges this Tuesday will one day prove equally significant, albeit for entirely different reasons. Earlier this week, while Pakistanis were still cheering for their air force after it successfully tackled the late-night marauders next door, the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench threw a wet blanket on the public mood with the announcement that it was restoring sections of the Pakistan Army Act that allow for civilians to be court-martialled.
Ruling with a 5-2 majority, the bench overturned the unanimous decision issued in October 2023 by five senior justices of the Supreme Court — including three who are still serving, most notably the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan — who had ruled that there could be no justification under the Constitution for military trials of civilians.
It may be recalled that the original judgement also ruled that all cases against civilians being tried under the Act should be transferred to civilian courts, where they would be retried under ordinary criminal law. Unfortunately, that was never to be.
The latest ruling issued by the Constitutional Bench was salt on the wound for many in the legal community, who had hailed the original judgement for restoring a measure of sanctity, fairness, transparency and due process in the Pakistani justice system, only to see it taken away within two months by an appellate bench set up by former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa.
It may also be recalled that, as the then senior puisne judge had alleged, this appellate bench was formed in violation of the Practice and Procedure Act and in response to petitions moved by controversial caretaker governments whose tenure had already exceeded their constitutional expiry dates. To top it off, the appellate bench was then handed over to a judge who had already revealed their mind on the military trial of civilians.
Thereafter, the legal fate of some 103 individuals facing military trials remained in limbo from December 2023 till Tuesday, a period of about a year and a half. The final call was to undo the gains achieved for civilian rights under the original verdict and revert to status quo ante. Sadly, while the people took heart from the victory in the skies, they were defeated by the courts. It is up to the people to draw their own conclusions.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025
Time for restraint
FEAR and panic continue to dominate South Asia, with Pakistan and India still engaged in hostilities.
Airports have been shut, exams postponed and markets have been on edge. On Thursday, the military said that 25 Israeli-made Indian drones were shot down over different parts of Pakistan. In some cases, India’s drone attacks led to damage and injuries. While India had struck sites in AJK and Punjab in its initial aggression on May 7, yesterday’s drone targets included Sindh as New Delhi climbed up the escalatory ladder. Indian media outlets claimed that Pakistan attacked targets in held Jammu and Kashmir, but the government has denied this. The fact is that India initiated hostilities against Pakistan on the basis of unproven allegations in the Pahalgam killings, and launched its so-called ‘Operation Sindoor’. Pakistan retaliated by downing five of its jets. It is now time for all to step back from the brink.
India’s defence minister asserted that his country wanted to resolve “problems through dialogue”, while its military stressed its “commitment to non-escalation”. But the fact remains, that India is persisting with its provocative attacks, jeopardising civilian lives on this side of the border. Therefore, its ‘commitment’ to dialogue and non-escalation remains highly questionable.
One positive development on Thursday came in the form of a statement by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar that contacts between both states’ NSAs and DGMOs had been established. Sadly, while foreign friends have counselled restraint, there has been a marked indifference on the part of the international community to actively help defuse the crisis. This indifference is perplexing in a nuclear neighbourhood, as an escalation in hostilities will not remain a bilateral matter, but affect all of South Asia as well as the Middle East.
Therefore, the UN and states that enjoy a good rapport with both Islamabad and New Delhi should play a role in cooling temperatures. President Donald Trump has urged both countries to “stop” the violence, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the PM on the matter. Other foreign powers, such as the Gulf states, Iran, and others should also redouble their efforts for a diplomatic solution.
Jingoism is evident in both countries, but elements in India’s media, cultural and political sphere have been egging on their country in the confrontation. Perhaps they think of war in the context of Bollywood action films. The actual reality of conflict is much darker. Even a conventional war would cost countless lives and increase misery on both sides. What a nuclear showdown has in store is too horrific to contemplate. Therefore, sense must prevail, and the march to war should be halted. Along with foreign efforts, the contacts made between the NSAs and DGMOs must continue in order to de-escalate matters and return to a more manageable state of affairs.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025
ACROSS Pakistan — from the floodplains of Punjab to the heat-stricken cities of Sindh — the climate crisis is taking a quiet, deadly toll. Children and the elderly are dying not just from drowning or heatstroke, but from the diseases, displacement and neglect that follow. Yet the true scale of this loss remains hidden. According to a new Amnesty International report, fewer than 5pc of deaths in Pakistan are officially recorded. Most go undocumented during disasters. The report reveals a bleak picture. In Badin, child mortality surged by 57pc during the 2022 floods. In Karachi, morgues overflowed during the 2024 heatwave. Older adults with chronic illness and young children, whose bodies cannot regulate temperature, are the most vulnerable — yet the least visible in data, policy and disaster planning.
The government owes them more. Health spending must rise from 2.91pc of GDP (based on 2021-22 numbers) to meet global norms. Healthcare workers must be trained to recognise and manage climate-related illness in children and the elderly. Death registration should be expanded by removing fees and using outreach models that improved birth registration. Older people must be included in health data systems and protected with a universal pension to reduce economic vulnerability during heatwaves and floods. Children’s access to education must be preserved in disaster times through resilient schools and alternative teaching methods. Displacement camps must be tailored to the needs of children and older people. Local disaster authorities must be funded to deliver early warnings, cooling centres, and plans that prioritise the vulnerable. Restrictions on NGOs that delay relief work must be lifted. There is also a role for the international community. Climate finance to Pakistan must come in the form of grants, not loans, and must prioritise adaptation and social protection. Heatwaves, floods, or storms should not be a death sentence. The state must act — and the world must assist — to protect those most at risk.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025
Military trials
THE October 2023 judgement had been widely hailed as ‘historic’. The one issued by five judges this Tuesday will one day prove equally significant, albeit for entirely different reasons. Earlier this week, while Pakistanis were still cheering for their air force after it successfully tackled the late-night marauders next door, the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench threw a wet blanket on the public mood with the announcement that it was restoring sections of the Pakistan Army Act that allow for civilians to be court-martialled.
Ruling with a 5-2 majority, the bench overturned the unanimous decision issued in October 2023 by five senior justices of the Supreme Court — including three who are still serving, most notably the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan — who had ruled that there could be no justification under the Constitution for military trials of civilians.
It may be recalled that the original judgement also ruled that all cases against civilians being tried under the Act should be transferred to civilian courts, where they would be retried under ordinary criminal law. Unfortunately, that was never to be.
The latest ruling issued by the Constitutional Bench was salt on the wound for many in the legal community, who had hailed the original judgement for restoring a measure of sanctity, fairness, transparency and due process in the Pakistani justice system, only to see it taken away within two months by an appellate bench set up by former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa.
It may also be recalled that, as the then senior puisne judge had alleged, this appellate bench was formed in violation of the Practice and Procedure Act and in response to petitions moved by controversial caretaker governments whose tenure had already exceeded their constitutional expiry dates. To top it off, the appellate bench was then handed over to a judge who had already revealed their mind on the military trial of civilians.
Thereafter, the legal fate of some 103 individuals facing military trials remained in limbo from December 2023 till Tuesday, a period of about a year and a half. The final call was to undo the gains achieved for civilian rights under the original verdict and revert to status quo ante. Sadly, while the people took heart from the victory in the skies, they were defeated by the courts. It is up to the people to draw their own conclusions.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025
Time for restraint
FEAR and panic continue to dominate South Asia, with Pakistan and India still engaged in hostilities.
Airports have been shut, exams postponed and markets have been on edge. On Thursday, the military said that 25 Israeli-made Indian drones were shot down over different parts of Pakistan. In some cases, India’s drone attacks led to damage and injuries. While India had struck sites in AJK and Punjab in its initial aggression on May 7, yesterday’s drone targets included Sindh as New Delhi climbed up the escalatory ladder. Indian media outlets claimed that Pakistan attacked targets in held Jammu and Kashmir, but the government has denied this. The fact is that India initiated hostilities against Pakistan on the basis of unproven allegations in the Pahalgam killings, and launched its so-called ‘Operation Sindoor’. Pakistan retaliated by downing five of its jets. It is now time for all to step back from the brink.
India’s defence minister asserted that his country wanted to resolve “problems through dialogue”, while its military stressed its “commitment to non-escalation”. But the fact remains, that India is persisting with its provocative attacks, jeopardising civilian lives on this side of the border. Therefore, its ‘commitment’ to dialogue and non-escalation remains highly questionable.
One positive development on Thursday came in the form of a statement by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar that contacts between both states’ NSAs and DGMOs had been established. Sadly, while foreign friends have counselled restraint, there has been a marked indifference on the part of the international community to actively help defuse the crisis. This indifference is perplexing in a nuclear neighbourhood, as an escalation in hostilities will not remain a bilateral matter, but affect all of South Asia as well as the Middle East.
Therefore, the UN and states that enjoy a good rapport with both Islamabad and New Delhi should play a role in cooling temperatures. President Donald Trump has urged both countries to “stop” the violence, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the PM on the matter. Other foreign powers, such as the Gulf states, Iran, and others should also redouble their efforts for a diplomatic solution.
Jingoism is evident in both countries, but elements in India’s media, cultural and political sphere have been egging on their country in the confrontation. Perhaps they think of war in the context of Bollywood action films. The actual reality of conflict is much darker. Even a conventional war would cost countless lives and increase misery on both sides. What a nuclear showdown has in store is too horrific to contemplate. Therefore, sense must prevail, and the march to war should be halted. Along with foreign efforts, the contacts made between the NSAs and DGMOs must continue in order to de-escalate matters and return to a more manageable state of affairs.
Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025