Looking forward to further strengthen deep-rooted ties with a zerbaijan:
deal with climate change deepening defense collaboration and fostering cultural exchanges Several memorandums of Understanding (moUs) and agreements are expected to be signed, further solidifying the partnership between the two countries As part of his engagements the Prime minister and the Azerbaijani leadership will also address the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Business Forum, scheduled for monday The forum will bring together business leaders from both countries to explore avenues
Aliyev and other senior Azerbaijani officials PM’s Two-day official visit According to the Prime minister ’s Office, the prime minister disc
& Human resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain minister for information & Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime minister Syed Tariq Fatemi
anarchy, and instability: A zma
promises she added Azma emphasized that the era of those peddling imaginary plans and
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif ’s era is marked by prosperity and unprecedented public service
In a statement she said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has lived up to the expectations of Punjab s people and the time of those who governed through magic tricks is now
The people of Pakistan have permanently buried the politics of chaos, anarchy, and instability Now, the focus across Pakistan will be solely on work work and more work ” she added
The Information Minister added that the Punjab government has completed its first year of setting historic benchmarks in public service Maryam Nawaz has fulfilled the aspirations of Punjab s citizens, proving that the PML-N is synonymous with delivering on
i c i a l s a g r e e d o n k e y measures, including: Incorporating One Health principles i n t o t h e N a t i o n a l H e a l t h P o l i c y L a u n c h i n g n e w t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s f o r h e a l t h v e t e r i n a r y a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l specialists Strengthening disease surveillance and early warning systems Promoting scientific research and evidence-based p o l i c y m a k i n g D e v e l o p i n g a t r a i n e d w o r k f o r c e t o p r e v e n t a n d
govt to terminate employees hired during caretaker tenure
COMMENT
Dealing with Gaza
The Arbs stuggle ignore the elephant in the room
GZA has presented so many problems to the Arab leaders that they do not know where to begin The special meeting in Cairo, hosted by Egypt and attended by the Kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, have seemingly failed to come up with a solution, though the so-called Égyptian Plan seems to be gaining some traction The immediate challenge to the assembled states was to come up with a Gaza reconstruction plan that would be a viable alternative to the proposal by US President Donald Trump who wants the Gazan population shifted to Jordan and Egypt and Gaza to be handed over to the USA for development The problem faced by the summiteers is threefold First who will pay? Second who runs Gaza in the meantime (and thus can ‘wet his beak’ in the award of construction contracts)? It cannot have escaped attention that Egypt and Jordan are the first two Arab states to have signed peace treaties with Israel
These issues need to be settled by March 4, when the Arab League meets in Cairo to discuss the issue The Egyptian proposal suggests fund to which Arab states and the USA would contribute No one seems to be suggesting that Israel should pay anything, even though it was the one responsible for all of the destruction Trump too seems to be pulling back on his earlier proposal though he expressed no contrition only regret as if the Palestinians and the rest of the Arabs were letting slip a wonderful opportunity He is refusing to accept even now that his proposal was a child’s nightmare being imposed on not just Gazans traumatized beyond belief but also on the host peoples If the USA presumably on behalf of Israel was to pay the countries anything it would go to their governments
C
o l d p e a c e o
THE consensus reached at the Paris Agreement in 2015 was to ideally limit temperature globally to below 1 5C and to not allow it to reach anywhere near 2C Moreover it was also thought at the time of this agreement that the world had up till 2045 to implement policy as per the direction of this agreement Having said, since then seeing the fast-unfolding nature of climate change, not only greater steps are
around US$30 billion of dollars in lost property, infrastructure, and agriculture output, among others – or the more recent devastating wild fires in Los Angeles – where at least 10 people reportedly
range of US$135 billion and US$ 150 billion Hence it i s not only important to implement the agreement reached in the Paris Agreement, and since then, but also to increase the quantity of steps, and the momentum Among such steps, effort i s being made to understand better the dynamics of the ‘tip-
r a p p e a s e m e n t ?
Ukraine s President Zelenskyy has received scathing criticism, particularly regarding his handling of the conflict with Russia Many argue that his reckless decisins have devastated Ukraine as he has pursued a misguided and unrealistic approach that has caused ireparable harm to the country and its people His absence from recent peace talks has raised concerns about his leadershi leaving him with little choice but to accept an imposed cold peace The Ukraine peace talks have sparked both optimism and skepticism Some view these talks as a crucial step towards peace, bringing an end to the devastating conflict, whereas others are worried about the far-reaching repercussins of excluding Ukraine and other European natins from the negotiatins A daunting questin looms: can the US and Russia find a way to reconcile the competing interests and ideologies that have driven the conflict, or will the war-torn natin remain a perpetual geopolitical flashpoint? Realists cautin that a hastily negotiated settlement could be either a cold peace or outriht appeasement A cold peace refers to a situatin ni which a conflict is frozen, but not fully resolved It can only create a false sense of stability A cold peace could allow Russia to maintain its military presence ni the Donbas regin creating a permanent state of tensin and instability It is evident from the history that the Korean Peninsula where a ceasefire agreement was sined ni 1953 that only brought an end to hostilities; however, a formal peace treaty was never sined, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war A cold peace could lead to a decrease ni internatinal attentin and support making ti more challenging to achieve a lasting peace For instance the Minsk II agreement sined ni 2015 aimed to establish a ceasefire and promote a peaceful resolutin to the conflict Nevertheless, the agreement has been repeatedly vilated, and
the conflict remains unresolved Therefore ti is essential to adopt a more comprehensive approach to achieving a lasting peace ni Ukraine one that addresses the root causes of the conflict and promotes a sustainable and inclusive peace However, appeasement would involve Ukraine making siniiant concessins to Russia, sacrificing its territorial integrity This approach is problematic as ti would create a dangerous precedent for future conflicts For example ni 1938 Britain s PM Chamberlain gave ni to Nazi Germany s demands, hoping to avoid war But this policy of appeasement disastrously backfired, emboldening Adolf Hitler ’s aggressive expansinism which subsequently led to the invasin of Poland ni 1939 and the devastating outbreak of World War II
Given the dangers of appeasement and the limitations of a cold peace, ti is essential to adopt a more robust approach to achieving a lasting peace ni Ukraine This approach, advocated by numerous strategic experts, should encompass sustained diplomatic pressure on Russia ironclad security guarantees for Ukraine addressing Russia s legitimate concerns engaging all stakeholders and unwavering commitment to upholding international law
The precarious state of Ukraine peace talks has profound implications for European security President Zelensky’s outright rejection of any deal without Kyiv’ s involvement creates uncertainty For achieving durable peace ti is sin qua non to negotiate inclusive peace agreement that incorporates the interests of both Ukraine and Russia Without an inclusive peace agreement, the conflict will become a perpetual “frozen conflict” vulnerable to sudden escalation into a full-blown hot war Given the fraught strategic landscape Russia will likely try to maintain its traditional sphere of influence ni the region thereby perpetuating a destabilzing geopolitical dynamic Ultimately, peace is not just the absence of conflict, but a state of being that requires intentional effort and a commitment to justice mutual respect non-interference and sovereign equality among nations
The writer is a strategic affairs and foreign policy analyst based in Islamabad
Decades old roads
Dr ShOaib balOch
a k i s t a n ' s e n e r g y w o r k f o r c e c r i s i s
t a n ’ s l e a d i n g e n e r g y e x p e r t s , p o l i c y m a k e r s , a n d i n d u s t r y l e a d e r s t o c o n n e c t w i t h t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n o f e n e r g y a n d c l i m a t e p r o f e s s i o n a l s A t t h e e v e n t , Z e e s h a n A s h f a q , C E O o f
R e n e w a b l e s F i r s t , e m p h a s i z e d t h e b r o a d e r v i s i o n o f e n e r g y t r a n s i t i o n , h i g h l i g h t i n g t h a t i t i s n o t j u s t a b o u t r e p l a c i n g f o s s i l f u e l s w i t h r e n e w a b l e s , b u t a b o u t b u i l d i n g t h e r i g h t p e o p l e t o l e a d t h e t r a n s i t i o n
S h e f u r t h e r n o t e d t h a t t h e M i n i s t r y o f E n e r g y h a s l a u n c h e d s e v e r a l i n i t i a t i v e s t o s u p p o r t g r e e n s k i l l s d e v e l o p m e n t , e n s u r i n g t h a t P a k i s t a n ’ s w o r k f o r c e i s e q u i p p e d t o m e e t t h e d e m a n d s o f a l o w
W i l l O m a r A b d u l l a h f u l f i l t h e p r o m i s e h e m a d e t o K a s h m i r i s ?
Th e 2 0 2 4 m a n d at e wa s n’t f o r h a l f - m e a s u re s o r a d m i n i s t r at i ve h a n d o u t s, i t wa s a c a l l f o r t h e re v i va l o f a p o l i t i c a l i d e n t i t y l o n g h e l d h o s t a g e b y s t r at e g i c c o m p ro m i s e s
TIME, in Indian Occupied Kashmir, doesn’t just pass – it runs out The 2024 elections like a bus speeding through a narrow mountain pass offered a fleeting chance to reclaim lost ground The National Conference (NC), once the unchallenged driver of Indian Occupied Kashmir ’s political aspirations, promised to steer the people back toward what was taken from them Three months later the road ahead is blurring and the passengers – who voted with hope – are now waiting for a sign Omar Abdullah does not have the luxury of delay In Kashmir s politics, missed turns don t just cost time, they change the entire destination Political journeys much like long-distance bus rides are riddled with unplanned
detours Abdullah the NC s frontman seems to have eased off at the crossroads of principle and pragmatism The bold, defiant rhetoric of reclaiming Kashmir ’s special status has softened into cautious requests for statehood – a bureaucratic plea The passengers however remember the ticket they purchased: one promising a return to dignity not an administrative upgrade They peer out the windows, wondering if the bus is headed anywhere But the confusion doesn’t just lie on the road ahead Within the NC itself a quiet tugof-war is unfolding Aga Ruhullah the MP from Srinagar sits near the aisle his voice sharp and unsparing In his interviews he questions the journey s altered trajectory: We said 370 We meant 370 His challenge has laid bare the party’s internal divide – one faction standing with Abdullah’s cautious navigation the other demanding a straight unapologetic drive back to pre-2019 constitutional status The bus rattles on but the
tension between the drivers makes every mile feel longer than the last Yet, Kashmir s political journey isn t entirely in NC’s hands New Delhi, seated comfortably in the control room has installed strategic checkpoints along the route The promise of statehood isn t tethered to administrative logic but political optics Why hand over the wheel to leaders they spent years discrediting? Statehood would dilute the lieutenant governor ’s authority, weaken the newly anointed political actors of the post-2019 era and reignite the very constitutional debates Delhi claims to have buried For the Union government the status quo isn t inertia, it s insurance The existing arrangement ensures direct administrative control while leaving elected officials to manage the discontent Why disrupt a structure that works so efficiently in their favour? The carrot of statehood dangles just ahead –a political mirage that moves further each
time Kashmiris step closer Abdullah stands at an unforgiving junction Pragmatism urges him to seek incremental gains to sit across the table in Delhi s chambers and negotiate the return of statehood Principle demands he honour the people’s mandate – a clear, collective plea for Article 370’s restoration His outreach to central leaders has yielded little more than polite smiles and ceremonial shawls while his critics led vocally by Ruhullah grow louder They argue that pragmatism, in Kashmir s context, often morphs into submission The 2024 vote was never about potholes pensions or public sector jobs It was a statement of identity a collective declaration that Kashmiris refuse to let a constitutional rupture define their future The turnout wasn t driven by nostalgia for a bygone era but by the hope of reclaiming constitutional
Twere said to be produced through forced labor, and the street protests in Hong Kong were portrayed as a "beautiful scene " So, what happened to the BBC? Some Chinese netizens and experts generally believe that this shift is closely related to the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) "Like many international development organizations, BBC Media Action has been affected by the temporary pause in US gov-
ernment funding which amounts to about 8 percent of our income in 2023-24," the BBC stated in a release on its website on February 4
However BBC Media Action also emphasized that as the BBC's international charity we are completely separate from BBC News and are wholly reliant on our donors and supporters to carry out our work "
From the perspective of global communication and international public opinion the clear effect of the US cutting off funding is worth considering for a new understanding: If you come across negative reports about China, you should ask yourself whether they are paid-for fabricated information or persistent, self-serving nonsense said Shen Yi a professor at Fudan University in an interview with the Global Times on Thursday The BBC s shift in its reporting on China has been seen by some Chinese netizens as an "alternative way of asking for payment " They believe that without financial support from the US the BBC changed its way of reporting on China Mean-
while Lyu Xiang a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of
S enior police officers visit various duty points
any elements
Pak-Azerbaijan relations entering a new
phase: Aleem Khan
BAKU S TA F F R E P O R T
Federal Minister for Board of Investment Privatization and Communications Abdul Aleem Khan along with his delegation held meeting with Israfel Mammadov CEO of Azerbaijan s State Oil Fund, in Baku
During the meeting both sides discussed various matters related to the promotion of bilateral investment and business activities be-
tween the two countries of Azerbaijan and Pakistan
After completing a three-day visit to Morocco, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan arrived in Baku
Speaking at the meeting he emphasized that Azerbaijan holds a special place in the hearts of the Pakistani people and friendly relations between the two countries are progressing towards greater strength and improvement He acknowledged the significant role played by Azerbaijan s Ambassador to Pakistan
Khazar Farhadov in enhancing these ties in recent months which resulted in very positive mode
The Federal Minister further stated that after the establishment of the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Joint Chamber of Commerce in Islamabad we are aimed to establish Exhibition Centers for investors to showcase products effectively which would help in increasing imports and exports for both states
During discussions with Azerbaijan s State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) regarding business opportunities he mentioned that the partnership between the two countries is entering a new phase and it would be brighter for Pakistan, especially Abdul Aleem Khan also highlighted that Azerbaijan could invest in Pakistan s communications sector specifically in the construction of Motorways in Sindh and Karachi, which would help Pakistan to connect with Central Asian Countries
T WO NATION THEORY MOST RELEVANT
IN TODAY’S WORLD THAN EVER: TARAR
LAHORE
S A L E E M J A D O O N
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to reduce the burden on the salaried class promising a plan in the upcoming budget in this regard
record-high taxes
In 2024 the salaried class emerged as the third-largest contributor to income tax collection in the outgoing fiscal year, following closely behind banks and petroleum products and still surpassing the country s affluent textile exporters
stating that foreign exchange reserves are steadily growing
The finance minister reiterated that sustained economic growth was a priority and the government was committed to ensuring policy continuity to support the private sector “The real progress will come from the private sector, and we must provide them with a conducive policy framework he noted Mr Aurangzeb also dismissed concerns over overseas Pakistanis sentiments, saying that during his recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Washington, he observed no discontent among expatriates “We are grateful for their contributions and we expect remittances to reach $35 billion this year he said
stones, the police said Per the report, several police officers were also injured in the violence “The watchman’s body was later shifted to Abbottabad Hospital for post-mortem examination the report said Lynchings are common in Pakistan with several incidents taking place over the last decade Many people were lynched
The manufacturing sector and salaried class have borne the brunt of taxation, and now all sectors must contribute their fair share to the economy,” elaborated Finance Minister Aurangzeb while talking to the media after an event here in Lahore Aurangzeb s statement comes as Pakistan looks to curb the criticism it has faced since last year over unpopular reforms, including
The salaried class contributed Rs367 8 billion to income tax collection in FY24, a 39 42 per cent rise, from Rs263 8bn in FY23
The Finance Minister highlighted positive economic indicators including a rise in remittance senders to 35 million and an increase in Roshan Digital Account inflows
Aurangzeb emphasised the private sector s vital role in driving the country’s economic progress,
The consignment, coordinated in partnership with the Al-Khidmat Foundation includes
tons of critical relief supplies such as bell tents winterized tents tarpaulin sheets, and medical equipment
A send-off ceremony was held at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, attended by senior officials from NDMA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Al-Khidmat Foundation
The aid was shipped via a chartered flight departing from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to El Arish International Airport in Egypt from where it will be transported to Gaza This initiative was carried out under the directives of the prime minister, reflecting the government s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance and standing in solidarity with the people
