As Electric Vehicles (EVs) have become increasingly central to global climate policy, DawnNews explores whether they really are the straightforward climate solution they appear to be.

As economist Ammar Habib Khan says, EVs are “part of the solution, but not an overall policy intervention”.

Behind the clean image lies a complicated story about minerals, water, economics and sustainability.

Watch Front Seat to Climate Change to unpack the complex story of the real costs and opportunities behind the global EV transition.

As Pakistan confronts the accelerating realities of climate change, the urgency to move from awareness to action has never been greater.

Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, Pakistan remains among the most climate-vulnerable nations, underscoring the critical need for coordinated, locally grounded, and globally informed responses.

The Breathe Pakistan International Climate Change Conference 2026 on May 6 and 7 brings together policymakers, experts, and stakeholders from across sectors to examine these intersecting challenges and chart a path forward.

See the agenda here.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday conditionally suspended a trial court’s verdict ordering singer Meesha Shafi to pay Rs5 million in damages to fellow singer-cum-actor Ali Zafar in a defamation case, while maintaining restrictions on her from repeating her harassment allegations against him.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad heard Shafi’s appeal against the sessions court verdict passed on March 31. Justice Malik Waqar Haider Awan was the other member of the bench.

During the proceedings, her counsel, Saqib Jillani, sought suspension of the impugned judgment and offered to deposit one-third of the amount she was ordered to pay in cash.

Initially, the bench turned down the request for partial payment, directing that the full amount should be deposited.

However, upon further request, the bench ordered Shafi to deposit Rs2.5m in cash and furnish a surety bond worth the remaining Rs2.5m. As an interim relief, the bench suspended the trial court’s decision to the extent of the damages.

However, the bench observed that the restriction imposed by the trial court barring Shafi from making harassment allegations against Zafar would remain in force.

It also issued a notice to Zafar and adjourned the hearing. Zafar’s counsel, Umar Tariq Gill, present in the court, received the notice.

In March, a sessions court had ordered Shafi to pay Rs5m in damages for levelling harassment allegations against Zafar, holding that the accusations were not made in the public interest.

“The defendant is further permanently restrained from repeating, publishing, or causing to be published, directly or indirectly, the aforesaid defamatory allegations of sexual harassment of a physical nature against the plaintiff, in any form of media, including print, electronic or social media,” the judgment said.

Shafi, in 2018, had accused Zafar of sexually harassing her on more than one occasion.

Subsequently, Zafar filed a defamation case against her, saying that Shafi’s allegations tarnished his image in public. In the defamation suit, Zafar asked the court to issue a decree against Shafi and direct her to pay Rs1bn as damages to him.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday hailed Pakistan’s “victory” against India during last year’s military conflict, affirming that the country was “not a nation that bows”.

He was addressing an event in Karachi organised by the Sindh government to commemorate Marka-i-Haq, where Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also spoke.

The term “Marka-i-Haq” is used by the state to refer to the 2025 conflict with India, starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire on May 10.

“This victory was not the victory of weapons alone. It was a triumph of resolve. It was a triumph of unity and of people who refused to kneel,” said Bilawal, who is also the former foreign minister and had led a delegation abroad to convey Pakistan’s stance on the conflict.

“From the mountains of the north to the shores of the Arabian Sea, from the fields of Punjab to the deserts of Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan stood as one,” he affirmed.

“We are not a nation that bows before pressure. We are not a nation that compromises its sovereignty. We are a nation that rises again and again, stronger, prouder and more united,” the PPP chairman declared.

Bilawal recalled, “Our armed forces fought with courage, discipline and honour. Our diplomats defended our position with clarity and conviction, and our brave and resilient people stood firm behind their nation.”

“Today, we do not merely mark the passage of time. We mark the endurance of a nation. We commemorate not just a victory, but the vindication of the very idea of Pakistan,” he said.

Bilawal recalled that a year ago, Pakistan “stood at the edge of uncertainty [as] drums of conflict echoed our borders”. “The air was thick with fear, speculation, and the designs of those who believed Pakistan could be bent, broken or bullied. They were wrong,” the PPP chairman added.

He emphasised that victory was “not measured by territory held or battles won”, but by “dignity preserved [and] sovereignty defended”. Victory, he added, was measured “by the message sent to the world that Pakistan will never be coerced, never be silenced, and will never surrender”.

The ex-FM also took aim at those “beyond our borders who seek to rewrite history”, asserting that history was “not written by noise”, but rather by nations that endured.

Bilawal clarified that Pakistan did not seek conflict or glorify war.

“But when the test came, we did not falter. We stood our ground not out of aggression, but out of necessity; not out of ambition, but out of duty. This moment demands not arrogance but reflection, not complacency but responsibility.”

The PPP chairman also spoke about the country’s path forward, noting that victory brought with it the “burden to build a stronger Pakistan”.

“The burden to ensure that the sacrifices made are honoured not only in words but in action. […] This means investing in our people, education, health, and opportunity. It means strengthening our economy so that no external pressure can dictate our destiny. It means pursuing peace not as a sign of weakness, but as a reflection of strength,” he added.

The former FM asserted that peace must be just, dignified and mutual. Addressing the youth, he said, “This victory belongs to you as much as it does to any institution or any individual. You are the custodians of this nation’s future.”

Marka-i-Haq

Just two days after the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir that killed 26 people, India took a series of aggressive measures against Pakistan, including unilaterally suspending the critical Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Pakistan retaliated by suspending all kinds of trade, closing its airspace for Indian flights and shutting down the Wagah border.

Subsequently, New Delhi launched deadly overnight air strikes on Pakistan on May 6-7 over allegations about the Pahalgam attack, which Islamabad denied. In retaliation, Pakistan Air Force downed five Indian jets, later raising the tally to seven.

After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire.

The period of the conflict was named Marka-i-Haq, with the government declaring that May 10 — the day of the retaliatory Operation Bunyanum Marsoos against India — will be observed every year as “Youm-i-Marka-i-Haq”.

The United Arab Emirates’ shocking decision to leave Saudi-dominated Opec was not targeted at anyone, the UAE minister who heads the state oil giant said on Monday.

The move aimed at focusing on national priorities and the UAE economy, said Sultan Al Jaber, who is CEO of state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and the country’s industry and advanced technology minister.

The decision, which took effect on Friday, followed months of tensions with neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and de facto leader of Opec, over foreign policy, oil output and the Middle East war, which has strained Gulf economies.

A close partnership between the Gulf nations has turned into an open rivalry since a public falling out in December over Yemen, but the minister said the decision to withdraw from the oil cartel was not aimed at any nation.

“The UAE’s sovereign decision to reposition itself within the global energy landscape, and to exit Opec and Opec+, is not a decision directed against anyone,” he told a conference in Abu Dhabi.

The exit of the UAE, which was Opec’s fourth-largest producer, dealt a blow to the cartel’s ability to control oil prices.

It also further strained UAE-Saudi ties, which plunged after their row over Yemen in December, according to analysts. The two sides have long been at odds over Opec production quotas.

Leaving Opec “serves our national interests and long-term strategic objectives, aligns with our industrial, economic, and developmental ambitions, and gives us greater ability to accelerate investment, expand, and create value”, Jaber said.

“This move was not done in isolation,” he said at the ‘Make It In The Emirates’ conference on the UAE industry.

“It is part of a broader effort to reshape our economy and industrial base through a vision that connects energy, technology, and industry, aligning our resources with national priorities to build a stronger, more resilient economy.”

While the UAE is not the first country to leave Opec, it is by far the biggest producer to do so.

The UAE has long been frustrated with Opec’s quotas, which sought to cap Emirati production at 3.4 million barrels a day.

Abu Dhabi seeks to expand the UAE’s production capacity to five million barrels a day by 2027.

On Sunday, Adnoc pledged to spend $55 billion on new projects over the next two years.

The added revenue from oil sales would allow the UAE to step up its investments in artificial intelligence and other high-tech sectors, some analysts have said.

“There is a great difference between those who focus only on surviving crises … and those who seize them as opportunities … and turn them into new beginnings,” Jaber said.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday rejected the petitions of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190 million corruption case, observing that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing.

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar will take up the central appeals on May 7. In view of this, the court declared the suspension applications infructuous.

During the hearing on April 30, Justice Dogar had emphasised that the best course would be an early disposal of the main appeal.

Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case. Subsequently, both had challenged their convictions before the IHC.

The case alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Rs50 billion identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the PTI government.

Bushra Bibi’s daughter seeks access to her mother

Separately, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir also heard a petition filed by Bushra’s daughter seeking access to a personal physician and permission for a family meeting.

During the hearing, counsel Salman Akram Raja informed the court that an application had already been submitted to the authorities of Adiala Jail both through courier and in person. He further stated that Bushra Bibi underwent surgery on the night between April 16 and 17.

The court directed the jail superintendent to decide the application within two days and pass a reasoned order. The superintendent was also summoned in personal capacity on May 6.

Justice Tahir observed that the court was forwarding the request to jail authorities for an appropriate decision, noting that such matters were also being discussed publicly.

It should be mentioned that on April 19, Bushra had also approached the IHC seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds.

In a related proceeding, the IHC sought a response from jail authorities in a contempt matter regarding the failure to arrange a meeting between Imran and his lawyer. The court was informed that jail officials had not yet signed the counsel’s power of attorney.

The order pertains to a March, 2025 judgment, which restored the incarcerated former premier’s visitation rights to twice a week.

Separately, the court also issued notice to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan in a petition seeking closure of Imran’s account on X, formerly Twitter.

The petition, filed in September 2025, alleged that inflammatory posts were made from the official X account of the PTI founder.

Further hearing of these matters was adjourned till next week.

Aleema urges PTI leaders to reach Adiala on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum posted on X that the family had “appealed to all party office holders, senior leadership, MNAs, MPAs, and senators to come to the Adiala jail this Tuesday to build pressure on the government” for access to the former PM.

The IHC has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite court orders, Imran’s meetings with the family and the party leaders have been largely restricted.

While Imran’s sisters continue to show up regularly at the jail in a failed bid to meet him, PTI leaders skipped the visits for two consecutives weeks in April before eventually went to Adiala on April 30.

In her post a day before Tuesday — one of the court mandated days to meet Imran — Aleema called on PTI members to reached the Adiala jail so that the government was pressurised to allow Imran’s family and lawyers “immediate access” to him; transfer him to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for “proper medical examination and treatment, in the presence of specialists, his personal doctor, and family”; and to ensure that IHC CJ Dogar took up Imran and Bushra Bibi’s bail petitions for their release “from this illegal imprisonment without delay”.

“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are being held in solitary confinement, one of the harshest forms of treatment in violation of Pakistani law and international human rights standards,” she further alleged in her post.

Tremors were felt in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Monday after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake was reported.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the earthquake was recorded at 10:56am. It added that the epicentre was located near the Tajikistan–Xinjiang border region and had a depth of 128 kilometres.

According to state-run PTV, the tremors were felt in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region.

Last week, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Residents of Islamabad and KP also felt tremors on April 3, when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s benchmark index on Monday rose 4,000 points during intraday trade.

The KSE-100 index gained 4,170 points to reach 167,164.26 points from the previous close of 162,994.17 points at 11:29pm.

According to Mettis Global, the sharp rally came as investors reacted positively to developments surrounding rising tensions between Iran and the United States, alongside efforts to stabilise the situation in key global energy routes.

Global oil prices eased on Monday after US President Donald Trump said the country would begin an effort to free up ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, although the lack of a US–Iran peace deal kept prices supported above $100.

Monday’s rally comes after the stock market ended its fourth consecutive session on a jittery note. The fall reflected investor nervousness over geopolitical tensions and surging oil prices, clouding the economic outlook.

Analysts have warned that Pakistan’s inflation is likely to remain in double digits if the surge in oil prices persists amid the unresolved Middle East conflict, adding that rising costs and disrupted imports are already straining the country’s external position.

Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway on Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is hoping for crucial gains.

Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, is hoping to make inroads into opposition-held states.

In West Bengal, the Hindu-nationalist BJP waged an aggressive bid to dislodge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), in power in the state of 100 million people since 2011.

Exit polls last week predicted the BJP has a slight edge over TMC, although exit polls have a patchy record in India.

“The entire country has its eyes on this state’s election results,” political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told AFP, in the main city Kolkata.

“The contest can tilt the balance of power.”

The campaign this time was marked by protests over the removal of millions of names from voter rolls, billed as removing ineligible voters, but which critics said was skewed against marginalised and minority communities.

Banerjee, speaking ahead of the count, insisted her TMC would win.

“The BJP is not coming, take my word for it,” she said. “Be patient till the last.”

But West Bengal’s BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya told AFP he was confident of a win.

“It was an election of rejection,” he said. “People of the state want change. The ruling Trinamool Congress will be defeated.”

Past elections have resulted in violence in the state.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a key industrial hub with more than 80 million people, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under Chief Minister MK Stalin is widely expected to be re-elected.

Votes are also being counted in Assam, an eastern state of more than 31 million, which the BJP is widely expected to maintain control of, and the small coastal territory of Puducherry, where the BJP is part of a ruling coalition.

In Kerala, the tightly contested race in the southern state of approximately 36 million, exit polls suggest the Congress party-led alliance is tipped to oust the Communist party.

Wins in the state elections would put Modi on a stronger footing while battling a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rate and a pending US trade deal.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with the regional situation and Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts coming under discussion, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday.

“Discussion focused on the regional situation and Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in the region,” the FO said, adding that the call took place late Sunday night.

It added that the Iranian foreign minister appreciated Pakistan for its “constructive role and sincere mediation efforts between the parties”.

The FO said that Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s continued commitment to promoting constructive engagement and underscored that “dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path toward the peaceful resolution of issues and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond”.

The development comes after Tehran said on Sunday that the United States had responded to its new peace proposal. Iranian state media said Washington had conveyed its response to Iran’s 14-point proposal via Pakistan, and that Tehran was now reviewing it.

Subsequently, US President Donald Trump said that his representatives were having “very positive discussions” with Iran that could “lead to something very positive for all”.

Negotiations between the US and Iran had been deadlocked since a ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held in Islamabad so far.

US news website Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the proposal, that it set “a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the US naval blockade and permanently end the war in Iran and in Lebanon”.

Separately, Al Jazeera reported, citing sources, that the proposal envisaged three main stages, aiming to “transform the ceasefire into an end to the war within 30 days”.

According to the report, the proposal “envisions a pledge of nonaggression, including from Israel, to ensure there’s no return to war and an end to fighting throughout the Middle East”.

It said the proposal suggested the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in the first phase, as well as lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports.

Under the proposed plan, Tehran would take charge of dealing with sea mines, the report said.

It added that the second phase was proposed to include “Iran’s return to uranium enrichment after the time limit at 3.6 per cent in accordance with the ‘zero-storage principle’“.

Moreover, the plan includes the US and Israel refraining from attacking Iran and its allies in exchange for Iran refraining from launching strikes, the report said, adding that Iran had also rejected “dismantling nuclear infrastructure or destroying Iran’s facilities”.

“Lifting sanctions includes the gradual release of frozen funds,” it said.

In the third phase, Tehran proposed to enter “into a strategic dialogue with Arab neighbours and building a security system that includes the entire Middle East”, the report stated.

• Establishment Division transfers ‘encadred’ officers, many of whom are close to retirement, to KP and Balochistan
• Under rotation policy, these postings were supposed to go to younger officers
• IGP says matter will be taken up with Islamabad
• Estab secretary claims rotation policy ‘suspended’ at provinces’ request

LAHORE: The Establish­ment Division has transferred 10 police officers from Punjab to ‘hard areas’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for a mandatory period of one year, despite concerns about their advanced age and health, Dawn has learnt.

The term ‘hard areas’ refers to designated regions in the country that are recognised for being challenging to live or work in due to factors like rem­oteness, lack of infrastructure, harsh terrain, or security thr­eats. Officers posted to these areas are usually given incentives, such as a special allowance.

A senior police officer told Dawn that in line with the policy announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, younger officers were previously posted to the hard areas in KP and Balochistan for a mandatory one year, in order to better prepare them for the rigours of public service.

According to documents regarding officers’ nominations for transfer and the 2020 rotation policy, officers from the 48th common batch were transferred to these two provinces in light of the PM’s order, the officer said.

In line with this policy, this time around, it was expected that officers from the 49th common would be called up to fill the ASP posts, following the completion of the one-year mandatory period.

However, the officers now nominated for these postings include those who were encadered from the provincial service to the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) in 2020 and 2021, and have three to five years of service left.

Separate notifications issued by the Establishment Division stated that BS-18 officers nominated for the postings in Balochistan include Imran Razaq, Tahir Mustafa, Imtiaz Ahmad Khan, Naeem Shahid, and Javed Ahmad Khan, whereas Arshad Zahid, Khalid Mehmood Afzal, Irfan Amir, Jalil Imran Khan, and Taimoor Khan are being considered for the KP postings.

The transfer list shared by the Establishment Division with Punjab also contains the names of four officers, currently enrolled in the pre-promotion ‘Mid-Career Training Course’, which will be completed on June 5. These include Javed Ahmad Khan, Rana Arshad Zahid, Imtiaz Ahmad Khan, and Khalid Mehmood Afzal.

Departmental unease

“Mr Arshad Zahid, a BS-18 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, presently posted under the government of the Punjab, is transferred and his services are placed at the disposal of government of Khyber Pakht­unkhwa, with immediate effect,” reads one of the notifications issued by the Establishment Division.

The notification says that the officers in question will be relieved by the Punjab government immediately, so they may join the KP government.

“The officer will serve in the province for an active period of 365 days excluding all types of leaves, training and deputation etc and upon completion of 365 days’ active service in government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and will stand relieved for joining government of the Punjab,” the notification says.

When contacted, Punjab police chief Rao Abdul Kareem confirmed that his department had received the names of police officers, who were recently encadred to the federal service (PSP) and nominated for the hard areas of KP and Balochistan, from the Establishment Division. He said the matter was discussed at his office, where the officers in question raised serious concerns about their transfer.

“My department is taking up the matter with the Establishment Division in light of the rotation policy and the serious concerns expressed by the police officers nominated for posting to the hard areas,” the IGP said.

‘Seasoned’ officers unwilling

An officer, whose name is in the transfer list under the rotation policy, claimed these transfers were made under the 2020 rotation policy, which clearly stated that it would apply to those officers who would join the service through CSS after 2020.

Seeking anonymity, he said that Section 11 of the rotation policy 2020 stated, “Policy provisions regarding posting of the officers, this section of the policy, shall apply to batches who are inducted in PAS/PSP through CSS examination held in the year 2020 and onwards”.

According to the officer, the decision, particularly, puts those officers who have joined the promotion course in a bind; as both orders, regarding the promotion course and postings to hard areas, have come from the Establishment Division.

The officer said the transfer order created a “tricky situation” for the recently encadered ‘seasoned officers’, as it ignored the fact that a majority of them were near retirement, with only a few years of service left.

He further claimed many police officers nominated for Balochistan and KP faced various medical issues, which rendered them “almost unable” to take up assignments in the restive provinces. The order was also in contrast to the PM’s announcement in 2024, which said young officers (from 49th common) would be deputed, he added.

Rotation policy ‘suspended’

However, Establishment Division Secretary Nabeel Awan told Dawn the transfer of officers ‘encadered’ from provincial services to the PSPs had nothing to do with the rotation policy, since it has been suspended.

“Presently, this policy stands suspended at the request of the provinces,” he said, adding that the transfer of officers to the hard areas of Balochistan and KP followed the policy decision recently announced by the federal government.

He said that after induction from provincial service to the PSPs, the officers would be called ‘federal employees’ and may be transferred to any province as per the policy decision.

Mr Awan rejected the allegations of ‘pick and choose’ and described the transfers as a ‘stopgap arrangement’ for a period of one year. He said the officers would have to follow the orders in letter and spirit as employees of the federal government.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2026

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that as a “confidence-building measure” by the United States, 22 crew members on an Iranian ship that was seized by US forces had been evacuated to Pakistan.

The statement came hours after American outlet ABC News reported that an Iranian ship seized by the US after it “failed to comply” with the blockade imposed by the country on Iranian ports had been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation.

“US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,“ the report quoted US Central Command Spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins as saying.

“Six other passengers were already transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week,” he said. According to the report, Iranian state media identified the six as family members of some of the crew.

“Custody of Touska is currently being transferred back to its original ownership after the ship was intercepted and seized when attempting to violate the US naval blockade against Iran last month,” Hawkins said.

Subsequently, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on the social media platform X, “As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan.”

“The individuals, who were flown to Pakistan last night, will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today,” he said.

“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” Andrabi said, adding that these returns were being coordinated in tandem with the support of both sides.

“Pakistan welcomes such confidence-building measures and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security,” he said.

The ship was boarded and seized by US forces on April 19. The small container ship, which was part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with US sanctions, was boarded off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman.

At the time, the US Central Command said the ship’s crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period”.

“American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,” it said.

Iran’s foreign ministry had condemned the incident as “unlawful and a violation” of international law and demanded the immediate release of the vessel, its sailors and their families. Iran’s military had said the ship had been travelling from China and accused ​the US of “armed piracy”.

Hormuz, a key shipping lane off the coast of Iran, has been virtually blocked by Tehran since the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28.

Some vessels attempting to transit the Strait have reported being fired on, and Iran seized several other ships. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the country would start helping free ships stranded in the Gulf.

Trump provided few details about the plan, dubbed “Operation Freedom”, which he said would start on Monday to aid ships and their crews that have been “locked up” in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies.

“We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.

Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the strait during the conflict, according to the International Maritime Organisation.

US Central Command said it would support the effort with 15,000 US military personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft along with warships and drones. The operation aims to “restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping” through the strait, it said in a statement.

In response to Trump’s announcement, a senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ongoing ceasefire.

“Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire,” Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, posted on X.

PAKISTAN is beginning to confront a question it can no longer defer: how to AI-proof its future. Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant ambition. It is an immediate necessity. In recent months, Pakistan has announced a nationwide AI training programme, committed $1 billion in investment by 2030, and outlined plans to train a large segment of its workforce in AI-related skills.

These commitments, reflected in the Islamabad AI Declaration unveiled during Indus AI Week 2026, signal that Pakistan is no longer merely observing the AI transition from the sidelines. Delay now carries consequences the country can no longer afford.

That recognition, however, is only the starting point. Pakistan’s response remains primarily at the level of intent. AI, on the other hand, rewards preparation, speed and continuity. Intent has rarely been Pakistan’s problem. It has been execution. Announcements create momentum, but only sustained implementation creates outcomes.

Pakistan does not suffer from a shortage of ambition. It suffers from a shortage of follow-through. And it is precisely at that point, between announcement and execution, that momentum in Pakistan has historically thinned out.

Pakistan has approximately 60 per cent of its population under 30, but this is not an advantage unless its youth are equipped and trained. Millions remain outside the education system, and many within it lack usable skills while at the same time, entry-level jobs are being automated or redefined.

The global conversation surrounding AI has already shifted. Unesco insists on embedding AI literacy across education systems. The ILO warns about large-scale reskilling. UNDP emphasises a widening capability gap. Taken together, these are not isolated concerns but signals of a shared direction. Without sustained intervention, inequ­a­lity is likely to deepen. This is not just a technological transition. It is a reordering of skills and opportunity, and its effects will not be evenly distributed.

Pakistan needs to ensure that AI is integrated into the national ecosystem.

To its credit, Pakistan is no longer absent from this conversation. Its National Artificial Intelligence Policy Framework approved by the federal cabinet in July 2025 signals initiative. However, a closer look reveals structural weaknesses. One assessment described the policy as ambitious but lacking legal teeth and overly reliant on optimism. In effect, Pakistan’s framework gestures in the right direction but stops short of creating binding obligations.

Another gap emerges in Pakistan’s legal and regulatory landscape. The Prevention of Ele­c­t­r­onic Crimes Act provides a baseline for cyber offences, while the proposed Personal Data Prot­ection Bill remains pending. The State Bank of Pakistan’s digital banking regulations cover some automated processes such as fraud detection and onboarding, but the underlying legal foundation dates back to 2007, well before generative AI. This leaves unanswered questions around liability and accountability. These are not peripheral. They sit at the core of how AI systems will operate.

Then there is the question of what to do with the bodies already created to manage AI such as the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence, set up in 2018, which functions as a hub for research, training, and knowledge transfer.

However, as a non-regulatory institutional initiative, it does not possess enforcement powers. More recently, institutional mechanisms introduced under the National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025, including proposed coordination and oversight structures, have begun to emerge, but their regulatory authority and practical impact remain limited and are still evolving.

Questions of liability further complicate matters. Pakistan’s legal system rests on actus reus (guilty act) and mens rea (guilty mind). Autonomous systems disrupt both. When an AI system produces harm, the act is identifiable, but the mind behind it is not. The question then becomes who bears liability. The developer, the deployer, or the institution relying on the system? Pakistan’s laws offer no coherent answer. Without clear standards, business innovation slows and responsibility diffuses.

Education — and by extension AI education — is now a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Provincial governments control curricula and training, while the federal role is largely coordination. This makes alignment essential, yet current efforts remain fragmented. What is missing is a mechanism that requires coordination rather than merely encouraging it. Without it, even well-designed initiatives risk working at cross purposes.

In addition to resolving legal and regulatory gaps, Pakistan needs to ensure that AI is integrated into the national ecosystem.

Skills training must lead to demonstrable ability, not just certification. Final-year students should complete industry projects, and a portion of course credits should come from laboratory work. The government should also publish an annual skills gap analysis mapping curricula to employer needs.

The private sector must also be integrated within the state’s efforts. Companies cannot remain passive consumers of trained talent. The state should offer tax credits for certified apprenticeships, create a national internship platform, and require firms bidding for public contracts to demonstrate AI training pipelines. Without this linkage, training and employment will remain disconnected.

Access must also be addressed. Without deliberate effort, AI’s benefits will remain concentrated in major cities. Equipment grants should prioritise rural institutions, and training programmes should reserve seats for underserved districts. If access follows existing infrastructure, the divide will only widen.

Execution is not about a single reform and ultimately depends on alignment across education, industry, infrastructure, and law. If one lags, the rest will not hold. The challenge is systemic. It demands coordination, discipline, and sustained political will, not isolated bursts of effort or short-lived initiatives.

AI will not wait for Pakistan’s readiness, nor will it adjust to its pace. It will move forward regardless, redistributing advantage in real time. The question is whether Pakistan moves with it, deliberately and with conviction, or watches from the sidelines. That choice is no longer theoretical, and it is no longer comfortably distant. It is already unfolding. And the consequences of getting it wrong will not be gradual. They will be decisive, felt across generations, and exceedingly difficult to reverse.

The writer is an international law practitioner and a graduate of Harvard Law School.

veritas@post.harvard.edu

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2026