LAHORE: At least four children were killed and 20 people were injured after the roof of a classroom at a private school in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan collapsed on Thursday.

The preliminary report of the incident released by the district administration confirmed the number of casualties. The injured include 16 students, two teachers and as many labourers, according to the report, seen by Dawn.

It said the incident was reported around noon, following which rescue personnel and ambulances were sent to the site. Initial responders reached the site “in four minutes”, it added.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad also told Dawn that rescue and district administration officials, along with local residents, participated in the rescue operation to pull out the students and teachers from under the rubble.

District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Waqas Gill told Dawn that he was also present at the site while the rescue and search operation was under way.

He said all the injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

According to the district administration’s report, probe had revealed that construction for an extension of the school’s building was under way when the roof of the classroom collapsed.

The roof of the room was overloaded as sand and bricks were placed on it, the report said, adding that “the roof could not bear the load and resultantly collapsed”.

Prior to the release of the report, CEO Gill had assured that the incident would be investigated and action would be taken against the school administration for “allegedly compromising students’ safety by carrying out construction work during school hours”.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has also taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the authorities concerned.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Thursday that Pakistan was “prepared” as he highlighted the armed forces’ indigenous military capabilities.

He made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Islamabad as the nation commemorated the one-year anniversary of Marka-i-Haq. The deputy chief of naval staff (operations), Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali, and the deputy chief of air staff (projects), Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi, were also present alongside him.

Last year’s military conflict with India, starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Pakistan’s Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, with a ceasefire ending a military escalation between the two countries on May 10, has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state.

“We welcome you to ISPR on this happy day,” he said at the outset of his presser, congratulating the nation on the one-year anniversary of Marka-i-Haq.

He said that the country’s armed forces had risen to the nation’s expectations and defeated a much larger enemy with multi-domain operations.

“Today, we are not going to dwell a lot on what happened … We are going to spend more time from May 2025 to May 2026,” he said, adding that they would expand on the “strategic consequences” of the conflict.

Strategic consequences of Marka-i-Haq

He said that there were 10 strategic consequences of Marka-i-Haq, the first of which was that the Indian narrative of painting Pakistan as a source of terrorism stood buried.

He said that an attempt had been made to portray, without evidence, that Pakistan had perpetrated terrorism in India. He said that it had been one year since the Pahalgam incident, yet the questions that Pakistan had asked remain unanswered.

“Where is the evidence?” he asked. “Nobody buys this … you are the biggest terrorist. Nobody listens to them, nobody believes them,” he said.

He said that the second consequence was the consolidation of Pakistan as the net security stabiliser in the region. He said that Marka-i-Haq showed who was controlling and dominating the escalation, adding that India escalated the conflict based on a lie.

The DG ISPR said the “biggest ambassador of security in the region” was Pakistan and its leadership.

Coming to the third strategic consequence of Marka-i-Haq, he said it was related to “our eastern neighbour, unfortunately”, saying it was the “politicisation of Indian military leadership and militarisation of Indian political leadership.”

“This is what’s happening over there”, he said, adding that India’s military, which used to be professional, had “unfortunately been politicised”.

“You will come across several examples of this,” he added. “You heard their air chief marshal a few months after Marka-i-Haq … [saying] ‘I got to know today that even we downed some planes’ … That is politicisation of the military leadership … Why are you trying to make jokers out of your admirals, and generals and marshal? Don’t do that.”

On the other hand, the DG ISPR continued, “We have placed the facts as they are.”

Moreover, he said, Indian politicians appeared more like “warmongers”, going by their statements. The DG ISPR asserted that the politicisation of the military and militarisation of politics was “dangerous”.

Moving on to the fourth strategic consequence, he said it was the global acknowledgement of India’s efforts to externalise its internal problems and internalise its external problems while using terrorism as a state tool.

He said India’s internal problems included the repression of minorities and Kashmiris. This, he said, “comes from a false sense of entitlement and this hubristic attitude”.

The DG ISPR said India did not want to solve its internal issues, and hence, was externalising them by levelling allegations that Pakistan was behind terrorism in the neighbouring country. He said these issues needed to be addressed “politically and internally”.

“Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute,” he said. “It’s not your internal problem for you to make demographic changes there … you cannot do that.”

He reiterated the allegations India was backing terrorism in Pakistan, further stating that “they were even behind terrorism in their own country and would then accuse others”.

But, he added, what changed after Marka-i-Haq was that the world recognised how they operated.

He said the fifth consequence was the “exposure of the true face of the Indian media and its discredited information operations”. The DG ISPR also noted that Indian authorities had started “shutting down Pakistani media” during Marka-i-Haq and this practice was still ongoing.

But that did not solve the problem, he said, adding that his advice to India was to speak the truth.

“That’s what Pakistan did … The only thing that can survive in today’s information domain is the truth. Tell people the truth. But somehow the Indians think they can work their [way] around lies. It doesn’t work anymore.”

He said the sixth consequence was the “transformed character of warfare”. Elaborating on this, he said this covered multi-domain operations, non-contact warfare, synergy, proxies and information.

The DG ISPR explained that warfare was not limited to borders anymore. “It’s [fought] on land, in the sea, in the air, in cyberspace … and in the minds. It’s cognitive as well.”

He said Pakistan’s armed forces were prepared to fight against India during Marka-i-Haq in all those domains. “We were prepared back then, and we are prepared today as well.”

The seventh consequence, he said, was Pakistan’s proven potential and the resilience to combat multifaceted challenges. The eighth was the loud and clear establishment of deterrence, he said.

“Anyone who thinks there is space for war between two nuclear neighbours is crazy. That is madness. Only a madman can think about. You want to do it, then there should be no doubt about our resolve,” he said.

He said that the ninth consequence was that Pakistan was recognised as a geopolitically significant and responsible middle power. He said that the last, but most important consequence, was the unshakeable synergy between the people, the government and the armed forces, “which we call the Bunyanum Marsoos effect”.

Surge in terrorism post-Marka-i-Haq

During the press conference, he also presented figures on counterterrorist efforts post-Marka-i-Haq. He said that India was given a “lesson of their life” and they fell back on their default option, which was terrorist proxies.

“We saw a surge in terrorist incidents post-Marka-i-Haq,” he said, showing the figures on the screen. He said that in October, Pakistan struck terrorist support infrastructures in neighbouring Afghanistan. He said that the number of incidents subsequently went down.

He reiterated that terrorism in Pakistan was being carried out by India and Afghanistan was being used as a base of operations.

“You saw who India called after they were taught a lesson in Marka-i-Haq. The Afghan Taliban regime’s so-called foreign minister,” he said.

During his press conference, the DG ISPR also played clips of Indian media, saying, “The field marshal and Pakistan; I think they feature in their dreams day and night. They need to grow up.”

‘Homegrown’ military capabilities

After multiple videos were played, the DG ISPR said they had presented an overview of “what our dear neighbour has been doing” over the past year. He added that he would also go on to detail what Pakistan had been doing during this period.

He recalled that during a press conference on May 11, 2025, he had stated that Pakistan’s military capability seen during Marka-i-Haq was just 10 per cent of the armed forces’ power potential.

“We are prepared; if anyone wishes to test us, they are more than welcome,” he said after a video showing the armed forces’ prowess played on the screen.

He added that the clips displayed Pakistan’s indigenous military capabilities. “This is homegrown.”

These included surface-to-air missiles; cruise missiles; the establishment of Army Rocket Force Command; main battle tanks; long-range artillery; ship-launched anti-ship missiles; UAVs, quadcopters and drones; short, medium and long-range anti-drone systems; loitering munitions; electro-optical satellites; and an integrated artillery fire control system.

The military spokesperson highlighted the significance of security in the world today, adding that “when we say that the armed forces, with the support of the people of Pakistan, will defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty at all costs, we mean it. And we will do it, come what may.”

However, he added, this operational preparedness, military capability and technical prowess would not be meaningful if it was not backed by the resolve and the strategic clarity of the leadership.

After several videos had played, he highlighted Pakistan’s emergence as a regional player and net security provider.

“We are not seeking conflict, we are not seeking war. But we know how to defend ourselves with honour and dignity,” he said. At the conclusion of the presentation, the national anthem played.

‘Historic and memorable conflict’

Rear Admiral Ali then addressed the press conference, saying that Marka-i-Haq was a “historic and memorable” conflict. He said that prior to the conflict, the “enemy prided itself on its naval capability”.

“Their navy used to consume a big share of their defence budget, there were claims of ‘Made in India’; they were self-proclaimed net security providers and there was the status of blue water navy,” he said.

He said, however, that the question remained as to why their naval force was unable to “muster the courage against Pakistan”.

He added that the Indian navy tried to deploy its vessels in the northern Arabian Sea during Marka-i-Haq.

“And the only purpose behind this move was to target our naval assets and inflict economic harm on us by disrupting our naval trade and waterways.

“But due to the effective strategy of the Pakistan Navy, [traffic] in all our waterways remained uninterrupted, our instalments remained protected and ports remained operational,” he added.

Rear Admiral Ali said the Pakistan Navy continued to surveil the enemy’s activity through its modern system during Marka-i-Haq.

“The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were prepared to destroy Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant,” he recalled, adding that, however, the Indian navy did not move beyond its sanctuaries.

“We want peace, but that is not our weakness. We are not negligent towards our preparation … for any eventuality that may befall us,” he said.

‘Tally is at 8-0’

Air Vice Marshal Ghazi also addressed the presser. He said the national leadership decided on a direction, and subsequently, the tri-service plans were coordinated under the guidance of the field marshal.

He said that the PAF had to do two things immediately: a strong defensive air posture and implement the highest alert level. He said that PAF integrated its multi-domain assets in preparation and added that the Indian Air Force initially carried out aggressive deployments and tried to conceal critical systems.

He said that the enemy, however, was forced to recompose its force composition, revealing “what we had been looking for”.

Talking about the armed forces’ preparation, he said, “The enemy remained oblivious of our preparations”.

He said that the PAF’s defensive posture meant that “our aerial sovereignty was impregnable”.

Air Vice Marshal Ghazi also said that after India attacked, PAF’s defensive posture transformed into an offensive posture.

“The killers embedded into PAF’s packages started targeting their topline fighters,” he said, adding that “we are now at eight-zero”.

The air force official elaborated that during the air battle, Pakistan fought “aggressively, but responsibly”.

“In that intense BVR vs BVR (beyond visual range) fight, with multi-domain interplay, we were able to curtail the enemy and its capability to apply itself as a network and integrated force package,” he explained.

AVM Ghazi said the “confirmed kills” included four Rafales, one Su-30, one MiG-29, one Mirage 2000 and an “expensive multi-role unmanned aerial system”.

The senior PAF official noted that a number of aircraft were also damaged and some of them remained unrecoverable.

Ghazi said from the PAF’s integrated command centre, Air Chief Marshal Sidhu let this operation “flawlessly”.

“The way it was choreographed — it was an exceptionally synchronised operation. The enemy’s massive offensive was converted into a crippling, I should say, ambush for their high-tech fighters.”

“So this spectacular performance shocked the enemy, and the outcome was unprecedented and also inconceivable for the IAF,” he added.

He said, “The IAF was not to be seen in the air for the rest of the conflict.”

AVM Ghazi said the PAF also curtailed India’s pre-emption on May 10, while the digital space was also being disrupted.

“Our killer drones, stand-off long-range and hypersonic vectors struck 16 air bases, key operational infrastructure of strong military relevance, BrahMos sites, critical command and control centres, including the one at Barnala and two of their most prized S-400 batteries.”

The airstrike on Indian S-400 batteries was carried out by indigenously manufactured JF-17 Block III aircraft.

Shedding further light on the PAF’s dominance during the conflict, the AVM said the air force had “dominance” and the PAF was “targeting them all across and at will”.

“PAF’s response was overwhelming and shocking for the adversary.”

“Marka-i-Haq has established one thing that is very close to our hearts — the prowess of PAF’s homegrown kill chain, which had integrated all operational elements into a single formidable force.”

Further elaborating on PAF’s operations during Marka-i-Haq, he said it was the first time in the history of warfare that full-spectrum, multi-spectrum operations were demonstrated.

“Marka-i-Haq provides a classical case study for air warfare experts.”

He added that with India’s power and transport infrastructure disrupted, critical installations crippled, modern Rafales shot down, S-400 batteries neutralised, and IAF grounded, “the enemy was, in effect, out of options” during Marka-i-Haq.

“We recognise that this won’t be our last war, and our next war won’t be along similar lines. That’s why, with passion and focus, the chief of air staff has been building the PAF of the future, with leadership already at the drawing board, defining the parameters of the next war.”

“PAF is aggressively pursuing capability enhancement to retain its qualitative edge the next time it is put to the test,” said the senior PAF official.

He elaborated that there are “160 projects under development” and a number of them are near completion. He did not specify what projects are being work upon.

“They will very soon be contributing to the capabilities of the PAF in particular and Pakistan in general… PAF capabilities have been substantially enhanced over the past year. They reflect accelerated institutional modernisation that has gone on since May 2025,” said AVM Ghazi.

“We would share more, but I thought we should leave some things out so we can surprise you next time.“

When asked about the induction of the Chinese fifth-generation J-35A stealth fighter, Ghazi said the Pakistan Air Force had established an “initial collaborative mechanism” on the aircraft and that the option would be available before the requirement emerged.

New Delhi’s ‘hubristic mindset’

During the question-and-answer session that followed the briefing, the military spokesperson was asked how Pakistan had defeated India despite the latter’s numerical, technological and strategic edge. DG ISPR emphasised that, if there was one factor behind Pakistan’s victory, it was the “hubristic mindset” of New Delhi’s political and military leadership.

“Their assessment of Pakistan is absolutely wrong. Where did they get the idea of Akhand Bharat? Where did they get the idea that they will define the destiny of the people of this region? This is the problem, this sense of self-entitlement, I think that is the problem where they have miscalculated, and they are miscalculating hugely,” he stressed.

The military spokesperson noted that India misconceived that it would defeat Pakistan by spending 10 times more on defence and that there was a rift between the armed forces and the public.

“There is nobody who has the power to come between the people and the armed forces. We are together; that’s the destiny of the people of Pakistan and … the armed forces,” he emphasised.

“It’s not an army for the elites, it’s an army for the poor. They (India) had the wrong idea, this is the strategic miscalculation that they made.”

Echoing Air Vice Marshal Ghazi, DG ISPR said that Pakistan is “preparing for the future war”.

He further said Pakistan did not underestimate India and “placed them where they are, but we also know who we are”.

“If you want to add one difference, that is belief within every child in Pakistan; that martyrdom is a reward and not to be afraid of,” DG ISPR stressed. “Our pilots, when they went up, had no fear.”

DG ISPR said there are multiple “tangible and intangible” factors behind Pakistan’s victory.

“Lastly, and this is the most important: this country is a gift from Allah. It’s not an ordinary country in the world; it’s a country of consequences. Our ancestors put their identity aside … and said that this country was made by Allah,” he added.

“We have this great belief in our destiny of Pakistan. When you add all these things together, no power on earth [can defeat us], so then how can India intimidate us?”

Moving on to the Indus water issue, he stated that the military is the “final instrument of violence in the hands of the state … and the people of Pakistan”.

“Water is an inalienable right; nobody can be allowed to play with the destiny of 250 million people, because without water there is no life,” he added.

“How and when this instrument of violence is used is in the hands of the Pakistani people and government.”

‘Any threat to Saudi Arabia is a threat to us’

In reply to another question, DG ISPR said that the mutual defence pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was of great importance, as Pakistan had been “chosen” to guard the two holiest sites in Islam.

“We were chosen to protect Harmain Shareefain (Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and Masjid-i-Nabawi in Madinah), and protecting Harmain Shareefain is intrinsically linked to Saudi Arabia’s national security,” he explained.

“Any threat to Saudi Arabia is a threat to us, and Saudi Arabia values Pakistan’s security. It’s mutual,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said, adding that the pact was a “manifestation” of decades-old Pakistan-Saudi ties across multiple domains.

“We will fulfil our duty and follow what we promised.”

Asked about “political-military diplomacy” in the region after the end of the Middle East war, DG ISPR highlighted that the military is a “component” and that “it is for the political leadership to decide”, referring the question to the Foreign Office.

Afghanistan not a rational player

DG ISPR, in response to a question about the status of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in Afghanistan, stated that the operation is still ongoing.

“The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s press release talked about a time-specific temporary pause,” he said.

“Ghazab lil-Haq’s linkage is with the actions of the Afghan Taliban regime. We have got nothing against Afghanistan and especially the people of Afghanistan.”

Noting that Pakistan has been “the best of brothers” and hosts to Afghans, the military spokesperson said there was no better example of brotherhood and hospitality.

“Pakistan’s Ghazab lil-Haq is one part of the national response against terrorism,” he added.

“One part of the 14-point National Action Plan is kinetics, and Ghazab lil-Haq is a sub-part of that. It’s absolutely ongoing.”

Highlighting that the number of terrorist incidents has declined and the number of terrorists killed has increased since the start of the operation, Lt Gen Chaudhry said, “At the same time, in the context of negotiations, Pakistan has one logical, just requirement: do not allow your soil to be used to launch terrorist attacks in Pakistan.”

“Yet they let kharji Noor Wali and these people stay there. The United Nations says two dozen terrorist organisations are based in Afghanistan.”

Noting Pakistan’s role in mediating the US-Iran talks to end the Middle East War as a “rational state”, DG ISPR said Afghanistan is not a rational player, nor does it behave like a state.

“Is there any rational player who makes terrorism the country’s main source of income? Does any rational player deprive its communities of the right to equal development and expression?” he asked.

“Do not compare us to them.”

DG ISPR emphasised that terrorism “at the behest of these Indians cannot be accepted”.

Responding to a follow-up question on internal politics, the military spokesperson said that dialogue is the privilege of political parties, but they have to speak to each other.

He stated clearly that the military is “not a stakeholder in the politics of Pakistan”, nor does it represent a specific creed, sect, language or political ideology.

“We come from the people of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan come from us,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.

“We say ‘resolve your issues through dialogue.’ Who stops them? It’s none of our business.”

DG ISPR, fielding another question on the closure of the US consulate in Peshawar, said, “The security of all consulates and its members is always the responsibility of the host state, and therefore all actions for this are always in place.”

He referred the question to the Foreign Office, but noted that different diplomatic missions perform their own independent safety assessments, and that foreign diplomats are of “high value” to Pakistan.

‘Pakistan’s jugular vein’

Asked about whether Pakistan’s increased diplomatic standing can lead to a resolution of the Kashmir issue, the military spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s constant stance on Kashmir.

“You have heard it from the field marshal [Asim Munir]: Kashmir is and always will be Pakistan’s jugular vein, and that the people of Kashmir have to decide their future, as per the UN Security Council resolution and as per the right of self [determination] granted to them, they have to decide on their future,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.

“We believe that whenever the people of Kashmir make a choice, they will be absolutely clear, and that is Pakistan,” he added.

“The hearts of Kashmiris and Pakistanis beat as one.”

He noted that the world is recognising what is happening in India-occupied Kashmir, and that the salience of the Kashmir question rises as Pakistan’s stature increases.

“The fates of Pakistan and Kashmir are intertwined. Our intentions and thoughts on Kashmir will never change, nor will the Kashmiris’ intentions and thoughts about us. This is a journey which we need to complete; we have the same destination, which we will achieve through self-determination and values,” DG ISPR added.

He said Pakistan’s military and political leadership is working on the issue “day and night” to grant Kashmiris their rights through “diplomatic, political and legal means”.

“Pakistan doesn’t believe in what Indians are doing: repression, aggression and all sorts of nonsense which they have spread both inside and outside the region,” Lt Gen Chaudhry replied.

Towards the conclusion of the presser, DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan, as a “net regional stabiliser”, had dominated and controlled escalation during the conflict with India.

“On the other hand, there is a player with a hubristic mindset whose political rhetoric and vested interests initiated this, generating politicisation, Hindutva-isation and media frenzy,” he said, noting that the armed forces were “part of a larger choreography being carried out at the state level”.

“Terrorism is India’s default setting. When they are beaten on the battlefield, they will return to terrorism. It’s in their nature,” he added.

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Lt Gen Chaudhry said that, in the event of another Indian military operation, Pakistan could “show them the reality in a matter of minutes”.

“Nothing gives us more pleasure than putting their minds to rest,” he said in response to a question.

“[Operation] Sindoor 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 — do what you want. You’re most welcome. I don’t have a problem, nor do my brothers in the navy and air force, nor does any child of Pakistan.”

“In information warfare, perception is the battlefield. If the news damages the other side—true or false—amplify it. Post it. Share it. Make it viral. Let panic spread across the border. If the news harms us — even if true — bury it. Suppress it. Disarm it before it spreads. This is not journalism. This is war. Every post is a bullet. Never fire one at your own country.”

— Anonymous X user, Indo-Pak conflict, May 2025

“Jung karni ho to 9 baje se pehle kerlena — 9:15 per gas chali jati hai humari.” (If you want to finish a war, do it before 9 PM — our gas goes off at 9:15.)

— Pakistani X user, also during the conflict, May 2025

When Indian missiles struck multiple targets inside Pakistan on May 7, 2025, two wars began simultaneously. One war involved aircraft, coordinates, and competing casualty figures that neither side would ever fully agree on. The other war was fought on X, Instagram and WhatsApp, in Urdu, Hindi, English and meme formats that require no language at all.

The first war ended in four days of contested claims and a ceasefire both sides described as a victory. The second war had a clearer and a far more unexpected result. Our netizens turned the odds in their favour. They not only fought but actually won the narrative battle. It is the question of how it did this that illuminates the direction of information warfare, and who, unexpectedly, is leading it there.

A murder of crows

It shouldn’t have been this outcome. India entered the information war with every structural advantage. Multi-decade disinformation influence operations documented by international watchdogs produced one of the most organised online nationalist ecosystems on the planet. India was coordinated, enormous, and primed for exactly this kind of conflict.

While we might take pride in our fifth-gen warriors or 5Gs, Pakistan entered the infowars with a year-long ban on the platform where most of the battle would be fought, in a country where blackouts (electricity, internet, press freedom) are a condition of daily life rather than a wartime imposition. And yet, we prevailed.

We saw a preview in Balakot, circa 2019, in a brazen act of diplomatic trolling. India’s Mirage jets crossed into Pakistan and, by India’s telling, killed hundreds of militants in a precision counter-terrorism strike. According to Pakistan’s version and that of Reuters reporters who visited the site, India actually killed four trees and some crows. India held a press conference. Pakistan filed an FIR against unnamed IAF pilots for environmental destruction, submitted a formal dossier to the United Nations demanding India be declared an “eco-terrorist,” and moved to strip Modi of the “Champion of the Earth” award the UN had given him. A song was composed in memory of the fallen trees. An annual holiday (Fantastic Tea Day) was established to honour Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who had been served chai in Pakistani captivity and had called it “fantastic”.

Pakistan did not contest India’s narrative. It replaced it with one so specific, so absurd, and so verifiably grounded that India’s victory claims curdled on contact. This is Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath at work. The giant loses not because David is stronger, but because David refuses to play the giant’s game. India wanted a narrative war conducted on the terms of the powerful—solemn, institutional, credential-heavy. Pakistan showed up with an eco-terrorism complaint and a tea holiday. The giant never recovered its footing.

Beaten to the punchline

Coming back to 2025, India’s information manual against Pakistan was, and usually has been, straightforward (some might even say boring): you are poor, you beg from the IMF, your infrastructure is a humanitarian emergency, you commit rights violations, you’re a terrorist state, your country doesn’t have resources, etc. These are real vulnerabilities which are documented, painful, and definitely not invented. As weapons of narrative warfare, they should have been devastating.

And yet, they were not. Because Pakistan fired them first. At itself. And laughed. When a Pakistani user posted “Jung karni ho to 9 baje se pehle kerlena—9:15 per gas chali jati hai humari,” they weren’t being self-pitying. (If you want to go to war, do it before 9pm, our gas load shedding starts at 9:15pm). They were challenging the Indians to do their worst…what can they do that we haven’t done to ourselves already?

Owning a weakness so completely, so publicly, so cheerfully, neutralised any attempts at damage. You cannot humiliate a country that is already laughing harder than you are. And you certainly cannot humiliate one that has beaten you to the punchline. What is more, we didn’t need a coordinated effort to achieve this, just a shared sense of deprecation. Linguist Steven Pinker, in When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows, calls this common knowledge. It is the public, visible consensus that coordinates collective posture without issuing orders. We don’t need to explain it because everyone gets it. And everyone’s in on it. Every Valima-in-a-heatwave tweet, every transformer-mistaken-for-a-nuclear-strike thread was building a global audience, aligned and laughing in synch.

Pakistan has been rehearsing for this moment for decades. We practised on Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s couplets aimed at military dictators, truck-art commentary running up GT Road and with barely hidden references to Vigo kee sawari and Mehkma-e-Zaraat. In Weapons of the Weak, political scientist James C. Scott called it the “hidden transcript” or the subordinate group’s resistance conducted not through rebellion but through jokes, coded language, and the quiet appropriation of the Master’s narrative. The peasant who cannot challenge the landlord directly learns to challenge him indirectly through foot-dragging, feigned ignorance, and the precise deployment of the apparently innocent remark.

Know your audience

The information war was also lost to myopia. India was talking to Indians. Pakistan was talking to everyone.

India’s digital ecosystem of viral news anchors, coordinated hashtag campaigns and studio generals declaring cities captured was calibrated for a domestic audience already marinated in a decade of Hindutva-inflected media. The claims didn’t need to be accurate, just emotionally satisfying to people watching from Mumbai and Delhi. The international press, the foreign policy community, the undecided global gallery: none of these were the target. They were the collateral audience, and collateral audiences notice when you’re lying.

Pakistan’s memes, by contrast, were legible everywhere and spoke to a global audience. The Vince McMahon escalation meme required no knowledge of South Asian geopolitics. The shrimp karahi tweet from the allegedly bombed waterfront required only the ability to recognise absurdity. The Lowy Institute noted that Pakistan’s memes made it appear “cool-headed and composed, while India appeared reactionary and militaristic”. This was a verdict delivered not by Pakistani state media but by an Australian foreign policy think tank reading the international room. The Columbia Journalism Review called India’s coverage the smog of war (man-made, and known to be so by those making it).

The specifics are worth cataloguing. Zee News announced India had captured Islamabad and Pakistan surrendered. Times Now Navbharat declared Indian forces had entered Pakistan. Aaj Tak aired footage from the January 2025 Philadelphia plane crash as an Indian airstrike on Karachi. Major (retd) Gaurav Arya “reported” that the Indian Navy had bombed Karachi’s port—a claim met, in real time, by a Pakistani journalist filing from a restaurant beside the allegedly destroyed waterfront, eating shrimp karahi. An AI deepfake of DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry was circulated as authentic footage of him admitting Pakistani jet losses. India’s military later acknowledged that 15 per cent of operational time had been spent debunking fake news, and most of it was homegrown. The trolls were not operating in a parallel ecosystem but were on primetime television.

India’s information war defeat was largely self-inflicted. The enemy’s most effective psychological operation was India’s own media. According to BOOM Live, India’s leading fact-checking organisation, 68pc of all fact-checks conducted in May 2025 were related to Operation Sindoor. Not 68pc of the defence-and-security fact-checks, 68pc of everything. In a country of 1.4 billion people, with a media ecosystem covering every subject imaginable, two-thirds of all verifiable falsehoods circulating in that month were about one four-day military operation. India’s information war was not undermined by Pakistan. It was undermined by India’s own media infrastructure, operating at full speed, in the wrong direction.

Counting the wins

Pakistan’s most disciplined information operation was also its simplest: 6-0. Six IAF aircraft downed, deployed in press conferences and memes simultaneously, with the consistency of a brand campaign.

The Rafale was the centrepiece. India’s most prestigious military asset, the jet Modi had staked significant political capital on acquiring, was now the subject of a Washington Post report confirming three crash sites in Indian territory. French intelligence acknowledged at least one loss. It was the first Rafale combat loss in the aircraft’s history. Pakistan had shot down India’s most expensive jet with a PL-15, and before the debris had cooled, had put it in a metaphorical tandoor, named the hashtag Operation Tandoor, and was serving it with naan and half a million impressions.

The Defence Minister joined the bandwagon personally and retweeted an AI-generated image of Modi cycling the Rafale wreckage to the Bilal Ganj scrap market. 533,000 impressions. The state and the meme had become a single, grinning entity. Even the Chinese chimed in with their own videos.

Ritual humiliation

India named its operation Sindoor, or the vermilion marker worn by married Hindu women, invoking the widows of Pahalgam, framing its military strikes as masculine national grief made kinetic. Feminist scholars were not impressed, noting that branding a military campaign after a symbol of female marital subservience was a peculiar flex. Pakistan did not miss the opening, albeit with a rather regretful display of misogyny wrapped in jingoism.

Operation Suhag Raat trended within hours, reducing the widow-avenging solemnity to bedroom comedy. AI images of Modi as a Hindu widow (Operation Widhwa) circulated with the confidence of a finishing move. A Pakistan Army soldier applying sindoor to a woman in the Indian tricolour sari, beneath the banner “New Chapter Begins,” completed the inversion: in the ritual, the one who applies the sindoor is dominant.

India had named its operation after what husbands give wives. Pakistan replied by demonstrating who, in this version, was the husband. More work for the feminist scholars here.

The Trump card

Perhaps the coup-de-grace was the ceasefire announcement. US President Donald Trump announced he had brokered the deal, saving (by his own escalating estimate) somewhere between five million and fifty million lives, a figure he has revisited more than eighty times. India firmly rejected any US role, insecure of resolving any issue with Pakistan multilaterally (case in point: Kashmir).

Pakistan not only accepted it, but embraced it, nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Twice. PM Shehbaz Sharif, flanking the US president in Egypt, offered a salute and called him “the man this world needs most at this point in time”. The flattery was extravagant to the point of parody. It was also, as a piece of diplomatic manoeuvring, near-perfect—each nomination costing nothing, purchasing significant goodwill from a man who responds to recognition the way a plant responds to water. And we are all in on it. Common knowledge.

The result? For the first time in a generation, Islamabad is warmer with Washington than New Delhi is. The underdog played the room. The giant, too proud to flatter, paid full price.

The (pr)oxymoron

The lessons of 2025 can be summarised in a paradox we may not dwell on too much. As much as we may want to give credit to the 5Gs and our communications statecraft, the voice that won this information war—irreverent, uncontrollable, brilliantly indirect—is precisely the voice the State has spent years trying to silence, citing electoral disinformation and digital terrorism.

Whenever the bans came, we didn’t stop, thanks to the VPNs. War was, ironically, a welcome relief. Seeing the trends, the ban was lifted overnight, arguably because the same forces who saw this behaviour as a threat, suddenly found its irreverence an asset. The weapon it had spent years confiscating turned out to be the one that critically turned the tide in our favour.

The lesson of 2025 is not that Pakistani trolls were more creative than Indian ones, even though they were. It is that a government which treats free expression as a threat to be managed will find, at the worst possible moment, that it has disarmed its own most effective weapon. We would do well to value the humour and resilience of this expression.

This country’s humour is not decoration. It is load-bearing. It carried us through Balakot, through the IMF, through every blackout of every kind—and when the missiles came, it was the first thing the world heard and the last thing India could answer. The condition is simple: let the people speak. Not when it’s convenient. Always.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday that Islamabad was hopeful about and would expect an agreement between the US and Iran “sooner rather than later”.

He said this during a weekly briefing, where he was asked how soon could the agreement be expected.

“You have asked us how soon we can expect an agreement. We remain optimistic. A simple answer would be that we expect an agreement sooner rather than later. We hope that the parties will come to a peaceful, sustainable solution and bring peace, not just to our region but internationally as well,” he said.

In this regard, Andrabi also said Pakistan would welcome a settlement between Iran and the US wherever it may be reached.

“If an agreement is reached in Pakistan, it would be an honour for us,” he said. The FO spokesperson also said he could not say whether the draft of the agreement would be one page or longer.

Andrabi’s remarks came after the US and Iran see­med to inch toward a peace deal on Wednesday. There were reports that Tehran was reviewing a fresh proposal from Washington for a peace following the suspension of ‘Project Freedom’ launc­hed by the US to open the Strait of Hormuz.

The FO spokesperson recalled in his weekly briefing the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had welcomed the “timely announcement” regarding the pause in ‘Project Freedom’ and noted that Pakistan remained firmly committed to supporting all efforts that promoted restraint and the peaceful resolution of conflict between the US and Iran through dialogue and diplomacy.

He added that PM had also expressed the hope that the “current momentum” would lead to a lasting agreement that would secure durable peace and stability for the region and beyond.

Andrabi further stated that “working with the same spirit of optimism and positive engagement”, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had remained in contact with his counterparts throughout the last week in an effort to pursue peace, diplomacy and a peaceful settlement between Washington and Tehran.

The latest episode of hostilities between the two sides began with more than two months ago when the US and Israel launched strikes in Iran on February 28.

While a deal for a complete end to the war is yet to happen, the hostilities have been largely ceased since a the two sides agreed on a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8.

Following the ceasefire, a first round of historic direct US-Iran talks was held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, with Pakistan playing the role of a mediator. The talks had ended without an agreement, but also without a breakdown.

With challenges in convening a second round, Islamabad has shifted back to its role as a facilitator and go-between.

But, there were some positive signals on Wednesday, with Trump saying he had had “very good talks” with Iran over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, Tehran appeared receptive to the fresh US proposal to end the war, saying that it was reviewing the agreement and a response would be relayed to Washington via Islamabad.

US news outlet Axios also claimed that Washington and Tehran were close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and “set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations”.

Among main issues that remain a sticking point between the two sides are unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Washington’s demand for long-term commitments on Iran’s nuclear programme, including constraints on enrichment and safeguards against weaponisation.

Repatriations from Cambodia

During today’s briefing, the FO spokesperson also addressed the detention of 54 Pakistanis in Cambodia following a raid on a scamming compound.

Earlier, it was reported that more than 200 Pakistanis were in the custody of Cambodian police in overcrowded facilities and facing a lack of basic facilities.

Andrabi said emergency travel documents had been issued to the detained individuals after ascertaining their nationalities.

“On our embassy’s request, the host authorities allowed all 54 individuals to travel back to Pakistan. And as of today, I understand 49 individuals have returned and three are being are processed. And I understand this complete repatriation will take place soon,” he added.

He also said that 85 Pakistanis had been detained in Kampala, Uganda on April 27 by immigration authorities for “engaging in unauthorised employment while on visit visas”.

“It was established that these individuals had been working for approximately four months with unregistered online companies,” he said, adding that sentences awarded to the detainees had been waived following the Pakistan embassy’s intervention.

But a fine of $400 had been imposed on each of those individuals for violation of visa conditions, Andrabi added.

He said all 85 of those individuals had been repatriated to Pakistan.

The second day of the second edition of the Breathe Pakistan International Climate Change Conference, organised by DawnMedia, was held in Islamabad on Thursday.

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 two-day conference brought together policymakers, experts, and stakeholders from across sectors to examine intersecting challenges and chart a path forward.

On the first day, federal ministers, government officials, business leaders, and agriculture and water experts were among the various speakers who presented their perspectives on tackling the climate crisis.

Today, stakeholders from the development and private sectors, civil society members, energy experts, among others, gathered to frame a walkable pathway for a sustainable and adaptive future for Pakistan.

View the full agenda here.

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5:30pm — Conference closes

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5:22pm — ‘Internal stability, regional calm, global cooperation needed to achieve climate agenda’

Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, appearing for this year’s Breathe Pakistan as well, said Pakistan was braving the challenge with resilience and resolve.

He stressed that to achieve climate, food and economic security, internal stability, regional calm, and global cooperation” were needed.

“Without peace, no climate agenda can succeed,” he said.

The senate chairman declared, “Pakistan is leading by exmaple. We are strengthening resilience across energy, food amd agricultural setcor, mobilising climate finance and expanding partnership.”

“Climate resilience must reach the last mile, protecting farmers, families and communities, not just filling policy documents,” Gilani said, reaffirming the Senate’s commitment to advancing climate laws.

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5:16pm — ‘Solutions clear, but need to be implemented, resourced and prioritised’

Unicef Pakistan’s Pernille Ironside, speaking on behalf of the United Nations in Pakistan, commended DawnMedia for organising Breathe Pakistan to discuss the climate crisis.

Ironside recalled that the two-day conference engaged a whole raneg of stakeholders — government, private sector, civil society, media, UN, development partners, and others, such as a 19-year-old activist.

“As we heard, those solutions are clear; they need to be implemented, resourced and prioritised.”

She affirmed UN’s commitment to continuing partnering for such intiatives on climate action.

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5:04pm — Focus on disaster-risk reduction in ‘age of adaptation’: UNEP’s Aban Marker

Aban Marker Kabraji, senior regional expert for Climate & Environment at UNEP Asia Regional Office, said the world was in a “coping scenario”.

Speaking at the last session, she said: “We’re no longer in can we actually escape the impact of climaet chnage. It’s there. So we are now in the age of adaptation. […] We can prevent it from getting wrose but we probably can’t prevent the impact in a sense already programmed into the system fo weather and climate.

“So we are looking at disaster-risk reduction, adaptation and trying to ensure that fragmentation that exists not just in Pakistan’s systems of government but most systems in most countries are brought together.”

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4:56pm — Climate finance is development finance at its core: UNEP official

Reflecting on the main takeaway’s of the conference, UNEP’s Aban Marker Kabraji noted the reccuring topic of climate finance, which she said was “at its core was development finance”.

“The way we restructure our banks, insurance, allocations, and respective ministries,” she said, calling for integration for climate resilience.

She also stressed that moving forward, the solutions had to be “indigenous”, adding that indigenous solutions were what will “save us”.

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WATCH: Sharmila Faruqui talks about importance of climate planning

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4:48pm — ‘Protecting forests KP govt’s primary objective’

Shafi Jan, KP CM’s aide on information, called for protecting forests, asserting that it was the provincial government’s “primary objective”.

He said the KP government was ready to work with other provinces on climate change.

He stated that there was a total ban on deforesting, clarifying that some videos circulating recently and connected to the KP government’s “misgovernance” were from Dir and old.

Jan called for all governments to play their part and sought the inclusion of a climate exponent in the National Finance Commission Award.

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4:44pm — KP CM aide details efforts undertaken by provincial govt

Special Assistant to KP CM for Information Shafiullah Jan detailed efforts undertaken by the KP government to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

He recalled that before the PTI-led KP government, the total forest cover in the province was “19.5pc, but today, it is 26.5pc”.

He also noted that glacial melt due to rising temperatures posed a threat to the province, as well as the rapid urbanisation of agricultural land.

He added that the government was taking action against the use of agricultural land for real estate, elaborating that the provincial government had formed a committee to monitor the situation.

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4:38pm — KP CM calls for ‘serious efforts’ locally on climate change

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called for serious efforts on climate change, asserting that his provincial government was doing so already.

“This is not an issue of Sohail alone or any government alone, but it is Pakistan’s collective issue,” the chief minister emphasised.

“We are absorbing more carbon than we are producing,” he said, adding that the province could earn upto Rs100bn annually through carbon credits.

He called on the federal and provincial governments to invest in things that would benefit the country, so that energy and climate crisis could be tackled efficiently.

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4:34pm — KP invested Rs650bn since 2017 in forest area: CM Afridi

KP CM Sohail Afridi, in a video message, applauded DawnMedia Group for organising Breathe Pakistan.

He highlighted that the government under ex-premier Imran Khan took various measures on climate climate.

“Global warming and climate change is a global crisis, due ot which temperatures are continuously rising,” he noted, contending that Imran took actions “before the effects materialised”.

CM Afridi recalled that the government started work on the “Billion Tree Initiative”, adding that the 27pc of the province’s total area was forest area.

He further said that KP government has invested more than Rs650bn since 2017 in forest conservation and expansion.

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4:30pm — 12th session begins

The conference’s second-last session, titled “On the Frontlines of Climate Change: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” has now begun.

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4:22pm — Zeba Sathar stresses need for data in mapping vulnerability

Pakistan Population Council’s country director Zeba Sathar stressed the need for using data to come up with solutions.

She suggested that “we should let data guide us to vulnerable populations”.

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4:11pm — Political will required to really engage women, girls at every step: UN Women official

“What if half of Pakistan would not be able to breathe?” asked UN Women Pakistan’s deputy country representative Fahmida Khan, referring to the country’s female population.

“The women and girls of Pakistan carry the heaviest load of a fire they dd not ignite,” she said, calling for the “right systems” to be built to include women and girls within the processes of makimng and implementing documents.

“It will take a political heart and a will to really engage women and girls at every step, no matter whether it’s the PSDP, ADP, or PC-1,” she declared.

“Stop treating women, girls and youth’s inclusion as a favour and start streating that as a condition of survival,” Fahmida demanded.

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4:08pm — Activist Fatima Faraz calls for better support for youth-led initiatives

Fatima Faraz, a youth advocate, stressed the need for youth-led climate-related initiatives and called on the audience to provide young people with platforms to speak about the environment.

She also emphasised that authorities must take action rather than making “empty promises”.

She asked, “Until how long will we be participating in conferences like these, because honestly, these conversations seem like empty promises to us?”

4:02pm — WHO official underscores public’s ‘vital role’ taking steps to protect health

Speaking on how to mitigate the impact of climate change, WHO Pakistan Deputy Representative Ellen Mpangananji Thom stressed the need to improve hygiene and waste disposal (including in hospitals), have a climate-resilient design, and strengthen the surveillance system on climate-sensitive diseases.

“Each one of us as individuals has the vital role and responsibility to protect our health by being informed and following simple recommendations, such as wearing masks during pollution episodes, reducing our exposure to heat, and preventing mosquito bites,” she stressed.

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3:57pm — WHO estimates 5m deaths between 2030-2050 due to climate-driven malnutrition, heat stress, others

WHO Pakistan Deputy Representative Ellen Mpangananji Thom said climate-driven malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress alone were estimated to result in five million deaths between 2030 and 2050.

“The WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050, we would register 5 million additional deaths worldwide, and that translates to 250,000 per year.

“The good news is that we are still on time to do something that can avoid these deaths,” she added.

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3:53pm — Cambridge official calls for giving the youth a voice

Uzma Yousuf, country director for Cambridge, underscored the need to provide children across the board with high-quality material and research.

She highlighted that Cambridge had developed a “Climate Quest Activity”, which was free of charge and had case studies translated into Urdu, and was working with the Sindh government and the PM’s Youth Programme on it.

“The one thing that will change and equalise it across is if we give those who are impacted the most the most voice, and also give them the confidence and the encouragement.”

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3:45pm — Panel talk begins

Kicking off an all-female panel discussion, Unicef Pakistan’s Pernille Ironside noted that climate shocks were increasing, straining health systems and disrupting learning.

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3:40pm — Shehzad Roy calls on govts to tackle waste dumping

Zindagi Trust Founder & President Shehzad Roy, in his keynote address, noted that “around 400-600 million gallons of waste was being dumped into the rivers and seas”.

He called on the federal and provincial governments to “regulate industries and fix treatment plants”. “It’s a no-brainer,” he remarked.

“We can talk about climate change the whole, but why can’t we stop this?” Roy asked.

“Maybe if we had heads of four provinces and industries here, we could have asked them.”

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3:34pm — Women, children ‘frontline responders’ but not represented at decision-making tables: Sharmila Faruqui

PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui, presenting her address, pointed out that the climate crisis was still not “fully integrated into critical sectors like health, education, housing and social safety networks”.

She also noted there was a lack of data regarding the most vulnerable population that live the realities. The MNA said that vulnerable populations, including women and children, were not just the victims of climate change but also the “frontline responders” and were adapting with remarkable resilience.

“Yet, they are the ones who are the least represented at the decision-making tables,” Faruqui lamented.

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3:30pm — Climate change ‘no longer abstract risk but lived reality’

PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui stressed that climate change was not just a humanitarian crisis but also an equity crisis.

Recalling the 2022 and 2025 floods, she said that climate change “is no longer an abstract risk but a lived reality”.

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3:28pm — 11th session begins

The conference’s 11th session, titled “Unequal Burdens, Shared Futures: Reframing Climate Action Through Equity”, is now underway.

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3:25pm — Pakistan and India to ‘become uninvestable because of climate risk around water’: SECP official

Citing a study, SECP Commissioner (Securities Market Division) Ali Farid Khwaja said that it found that in 50 years, a lot of countries, including Pakistan and India, would “become uninvestable because of climate risk around water”.

He asserted: “The key point is that the discourse on climate change, especially in the financial market, needs to shift from just mechanical reporting and scoring where you can comply just mechanically to incorporating the risks in your fundamental research.

“This means when you’re forecasting the revenue, forecasting the cost-rate, the overall GDP growth and inflation numbers, the climate outcome will be directly incorporated in those forecasts.”

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3:19pm — SECP warns against ‘green-washing’

The SECP Commissioner (Securities Market Division) objected to the “mechanical approach” he said companies often take when it comes to environment-related initiatives.

“CSR is treated as an extra cost; there is a problem with that approach because it leads to green washing,” Khwaja said.

He stressed that the “discourse in the finance sector needs to shift from mechanical reporting and scoring to incorporating the risks into your fundamental research, capital market assumptions”.

He added that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) should be “core” of business structure.

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3:14pm — Companies to be mandated by 2031 to report on ESG action: SECP official

Ali Farid Khwaja observed that by 2031, all public companies, whether listed or not, will be mandated to report on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework.

The first deadline for certain companies was 2029, he noted.

Khwaja noted there was a lot of data on “ESG sustain portal” detailing what various companies were doing in that area.

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3:06pm — Zong ‘first’ to restore mobile network during 2022 floods in affected areas: official

Najeebullah Khan, deputy director at Zong for network operations, highlighted that during the 2022 floods, Zong was the first operator to restore the network within 14 days.

“We were the first ones to get the network up in affected areas.”

Noting that Pakistan was heavily affected by monsoon rains and subsequent floods, Khan said Zong had its teams on the ground to “protect and secure our network”.

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2:56pm — Pakistan Cables CEO warns of copper shortage in future

Pakistan Cables CEO Fahd Chinoy warned of a shortage of copper in the future due to the transition towards clean energy, suggesting there could be “a mismatch in the terms of demand and supply”.

“Renewables and EVs demand a lot more cabling; for example, an EV takes about 85kg of copper, so that has multiplied demand for copper,” Chinoy said.

He also noted that the “gestation period of copper mines was 17-18 years as it is deeper in the ground”, adding that copper was already trading at an “all-time high”.

However, he maintained that Pakistan, being a “mineral-rich” country and with “some of the largest copper mines in Balochistan”, could turn this into an opportunity.

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2:50pm — Climate actions ‘now becoming mandatory’ for banks: Meezan Bank

Muhammad Raza, general services head at Meezan Bank, said banks were actively working towards promoting product innovations and developments regarding climate actions.

“The green bonds are in action […] With the passage of time, these actions are now becoming mandatory,” he noted.

He also cautioned against “greenwashing”, where projects were presented as green without knowing whether they actually were sustainable.

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2:44pm — Inefficiencies in energy grid passed on to companies: Gul Ahmed official

Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Non-Executive Director Ziad Bashir said producing electricity was not companies’ job but they were doing so “because the government is not efficient or they have too many systemic losses”.

“These inefficiencies are passed on to us, in losses, in transmission. […] Everything is passed on to the manufacturer. How much can the manufacturer absorb?” Bashir said.

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2:39pm — Gul Ahmed Textile criticises carbon levies

Gul Ahmed Textile Mills’ Ziad Bashir criticised the imposition of carbon levies in Pakistan, stressing that “we cannot afford to make expensive mistakes”.

He recalled that last year, the government “imposed a 60 per cent carbon levy on furnace oil”.

Due to this, he added, “Many of those who generated furnace oil had to shut down. Why?”

He maintained that “even European countries do not do that”, adding that Pakistan must “follow” rather than “lead” the change.

“We have to follow the leaders, because we can make a lot of mistakes and those mistakes can be very expensive.”

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2:34pm — Coca-Cola Pakistan ‘using minimum water’ for treatment: official

Dr Faisal Hashmi, of Coca-Cola Pakistan & Afghanistan’s public affairs department, highlighted his company’s different initiatives for water conservation.

“Whatever water we are using for our product, we are giving more water back to the community and nature,” he said.

Hashmi explained that water was used as an ingredient and also for washing and treatment, among other things.

“With the help of sustainable development and technology, we are using minimum water for this part (treatment).”

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2:30pm — Panel talk begins on climate action by private sector

A panel talk part of the conference’s 10th session, titled “Why climate action should make business sense?”, has begun.

Nadia Rehman, member of the Board of Trustees of SBP’s Climate Risk Fund, is moderating the discussion.

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1:40pm — Lunch break

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1:35pm — Solar boom ‘not surprising, but rational’

A representative from the Global Renewable Congress, Ali Gülcegün, addressed the conference in a video message and said that Pakistan’s solar boom was not “surprising, but rational”.

He said that Pakistan’s official electricity registry showed “30,000 net meter solar installations”. However, he added that the “reality was different”.

Gülcegün added, “The vast majority of connections are unregistered,” pointing out that Pakistan’s energy planning “has been working with the wrong numbers”.

He further stated that Pakistan’s solar transition happened as a result of “the grid failing to deliver what people needed as well as soaring prices”.

With load shedding in temperatures of 45°C and reduced solar panel cost, the official said that “with these factors combined, the consumer decision was rational”.

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1:28pm — ‘Many factors’, not financing catalysed Pakistan’s energy revolution: expert

Lums Energy Institute Director Dr Naveed Arshad, speaking about Pakistan’s energy revolution, said, “We have not used probably a single dollar of climate financing in all this transition. There were many factors combined together.”

He noted that Pakistan witnessed “a very interesting revolution of the grid that we have not seen in any country”, adding that the transition was from a connected grid to a distributed grid.

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1:21pm — Expert notes need for good policies, very smart financing mechanisms

People of Asia for Climate Solutions Founder Tom Xiaojun Wang noted that Pakistan and China have reacted to the fossil fuel prices differently.

“When we talk about energy anxiety, this is exactly where” new and already existing technology can be used, he said, mentioning the recent energy crisis resulting from the oil crisis.

“We are not really in shortage of technology, we are not really in shortage of even financing in many ways […] What we need to do is mobilise very good policies and very smart financing mechanisms,” Tom emphasised.

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1:12pm — IRENA official calls for investment in solar infrastructure

Kamran Siddiqui, programme officer for energy and infrastructure at International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), speaking about Pakistan’s solar transition, said there was a “need for investment at the infrastructure level, particularly at the grid side”.

“We need to decide how the energy is going to be deployed, whether it’s behind the meter or net-metering.”

He also noted an increase in the import of solar batteries “over the past three years”. However, he added that the solar boom had also “created challenges for the government as the demand for grid supply has reduced”.

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1:05pm — ‘Consistent decline in fossil fuel consumption over last 3-4 years’

Haneea Isaad, energy finance specialist at Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), noted that Pakistan was managing the ongoing situation resulting from the Middle East war relatively well, with no fuel shortages.

“Over the past three to four years, we have seen a consistent decline in fossil fuel consumption, whether its oil, gas or coal,” Isaad pointed out.

She highlighted Pakistan’s “rapid solarisation drive”, adding that the shift took place in 2022 after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.

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12:57pm — Panel talk on clean energy begins

A panel talk, titled “Empowering Pakistan’s Transition to Clean Energy”, is now underway.

National Credit Guarantee Company Limited CEO Ammar H Khan is moderating the session.

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12:52pm — Must discuss impact of climate shock on urban poor: NED Pro-VC

Dr Noman Ahmed, Pro Vice Chancellor at NED University of Engineering and Technology, highlighted that since opportunities for livelihood were diminishing in rural areas due to climate risks, people moved to cities, where they “face ruthless evictions”.

“Their plight is not acknowledged,” he added, stressing that “anti-encroachment drives were anti-poor operations”.

He further stated that it was vital to discuss the impacts of climate shocks on the “poor, particularly the urban poor and see what can be safeguarded by the right type of policy and planned intervention”.

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12:48pm — Largest cities of Pakistan facing ‘haphazard’ urbanisation

Dr Noman Ahmed noted that locations and hinterlands that were “not supposed to be urbanised” were undergoing urbanisation.

“The largest cities of Pakistan are basically shouldering the load of urbanisation in an extraordinary manner. And these are the cities that are under an enormous amount of duress […] so Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and all the largest cities of Pakistan are experiencing an extraordinary scale of sprawl,” he said, adding that it was leading to a “very haphazard type” of urbanisation.

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12:36pm — Urbanisation not planned, but absorbed: IOM Pakistan official

Sumera Izhar, recovery advisor at IOM Pakistan, pointed out that in Pakistan, urbanisation was “not planned but absorbed”.

She noted that in the past, the main factor for migration was better job opportunities, but “now it is changing to climate-shock-induced” migration. She added that in Pakistan, “more than 13 million people were migrating internally due to climate shocks”.

She further added that the issue was being looked at as a “humanitarian one,” rather than through the lens of “climate mobility”.

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12:29pm — Having data alone not enough: Urban Unit CEO

Urban Unit CEO Muhammad Omar Masud noted there was now a “political economy of urban planning”, terming it an issue.

He noted that about 45pc of Punjab’s population was urbanised. Masud added that data alone was not enough, observing that there was a need for governments to start sharing data with the public.

“You need to have those institutions that are going to transmit it all the way to policy.”

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12:21pm — UN-Habitat official decries lack of urban planning

UN-Habitat Pakistan Senior Advisor and Programme Manager Jawed Ali Khan decried the lack of urban planning, which he said is “triggered more intensely by climate change”.

“Our planners have to be conscious; they must study the challenge and build necessary safety zones,” he said, recalling urban flooding in Islamabad and Lahore last year as well as Karachi’s heat island effect.

He stressed that urban planners must “design the infrastructure keeping in mind the challenges we are facing”.

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12:14pm — Panel discussion begins

A panel talk, titled “Are Climate-Smart Cities Possible in the Developing World?”, has begun.

Climate adviser Dawar Hameed Butt is moderating the session.

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12:10pm — UNEP official notes cities not directly engaging with financiers

Mirey Atallah, head of adaptation & resilience at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that often, there was not a lack of funding, but rather accessibility of funding.

“Cities are not directly engaging with financiers. It’s always through the Ministry of Finance of the federal government,” she noted.

The UNEP official pointed out that countries like Pakistan, which have high indebtedness, were faced with barriers because the ministry may not be willing to give an NoC to cities for more loans to manage the overall debts.

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12:06pm — Opportunity to ‘leapfrog’ through indigenous solutions: Mirey Atallah

UNEP Head of Adaptation & Resilience Mirey Atallah highlighted that there exists an opportunity to “leapfrog” through “innovation, creativity, and indigenous solutions”.

However, she noted that the opportunities were “challenged by speed,” adding that the “speed” was related to population increase and expansion.

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12:00pm — Tariq Alexander Qaiser calls for Karachi’s islands not to be turned into ‘high-rise communities’

Architect Tariq Alexander Qaiser said, “The days of mega corporations and globalisation are dying. It is and has to be about local benefit.”

He called for more mangrove plantation work to be done on Karachi’s coastal islands and its western delta.

Qaiser called for the preservation of Karachi’s coastal islands, mainly Bundal Island and Khiprianwala. “The city requires them to be covered in mangroves, not human commercial enterprises,” he added.

“These islands should not be developed into high-rise communities or industrial zones. They need to become protected areas for nature reserves and inter-title biodiversity,” he asserted.

“For our progeny to live healthy, productive lives, we need our cities to exist in this intersection — the nexus of man and nature. That is the only way forward,” Qaiser added.

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11:56am — ‘Cities divided into those with access to clean water and those who don’t’

Qaiser spoke of the effluent being washed away into the sea, stating that it was not going “into treatment plants or solid waste facilities”.

“Draining systems get clogged; they are built upon [..] disease vector spread,” he added, stressing that the city was divided into “those with access to clean drinking water and those who did not”.

“Our cities, our lives suffer from deep inequity; this is overwhelming, and it should be for all of us.”

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11:49am — Environmentalist notes need for new laws with ‘holistic understanding’

Tariq Alexander Qaiser, an architect and founder of TAQ Associates, underscored the need for new laws. “New ones are needed, ones that will be accepted by all.”

He noted that science and humanities had been separated and were studied in silos, wondering why philosophy had been “put aside”.

Qaiser emphasised the need for a “holistic, integrated and deeply sensitive understanding of issues” in today’s world.

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11:40am — Punjab ‘case study’ for rest of world

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that with the provincial government’s interventions, Punjab has become a “case study” in terms of environmental protection for the rest of the world.

“A lot of countries have approached us,” she said, adding that the government was working in collaboration with the “environment sector, legislative lawyers”.

“We have the test policies, test legislation, it is just time to act, bring them together and make them work,” she added.

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11:36am — Punjab minister underscores importance of collecting data

The Punjab senior minister underscored the importance of collecting data, saying, “We can’t govern what we can’t measure.

“We have mapped the entire industry, we have mapped the sectors. We have data now available with us and that is being used in our spatial planning,” she added.

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11:31am — About 35pc of PM2.5 reduced over past 1.5 years: Punjab minister

Marriyum Aurangzeb mentioned various steps and initiatives being undertaken by the Punjab government, including a smog mitigation plan.

She said, “With all what we have done in a year and a half or two years, about 35 per cent of PM2.5, according to the international website, we have reduced over the last year and a half.

“So whatever we are doing seems to be working and having an impact, but a lot needs to be done, of course, in other areas and sectors also,” the minister acknowledged.

Aurangzeb said that the launch of a climate observatory was also being planned, which would have satellite offices across Punjab.

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11:20am — Environmental protection, urbanisation not opposing forces: Marriyum Aurangzeb

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb spoke of Punjab’s actions on moving from “a vulnerable province to more of an environment, climate-resilience leadership”.

Aurangzeb said she did not see environmental protection and urbanisation as opposing forces.

She maintained that if the decision-making takes into account the protection of ecological balance, climate resilience, and infrastructure, “urbanisation can be made inclusive, sustainable and responsible”.

She emphasised that Punjab had taken a “more of an ecosystem approach”, using a multisectoral lens.

The minister mentioned the launch of public buses and the environment protection force as some of the steps to transition towards an environment-friendly urban city.

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11:12am — Climate crisis demands solidarity: Maldives’ envoy to Pakistan

The Maldives’ high commissioner called on the Global South to go beyond negotiations and focus on sharing knowledge, technical cooperation and capacity-building.

“Climate crisis demands not only urgency, but solidarity,” he emphasised, affirming that the Maldives remained committed to working with Pakistan and the Global South on the issue.

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11:09am — Maldives, Pakistan ‘stand on the frontline of climate vulnerability’

Mohamed Thoha, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Pakistan, spoke about climate challenges faced by his country.

“Both our countries are different in geography and scale, but we have to stand on the frontline of climate vulnerability,” he said.

Thoha explained that Maldives faced rising sea levels and coastal erosion, threatening long-term sustainability. He added that the Maldives was committed to transitioning 33pc of its energy consumption to sustainable and clean resources.

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10:58am — Melting glaciers ‘shared vulnerability’ for countries like Nepal and Pakistan: envoy

Rita Dhital, Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan, noted that melting glaciers were a “shared vulnerability” for countries like Nepal and Pakistan.

She highlighted that Glofs hampered tourism, agriculture and hydropower generation in Nepal, recalling that her country has experienced “major Glofs” since 1970s that resulted in significant loss of lives.

Dhital spoke about Nepal’s actions to tackle glacial melting, including using engineering to lower lake levels and identify lakes that pose a potential threat of outbursts.

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10:51am — Opportunities lie in Global South: private sector adviser

Seed Advisory Group Principal Seema A. Khan, speaking about the private sector’s role, explained the concept of “patient capital”.

She highlighted that it was the Global South where opportunities were present.

“Patient capital is in negotiations with the people who are around this group to discuss where the intersection is between money, policy and national development, because that’s the most profitable,” she said.

“One of the areas that I have found to create the most resilience is the evolution of sovereign capital to look at all of these resources as ways to create banks that then benefit the people,” Khan further said.

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10:38am — Romina Alam notes ‘nothing happened’ on Loss and Damage Fund

“What about the Loss and Damage Fund? Where is that fund? Nothing happened,” Romina Khurshid Alam pointed out.

She called for everyone to work together, including the development and private sectors.

“Justice is right now very much important, but more important is survival,” the PM’s coordinator said.

“No blame, no shame. Just take action,” she said.

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10:31am — PM’s coordinator highlights need for ‘regional solution’

Romina Khurshid Alam, coordinator to the Prime Minister on climate change, stressed the need for a “regional solution” rather than a global one, as every region had its different issues.

“This region is suffering. Our children are suffering. We are not in the state of crisis. We are in the state of war from climate change,” she said.

“The developing countries’ people are resilient nations. If you talk about Pakistan, we have proved in the floods that we are not looking for aid; we are looking for trade because this is not something we created.”

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10:20am — Goal is to advance resilience in development: climate expert

Renato Redentor Constantino, international policy adviser at Climate Vulnerable Forum, noted that many people think of climate change as an environmental issue but “we are in the middle of a development crisis”.

He stressed, “Our goal is not to reduce emissions, per se. Our goal is to advance resilience in development.”

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10:08am — Expert highlights concept of ethical leverage

Dr Erum Sattar, a water law and policy expert, said, “Pakistan sits where the transboundary water-sharing is very, very complex. There is India in the East and the Kabul River.”

She said that Pakistan sat at the intersection of complexities that affected many nations. She also referred to the concept of ethical leverage.

“Pakistan can experiment at all of these scales,” she said.

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10:06am — UN official says Pakistan’s experience not unique

Mohamed Yahya, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, said, “Pakistan’s reality is unmistakable; from floods to prolonged droughts to glacial melts. This experience is not unique to Pakistan. It reflects a reality across South Asia.”

He said that the panel’s discussion would be how South Asia can help itself, saying that regions had to work together.

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10:00am — IFAD official says climate change shaping agriculture in Pakistan

Lamichhane said that climate change is already shaping agriculture in Pakistan. “There’s no denying it, we have to act on it. But this is also a chance to modernise and build resilience,” she said.

She went on to say that resilience was achievable when solutions were integrated, financed and designed for scale. She also said that partnership was a multiplier effect.

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9:50am — IFAD official says climate ambition not constrained by ideas

Lamichhane has said that the Asia Pacific is IFAD’s most dynamic and largest portfolio.

She said that across the region, five things were given priority: climate resilience; technology and productivity; strong value chains and private sector engagement; inclusion of youth, women and indigenous communities; and a shaded approach that matches solutions to country context.

“Pakistan, facing high climate risk, sits at the intersection of these priorities. We cannot dissect climate from other priorities; it has to go hand in hand,” she said.

“Climate ambition is not constrained by ideas … it is constrained by finance and delivery systems,” she said.

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9:50am — IFAD official says Pakistan on the frontline of climate change

Anupa Rimal Lamichhane — the International Fund for Agricultural Development lead for regional climate change — has said that Pakistan is on the frontline of climate change.

“Agriculture contributes 23pc to GDP,” she said. Agrifood systems and farmers are not just the victims but they are also a major part of the solution, she said.

“Yet, globally, only 0.8pc of climate financing reaches farmers,” she said.

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9:50am — 7th session begins

The seventh session, titled ‘Collaboration of the Global South Towards Climate Action’, has now begun.

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9:46am — 2nd day of climate conference begins

The second day of the Breathe Pakistan International Climate Change Conference has begun in Islamabad.

The PTI on Thursday expressed concern and anger over reports of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi being “suddenly and secretly” taken to the hospital in the middle of the night and then taken back to jail.

“The entire matter is shrouded in unusual secrecy, a lack of transparency, and serious human rights violations, which have raised countless questions in the minds of the nation,” the party said.

The statement came after media reports emerged on Wednesday night alleging that Bushra Bibi, who is currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, was taken to a hospital under tight security for a follow-up examination of her eye.

Last month, Bushra Bibi underwent eye surgery at a Rawalpindi hospital. According to prison authorities, she was diagnosed with retinal detachment in the right eye, and doctors had advised surgery.

“Why is the nation not being informed about her illness, if her condition deteriorated to the extent that she had to be urgently taken to the hospital in the middle of night?” the party asked.

“Which hospital was she taken to? What tests were conducted? Which doctors examined her? And on what basis was the decision made to transfer her back to jail? The silence of the government and jail authorities is making the entire matter even more suspicious,” it said.

“Bushra Bibi has been facing solitary confinement, mental stress, and inhumane treatment for several months, while serious concerns regarding her health have repeatedly been raised. Despite this, denying access to her personal physicians, obstructing meetings with her family, and keeping medical information confidential are clear indications that something is being concealed from the public and her family,” the party said.

“It is regrettable that a female prisoner, who is also the wife of a former prime minister, is being deprived of basic human and medical rights,” the party said, adding concerns regarding her health were increasing with every passing day.

The party demanded that if the government had nothing to hide, an independent and transparent report on Bushra Bibi’s health should be provided to her family and the nation.

It also called for her personal physicians to be granted immediate and unrestricted access and for her to be allowed to meet her family. The PTI also demanded that she be immediately shifted to Shifa International Hospital, and human rights organisations and an independent medical board be permitted to examine her health.

The party warned that if any harm came to her health, the current rulers, prison authorities, and relevant institutions would bear complete political, moral and legal responsibility.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also posted on X that he had been informed about Bushra Bibi being taken to hospital last night “for eye laser treatment” and then being “shifted back”.

“I have requested for a family meeting today. Awaiting that — we have grave concerns about Khan sb and Bushra Bibi’s health,” he added.

Gohar further stated, “ We demand that they be shifted to hospital for treatment and medical tests in the presence of their family members under the supervision of their doctors.

“It is time to change this seek and hide [sic] approach to their health issues. Concern is growing. Immediate attention is required,” he stated.

PTI leader Omar Ayub, meanwhile, said, “Bushra Bibi was taken to the hospital late last night without informing family members. This act by the jail authorities is strongly condemned.”

Bushra Bibi’s health has deteriorated to such an extent that she had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment, and instead of admitting her, she was taken back to Adiala jail,” he said.

Ayub said that Imran was also not being allowed to meet his lawyers, family members, or party colleagues and was also not being taken to Shifa International Hospital for treatment.

“Both PM Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s eyesight has suddenly deteriorated whilst incarcerated at Adiala Jail. Both were absolutely healthy and had no medical problems before being jailed. This fact in itself is extremely serious,” he said.

The PTI leader called for both to be taken to Shifa International Hospital for treatment, and for their family members and doctors should to be given access.

“The regime is constantly violating PM Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s constitutionally protected human rights, whilst Pakistan’s judiciary remains a silent spectator,” he said.

Doctors Without Borders on Thursday accused Israel of having deliberately restricted food and aid in Gaza, creating a “manufactured malnutrition crisis” with particularly devastating impacts on infants and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The report also examined the harm done by the US- and Israeli-backed private organisation set up last year to largely replace UN distribution of aid in Gaza.

The medical charity, known by its French acronym MSF, based its case on an analysis of the situation between late 2024 and early 2026 at four health facilities it supports in the Gaza Strip.

That analysis showed significantly higher levels of prematurity and mortality among infants born to malnourished mothers, and spikes in miscarriages, it said.

MSF linked these outcomes with Israel’s blockade of essential goods and attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities.

“Insecurity, displacement, restrictions on aid, and limited access to food and medical care have had devastating consequences for maternal and newborn health,” the charity said in a statement.

The situation remained “extremely fragile”, despite a ceasefire in place since last October after two years of devastating conflict, it warned.

MSF called on the Israeli authorities to allow the unhindered entry of assistance and supplies into Gaza immediately.

“The malnutrition crisis is entirely manufactured,” Merce Rocaspana, MSF’s medical referent for emergencies, said in the statement.

Before the war in the Palestinian territory erupted, “malnutrition in Gaza was almost non-existent”, she said.

Malnourished women giving birth

MSF said it had collected data from more than 200 mothers and newborns receiving treatment in neonatal intensive care units at hospitals in Khan Yunis and Gaza City between last June and January.

Its analysis found that more than half of the women were affected by malnutrition at some point during their pregnancy. A quarter of them were still malnourished during delivery.

The impact was clear: 90 per cent of the babies born to malnourished mothers were born prematurely and 84pc had low birth weight, the analysis found.

“Neonatal mortality was twice as high among infants born to mothers affected by malnutrition compared with those born to mothers without malnutrition,” MSF said.

The medical charity also examined data from 513 infants under six months of age admitted to outpatient therapeutic feeding programmes in Khan Yunis between October 2024 and December 2025.

Of them, “91pc were at risk of poor growth and development”, it said.

By last December, 200 of the infants were no longer in the programme, but fewer than half had been cured, it found. Seven per cent of them had died, it added.

‘Militarised and deadly’

Infants are not the only ones going hungry.

Between January 2024, when the first cases of child malnutrition were reported in Gaza, and February 2026, MSF said it had admitted 4,176 children under 15 years old — 97pc of them younger than five — for acute malnutrition programmes.

During the same period, 3,336 pregnant and breastfeeding women were enrolled in ambulatory programmes, it said.

Thursday’s analysis also highlighted the impact of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a US- and Israeli-backed private organisation set up last year to largely replace UN distribution of aid in Gaza.

MSF pointed out that by late May 2025, food distribution points in Gaza had dropped from around 400 to four under GHF, which disbanded last November.

The food distribution points were “militarised and deadly”, warned Jose Mas, head of the MSF emergency unit.

During the period GHF was functioning, MSF said that facilities it supported in Gaza had seen “a sharp increase in patients seeking care due to violence perpetrated at food distribution points and malnutrition linked to deprivation of food”.

MSF teams had also observed a high number of miscarriages during this period, it said.

Gunmen on motorbikes in India’s West Bengal ambushed and killed a political aide from the ruling Hindu-nationalist party days after it swept state elections, police said Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a resounding victory on Monday in the eastern state of more than 100 million people, taking 207 of the 294 assembly seats, for its first-ever state victory in West Bengal.

Chandranath Rath, 41, a close aide of West Bengal’s BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead late on Wednesday near his home in Kolkata.

Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, now tipped to become the state chief minister, called it “cold-blooded murder”.

Motorbikes blocked Rath’s vehicle, before the attackers opened fire in a barrage of around a dozen shots, hitting Rath multiple times in the heart.

“The shooting happened at about 11 pm on Wednesday — the bikes that stopped Rath’s car have been seized,” West Bengal police chief Siddh Nath Gupta told AFP.

“The bikes had fake registration numbers, and we are looking for the assailants.”

Pritam Sengupta, a doctor at Apollo Hospital told AFP, that Rath was “brought dead with multiple bullet injuries in his chest.”

The killing brings the total killed since the results were announced on Monday to at least five.

West Bengal had been ruled by Modi’s fierce critic and adversary, Mamata Banerjee, as chief minister since 2011.

Banerjee, leader of the regional All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), also lost her seat in the polls and has rejected the results.

Analysts say the BJP’s victory in the largely Bengali-speaking state is one of its most significant since Modi was first elected prime minister in 2014, expanding its dominance beyond the Hindi-speaking heartland of north and central India.

The killing has added to political tensions in the state, with the BJP and TMC trading accusations over the deaths since the results.

“It was a planned murder,” BJP’s West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya said.

“This is expected from Trinamool Congress,” he alleged. “They are responsible for this death”.

The TMC rejected any role in the shooting, but accused the BJP of targeting their supporters.

“We strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath,” the party said in a statement, adding that it also condemned attacks on TMC members “allegedly carried out by BJP-backed miscreants”.

The BJP said it will swear in its leader as chief minister on Saturday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has directed all deputy commissioners to take precautionary measures ahead of heatwave conditions that are slated to begin from May 8 (Friday).

In the letter sent, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the PDMA said heatwave conditions were likely to develop over the province’s plain areas from May 8 to May 10.

It said that daytime temperatures may rise to 43–47°C in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu, Karak, and Lakki Marwat. It also forecast daytime temperatures between 39–43°C in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Haripur, and Kohat.

“Afterward, a shallow westerly wave is likely to affect most parts of the province on 10th (evening/ night) and likely to persist in the upper parts till May 13. This system is likely to bring relief from the prevailing hot conditions in the province,” it said.

“It is therefore requested to kindly take all precautionary measures to avoid any loss of life, damages to crops and livestock,” the department said.

The department directed the concerned authorities to launch awareness campaigns to inform the public about the heatwave conditions. This also included ensuring that the general public, especially senior citizens and children, were aware of the situation and avoided direct exposure to sunlight during peak hours.

This also included ensuring the general public was made aware of using water judiciously for drinking and cooling off, and encouraging individuals with underlying health conditions to remain especially vigilant and ensuring they had the necessary medical supplies readily available.

It also directed to educate the public about the signs of heat-related illnesses and the steps that should be taken in this regard.

Further, the health department, in coordination with the local administrations, were directed to mobilise resources to establish heatstroke centres, cooling points, and mobile cooling stations at high-traffic areas.

They were also told to ensure the facilities were equipped with adequate cooling equipment and drinking water, and had the necessary trained personnel available to provide immediate medical assistance if needed.

Farmers are advised to manage their crop activities while keeping in mind the weather conditions and to take care of their livestock. Emergency services were told to remain on alert against possible possible fires and undertake preventative measures.

A day earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) announced a forecast of heatwave conditions across the country this week.

At least 10 people died across Karachi on Monday due to intense heat as the mercury surged to 44.1°C — the highest temperature recorded since 2018 — accompanied by gusts of continental winds that persisted throughout the day, officials said.

The same day, the Nati­onal Disaster Manage­ment Authority (NDMA) issued sweeping emergency protocols and placed hospitals on alert as extreme, above-normal summer temperatures threatened millions across the country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday that the Australia men’s cricket team will tour the country for a three-match one-day international (ODI) series.

In a press release, the cricket board said that the visitors would arrive in Islamabad on May 23 and take on the Green Shirts in the first ODI scheduled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on May 30.

The second and third ODIs of the series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on June 2 and 4, respectively, it said.

“All three ODIs are scheduled to begin at 4:30pm local time, with the toss taking place at 4pm,” the press release said.

It went on to say that the upcoming bilateral ODI series would be Australia’s first in Pakistan since 2022.

It also highlighted that Australia last visited Pakistan earlier this year to participate in a three-match T20I series, which the hosts won 3-0 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

It further said that Australia also featured in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Pakistan, including a five-wicket win against England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 22.

LAHORE: An anti-corruption court (ATC) on Wednesday discharged the daughter and son-in-law of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from a case of alleged irregularities in the Punjab Saaf Pani Company.

Special Court Judge Javed Iqbal Warraich heard two separate acquittal applications filed by the prime minister’s daughter, Rabia Imran, and her husband Ali Imran Yousaf. The judge observed that no evidence had been found linking the applicants to the alleged offence.

The judge further observed that the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) had submitted its investigation report, declaring both applicants innocent and that the case against them was not prosecutable.

He said the prosecution also stated that an accountability court had, on Jan 31, 2022, discharged other accused in the same matter without framing charges.

The judge remarked that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had failed to present evidence at that stage and even after the case was transferred to ACE and no new evidence was produced.

The judge ruled that the applicants were not required for arrest in this case and their matter would be considered in light of the accountability court’s earlier decision. The judge disposed of the acquittal pleas for being infructuous and acquitted the couple from the charges.

Previously, the couple was declared proclaimed offenders for avoiding the court’s proceedings against them. The trial court suspended their perpetual arrest warrants after they surrendered before the law last month.

The accused acquitted during 2022 included Saaf Pani Company’s former chairman Raja Qamarul Islam and former chief executive officer Waseem Ajmal besides 14 others.

Both Islam and Ajmal were arrested by NAB in June 2018 and were later released on bail granted by the Lahore High Court in January 2019.

A day before his arrest, Islam was awarded a ticket by the PML-N for the 2018 election against former interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, the disgruntled leader of the party, from NA-59, Rawalpindi.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026

• CDA mulls tourism development at key water source
• Critics cite past controversies and ecological risks

ISLAMABAD: City managers are planning to develop water sports and recreational facilities near Simly Dam, a move that may pose environmental challenges for residents.

The dam, built in 1983, is located 30 kilometres east of Islamabad in the foothills of lush green mountains and is considered a main source of clean drinking water.

The other dam in Islamabad, including Rawal Dam, which supplies water to Rawalpindi, is already heavily polluted, mainly due to uncontrolled contamination in its catchment area.

Simly Dam, located in a less-visited area, remains a source of clean drinking water. However, the federal government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) now plan to introduce recreational activities in the area.

Recently, the CDA board approved a summary for hiring former chairman Kamran Lashari as a consultant (city curator) for the “preparation of a comprehensive citywide culture and tourism vision for Islamabad” at a salary of Rs2 million per month.

Although the official notification has yet to be issued, Lashari was recently seen briefing Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at Simly Dam, and it is likely he will prepare a plan for the promotion of water sports and tourism near the reservoir.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry on Wednesday issued a press release stating, “Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has directed authorities to prepare a workable plan for the expansion of Simly Dam, which currently supplies 40 per cent of Islamabad’s water, and to develop the surrounding area for tourism and water sports.”

During a detailed visit to the dam, Naqvi was briefed on its capacity and informed that expansion would ensure an abundant water supply to the capital. He asked officials to present a comprehensive plan for the project soon.

The interior minister also reviewed the area around the reservoir and sought a separate plan to promote recreational activities.

“There are immense opportunities for recreational activities in the area adjacent to Simly Dam. Water sports and other facilities would drive local development,” he said, adding that the initiative would create jobs for local residents and provide citizens access to “world-class recreational facilities”.

The press release noted that the reservoir is already used informally for boating and picnics but lacks formal infrastructure, safety measures or CDA-managed facilities.

It is relevant to note that Lashari served as CDA chairman from 2003 to 2008. During his tenure, the city witnessed significant development and beautification works, along with the launch of several controversial projects.

Some of the major works during his tenure included the construction of 7th and 9th avenues, three underpasses on 7th Avenue, including one at China Chowk, widening of the Expressway, the Zero Point Interchange, reconstruction and widening of several roads, development of dozens of parks and playgrounds, sit-out areas in commercial centres, installation of signage, construction of public toilets and passenger shelters at bus bays.

However, the CDA also launched several controversial projects during his tenure. Many of them faced inquiries by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and some still remain abandoned, raising questions about the efficiency of the civic agency.

In 2005, the CDA leased out a 13.5-acre plot (One Constitution Avenue) for the construction of a five-star hotel for Rs4.8 billion but handed over possession after receiving only Rs800 million. The issue has resurfaced recently as the CDA seeks to take over the twin towers due to default and non-delivery, as the developer constructed around 250 residential apartments instead of a hotel.

Similarly, during Lashari’s tenure, the CDA set up restaurants in the Margalla Hills and expanded roads with the installation of lights, attracting heavy traffic to the area, which disturbed the environment and ecosystem. The Supreme Court later ordered an end to commercial activities on Pir Sohawa Road.

During the same period, the city also lost one of its historical landmarks, a single-storey inward market designed by a British architect. It was demolished in 2007 after the CDA controversially amended bylaws to allow a multi-storey plaza, though residents and courts later intervened, citing infrastructure constraints in the area.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026