President Asif Ali Zardari will undertake a visit to Germany from Oct 22 to 24 to discuss bilateral ties as the two countries are set to mark 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) said the president’s visit is “part of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Germany”.

It “holds special significance in the context of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries being commemorated this year”.

It said the visit reflects the “deep commitment of both countries to further strengthening the partnership”.

During his visit, President Zardari will hold meetings with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as senior leadership and business leaders, with a “particular focus оп economic and trade cooperation”, FO said.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah is also expected to accompany the president on his trip, with the matter being discussed in Murad’s meeting with German Consul General Mr Thomas E. Schultze.

In September, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

During the meeting, Germany appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts in regional conflicts, especially in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab while the two sides also agreed to “get negotiations on peace for Ukraine going”, according to the German foreign office.

Meanwhile, in June, a German delegation announced plans to bring about 30 German companies to Pakistan and link local businesses to European markets.

KARACHI: A local court on Thursday rejected TV anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan’s bail plea in a cybercrime case pertaining to the alleged dissemination of anti-state content.

Hassan was arrested last week for allegedly disseminating anti-state, false and defamatory content through his official social media accounts. He was booked under multiple sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

According to an order issued by the judicial magistrate, a copy of which is available with Dawn, “the order disposes of the bail application filed under Section 497 of the CrPC on behalf of the applicant/accused, Syed Iqrar Ul Hassan, son of Syed Muhammad Ismail, who has been arrested in connection with FIR No. 101/2026 registered at Police Station NCCIA, Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, Karachi, under Sections 9, 10, 20, 24 and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (as amended in 2025)”.

The notice of the bail application was served on the NCCIA’s additional director (legal), the order states.

Earlier this week, Hassan was sent to prison on judicial remand after the NCCIA sought an extension of his physical remand by another eight days.

However, Karachi (East) Judicial Magistrate-I Gulraiz Memon observed that the agency had been given “sufficient time of physical custody”.

“No cogent reason has been given by NCCIA for extension of physical custody; therefore, the accused is remanded to judicial custody till Oct 26,” the judge stated in his order.

The court also issued notices to the NCCIA on a bail application filed by Hassan’s defence counsel, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq, and fixed the matter for hearing on Oct 21.

On Oct 17, Hassan was produced before Judicial Magistrate Memon upon the completion of his initial four-day physical remand. The NCCIA sought a further 10 days of custody for questioning, but the magistrate rejected the request and granted the agency two more days.

The magistrate also dismissed a plea filed by Hassan’s counsel under Section 63 of the CrPC seeking his discharge from the case.

In its remand report, the NCCIA said the investigation had progressed but several important aspects remained to be examined in light of the forensic analysis of Hassan’s seized digital devices and records from other departments, including the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The agency said digital devices containing 1,145.89 gigabytes of data had been handed over to its forensic team for analysis to identify relevant applications, social media accounts, email accounts, stored files and communications linked to the alleged content.

The NCCIA also sought further custody to trace the “origin, relation, financial correlation and cross-border linkages (if any)” of the posts.

In his earlier order, the magistrate observed that collecting digital footprints, technical data and forensic evidence required reasonable time, adding that discharging an accused while the investigation was under way could hamper the process.

The NCCIA alleged that the content was intended to incite the public against constitutional implementation and could cause panic, disorder and unrest.

Hassan was booked under sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism), 24 (cyberstalking) and 26A (Punishment for false and fake information) of Peca. He had been critical of the government’s policies on social media.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued notices to Foreign Secretary Asim Iftikhar in two separate contempt petitions over alleged non-compliance with an earlier court order concerning two PTI-affiliated Pakistani citizens detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On September 14, the LHC had directed the foreign secretary to process and decide within 15 days representations concerning the detention of two citizens — Syed Salman Raza Zaidi and Muhammad Junaid Jahangir.

Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram heard the contempt petitions on Thursday. Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi appeared on behalf of the petitioners and alleged that the two individuals remained deprived of consular, diplomatic, and legal access.

He recalled the court’s Sept 14 directive and contended that the petitioners had not been formally informed of any decision on their representations, even though a considerable amount of time had passed.

The counsel urged the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the foreign secretary for non-compliance.

After hearing initial arguments, Justice Khurram issued notices to the respondent secretary for submission of his reply by October 29.

In the main petitions, the counsel stated that Zaidi went missing from his residence in Sharjah on Sept 27, 2024, and was subsequently taken into custody by UAE authorities.

He said despite nearly two years having passed, the petitioner, Faryal Zainab, had still not been provided clear information regarding the charges against her husband Zaidi, the judicial proceedings, any sentence, or the complete court record.

Meanwhile, Advocate Niazi said Jahangir was allegedly detained on Sept 24, 2024, at Dubai airport on his return from Saudi Arabia.

Muhammad Ibrahim, Jahangir’s father, filed the petition challenging the alleged failure of the federal government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to provide effective consular protection and legal assistance.

The counsel for the petitioners submitted that despite representations having been filed regarding the detention of both citizens before the foreign secretary, the representations had not been processed.

Both petitioners had asked the court to direct that legal and consular assistance be provided to Zaidi and Jahangir, that their judicial records be obtained and that diplomatic-level steps be taken toward their return to Pakistan.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday forecast a sharp drop in economic output in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa this year due to the US-Israeli-led war against Iran, followed by a rebound to 6.6 per cent growth in 2027, while warning that further energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook.

The IMF said the region’s output was expected to contract by 1.3pc as a result of the war’s impact on energy production, shipping, tourism, trade and confidence. Economic output would increase sharply in 2027, but output in those economies would generally stay below pre-war projections.

The war’s impact had been substantial, but uneven, with oil-exporting economies directly affected by disruptions to energy production and shipping hit harder, and oil importers proving to be more resilient, the IMF said in its regional outlook released Thursday in Dubai.

The IMF said its baseline assumed that the conflict would abate in early 2027 and that trade would gradually normalise during the year, but it said the outlook remained clouded by “exceptionally high uncertainty.”

“The main risks derive from further disruption to energy production and trade routes that could drive energy prices higher,” the IMF said in a statement outlining its key messages, noting external financial conditions could also tighten.

External financial conditions could also tighten if investors reassess AI-driven productivity gains and interest rates rise further amid heightened concerns about inflation and fiscal positions, it said.

Oil importers had proven more resilient, with domestic demand supported by remittances and tourism flows, favourable financial conditions, and prompt policy responses that safeguard consumers from higher commodity prices, the IMF said.

Growth in the Caucasus and Central Asia was moderating toward a more sustainable pace, the IMF said, forecasting a 5.2pc rise in economic output in 2026 and 5pc in 2027.

The IMF underscored the mantra it delivered during last week’s annual meetings, urging policymakers to prioritise maintaining price stability, while preserving fiscal sustainability, maintaining central bank independence and enacting structural reforms to boost productivity and create jobs.

Pakistan’s Noor Zaman stunned defending champion and world No. 4 Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt 3-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA Gold Silicon Valley Open at the Redwood City in California.

The 22-year-old overcame the second seed 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 in 52 minutes at Squash Zone, handing the Egyptian a shock defeat in the $143,500 men’s event.

“I was ready mentally and physically today, and I think now is the time for me to beat the top players,” Noor said after the match.

Noor, ranked among the world’s top 35 players, had earlier booked his place in the last 16 with a 3-1 victory over American wildcard Bransten Ming. After losing the opening game 3-11, he fought back to win 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 41 minutes.

The Peshawar-born player, grandson of former world champion Qamar Zaman and the 2025 U-23 world champion, has enjoyed a strong run of form in recent months, climbing into the world’s top 30 and collecting five PSA titles.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Mohammad Ashab Irfan bowed out in the last 16 after losing 3-0 to fifth seed Mohamed ElShorbagy of Egypt. Irfan had reached the round with a straight-games victory over Hungary’s Balazs Farkas, winning 11-6, 11-4, 11-5.

The PSA World Tour Gold event offers equal prize money for men and women as squash prepares for its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is addressing a meeting of the provincial apex committee to review the overall security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The premier arrived in Peshawar earlier in the day on his first visit to the province since the imposition of governor’s rule and the declaration of an emergency on Oct 11.

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, along with federal ministers and newly appointed provincial advisers, attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, PM Shehbaz reiterated that emergency and governor’s rule had to be imposed “under extreme compulsion”.

Describing the province as “very beautiful”, the premier expressed his hope that the government “work hard day and night and speedily make it progress towards development and prosperity”.

“This is the province that is the first extremely strong wall of the homeland,” he noted.

The prime minister went on to remark that the province was “shattered with wounds due to the circumstances created in the past several years”.

He highlighted the poor law and order situation over the past six years, recalling that security forces and law enforcement agencies had made sacrifices to establish peace in KP.

He added that “80,000 people were martyred and the [economy] suffered a loss of several hundred billion dollars. Only then, in 2018, was peace completely restored in this country”.

PM Shehbaz regretted that “terrorists were summoned back here” after peace had been established, “washing down all sacrifices down the drain”. “I believe there can be no greater injustice to this country than this,” he added.

“There can be no greater enmity with the country than not honouring and respecting such sacrifices, not holding them in esteem,” the premier remarked, highlighting that young soldiers left their homes and families to defend their country.

He called for an “all-encompassing analysis as to why this happened”, adding that there was “no worse insensitivity, criminal negligence, and hostility towards the national interest than this”.

The premier said: “All issues of the people were pushed aside — whether it is education, healthcare, or protecting the lives and property of the people — and [having] matters with terrorists instead.

State media had reported that the meeting was to review the overall security situation in KP and measures being taken to combat terrorism.

The Centre had imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP citing the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The decisions were also endorsed by the Parliament last week amid protests by the opposition.

Governor Kundi, along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, had chaired a meeting of the provincial apex committee a day after governor’s rule was imposed.

In the meeting, the governor — who is now in charge of running the province — assured Naqvi he would enforce all policies of the federal government and work together with the security forces for peace and prosperity of the province.

Kundi asserted that under the new set-up, tackling terrorism would be the priority.

Later that day, Kundi, addressing a press conference, called for greater coordination between the Centre and the province, stressing that policies on counterterrorism will “come from Islamabad [..] not Kabul,” in an apparent jibe at the PTI-led KP government, which has been accused of maintaining a “nexus” with terrorist groups by federal ministers.

The Centre’s move to impose governor’s rule and emergency in KP also followed a mobilisation drive and protest march by the PTI and in opposition at the Centre, to demand the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan.

Intense negotiations between the two sides a week before the imposition of governor’s rule had failed to yield any results, with counterterrorism policy being one of the main reasons behind the breakdown of their talks.

The PTI said it was being left out of security decisions concerning KP, which the Centre denied. It also called for reviewing the counterterrorism policy, while the latter criticised the KP government’s efforts to combat terrorism in the province and objected to its stance on dialogue with the Afghan Taliban.

Soon after, the Centre also authorised the deployment of Pakistan Army troops and assets in aid of civil power in KP.

Federal ministers have also alleged that the PTI-led government in KP had a “nexus” with terrorist groups, stating that the province’s security situation necessitated the imposition of emergency there.

All but one of the suspects arrested over recent settler attacks on an American photojournalist and a visiting French mayor in the West Bank have been released from detention and placed under house arrest, their lawyers said.

Israeli police had announced on Monday the arrests of 10 people implicated in the attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory, where violence by Israeli settlers is on the rise but perpetrators are seldom prosecuted.

Honenu, a legal aid organisation that often represents Israeli soldiers and settlers, said that all but one of the suspects had been released to house arrest.

Lawyer Assaf Gonen said in a statement that their arrests had only been “for show”, and were “intended to satisfy media pressure and foreign interests”.

The suspects have not been identified.

On Friday, photographer Heidi Levine, 65, who was on assignment for The Washington Post, was taken to hospital with broken vertebrae after being beaten by settlers while covering the West Bank’s annual olive harvest.

The incident comes 10 days after settlers beat an AFP photographer covering the West Bank olive harvest, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, leaving him also requiring hospital treatment.

A day later, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats and beat up Bernard Baudoux, 78, the mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries who was on a goodwill visit.

The attacks drew international condemnation, but mixed messages from the Israeli government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a tight race for a new mandate, has tried to shore up his pro-settlement right-wing base and has cast doubt on the circumstances behind the recent settler attacks on Westerners.

His tone has drawn unusually strong criticism from the opposition, which has accused him of tarnishing Israel’s image.

Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank, with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Settlers have also been seizing olive groves owned by Palestinians, who see the trees as a cultural symbol.

Excluding east Jerusalem, around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in settlements considered illegal under international law.

India began annual measures on Thursday to tackle toxic air pollution in New Delhi, a megacity of 30 million people regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals.

Delhi’s air quality deteriorates in winter, when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground. Major sources include coal-fired power plants, traffic, construction and farm stubble burning in neighbouring areas.

The Delhi government on Wednesday announced a ban on open rubbish burning and ordered food stalls to stop using coal or firewood.

In previous years, such measures have failed to curb pollution, which peaks from November to January, when levels of cancer-causing PM 2.5 microparticles often hit more than 300 micrograms per cubic metre, 20 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum.

Monitors recorded 233 micrograms per cubic metre early on Thursday, about 15 times the limit.

The government’s Commission for Air Quality Management has predicted air quality to remain “poor” in the coming days.

A study in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2024 estimated that 3.8m deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to pollution that exceeded India’s own air quality guidelines.

Last year, pollution levels peaked at 846 micrograms per cubic metre, 56 times the WHO limit.

The UN children’s agency warns that polluted air puts children at heightened risk of acute respiratory infections.

Further restrictions take effect on November 1, including doubled parking fees and work-from-home arrangements for government office staff, aimed at reducing traffic emissions.

Tighter construction rules will also begin then, followed by a complete ban on construction and demolition from Dec 10 to Jan 20.

Last month, the authorities also imposed a construction ban that will run from Dec 10 to Jan 20 as part of a winter action plan to tackle pollution. It will include restrictions on vehicular traffic aimed at encouraging residents to use public transport.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday summoned the Punjab home secretary and the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail in connection with a petition seeking the release of former prime minister Imran Khan’s three sisters.

Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan — were detained by authorities in September, under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, as the PTI geared up for a planned protest march towards Islamabad. Their detention was ordered for 30 days.

A day earlier, Aleema’s son, Shahrez Khan, filed a fresh plea challenging their detention. It stated that Imran’s sisters remained at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail despite the lapse of the 30-day period of their detention.

Justice Abher Gul Khan took up the petition on Thursday.

Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar appeared on behalf of the petitioner and submitted that the detention orders of the three sisters had expired on Oct 19 and 20, but they had not been released.

Justice Khan asked the counsel why he had not made the Lahore deputy commissioner a respondent in the petition.

The counsel replied that the deputy commissioner had not been impleaded because the detention notification issued by the official had expired.

Uzma’s husband, Ahad Khan, also approached the rostrum and requested the court to summon the deputy commissioner. The judge, however, observed that the official could not be summoned as he had not been made a party to the petition.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing until Oct 28 and directed the home secretary and the jail superintendent to appear in person along with their reports on the matter.

In Wednesday’s petition, Shahrez contended that the detention period had expired, but the three sisters remained in custody. He asked the court to order their release.

It was argued that their detention was a consequence of their efforts for their brother’s release. It further contended that the preventive detention could not replace ordinary criminal law and that the order violated Article 10 as well as the safeguards of Section 3 of the MPO.

The petitioner requested the court to direct the jail superintendent to produce the detainees before the court and “set them at liberty, in the interest of justice, equity and fair play”.

The petitioner asked the court to declare the detention orders void and issue directives for the detainees’ release, while suspending the operation of the orders.

Young students attending their debut political gathering, longtime supporters coming since 2015, or curious onlookers witnessing a presidential spectacle, they all agree. As Donald Trump runs his final campaign, no one will be able to replace his rallies.

“There’s a lot of Americana. There’s a lot of, you know, happy people,” a Trump fan named Bart told AFP of Tuesday night’s outdoor campaign event in Greenville, North Carolina.

Trump has been barnstorming across multiple US states ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with his party at serious risk of losing their majorities in Congress.

In this rural corner of the eastern United States, “we don’t have stuff like this happen very often,” said Bart, attending with his wife Courtney and their two children, ages 10 and 12.

Bart, who declined to give his last name, walked past a “MAGA” souvenir stand and rows of red, white and blue bunting before finding his seat on an airport tarmac where the rally was held.

It was a familiar feeling. He attended his first Trump campaign event in 2015.

Since then, millions of Americans have experienced this in-person ritual — a unique blend of provocative verbal attacks, consummate showmanship, and tireless enthusiasm, all from a president who has reached age 80.

Low-flying Air Force One

For 18-year-old Jaycie Bullard, dressed in Republican red, attending the rally was a no-brainer.

“When I heard that he was coming to Greenville, I knew I had to come,” said the nursing student enrolled at a nearby university.

“It’s pure joy, I feel like a little kid on Christmas.” After an hours-long wait, a plane flew low overhead: Trump had arrived. He strode onstage to the strains of “God Bless the USA,” which has become a core part of his political events.

The president launched fierce attacks — sometimes tinged with racist overtones — against his opponents, claimed against all evidence that he won the 2020 election, and cracked oft-repeated jokes before he yielded the stage to a local Republican US Senate candidate.

His rambling, repetitive Greenville speech clocked in at 111 minutes. As always, he left the stage to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” But these moments, celebrated by the “Make America Great Again” faithful, are the vestiges of a fading political traveling roadshow that only Trump has been able to pull off.

The crowds and venues are getting smaller. Trump, constitutionally barred from a third term, must step down in January 2029.

“I’m nervous for the future,” admitted retiree Patty Laronde, who was seeing Trump for the first time.

“Who’s going to take his place?” she told AFP. “I’m hopeful with JD Vance,” the vice president widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

Turning politics into ‘entertainment’

Even if another such master of ceremonies emerges in American politics, David, a self-employed 51-year-old, vocalised what many attendees were likely thinking: “the copy is never as good as the original.” “He is an anomaly,” added Troy, 59, a manager who also did not give his last name. “There’s… never been a president like him,” he added, “and I don’t know there ever will be again.” Researchers contacted by AFP tended to agree.

By “turning political rallies into entertainment,” Trump “takes alleged negative emotions such as resentment, grievance and disappointment and transforms them into excitement, pride and positive anticipation,” explained Yagmur Karakaya, a sociology professor at Yale University.

He relies on improvised comedy and culture-war jabs, sports metaphors, the ever-present “winning” philosophy, and business jargon, weaving it into a unique style.

“Can others do this? I am not so sure,” Karakaya said.

That is the million-dollar question, said speech communication professor Jacob Justice of the University of Mississippi, who likened a Trump rally’s atmosphere to that of “a Grateful Dead concert (or) a college football tailgate.” If anyone could inspire something similar, he or she “might come from the world of social media influencing or podcasting,” Justice said.

Should that person be JD Vance, rallygoer Bart said, “he would bring half of these people”.

Header image: US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he walks past the audience at a rally in support of Republican US Senate candidate Darline Graham ahead of the midterm elections, at T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University in Pendleton, South Carolina, US, October 21, 2026. —AFP

Early voting has been underway for weeks ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, when US voters will elect members of the House of Representatives and Senate and governors in states across the country.

Held in the middle of each four-year presidential term, the midterms by definition do not involve the president. But for anyone who thinks they lack drama or importance this year, consider these two statistics: More than 100 million people likely will cast ballots in this year’s midterm voting, if turnout is anything like the previous midterm in 2022; and as of October 12, a record $3.8 billion had been spent on political advertisements that have been aired so far.

Top spending is in battleground US Senate races in Texas, Ohio and Michigan, according to AdImpact, which tracks the activities.

Elon Musk alone has spent about $366m to support Republicans, according to campaign finance records.

Still, midterms generally attract fewer voters than the higher-profile presidential races. More than 155m votes were cast in the 2024 presidential election, for example.

Control of Congress at stake

Plenty is at stake in this midterm election as Democrats try to win majority control of the US Congress.

Currently, Republicans hold a 218-214 majority in the House, where there are two vacancies and one independent who caucuses with Republicans. Democrats must win a net gain of four seats to win control.

Democrats are also fighting to win the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. They must net four additional seats to get control. Ten races, including those in Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and Georgia, could decide the outcome.

Can midterms affect the presidency?

Midterm elections generally are dangerous territory for the political party that holds the White House and/or Congress. For 2026, that means that President Donald Trump and his Republicans controlling the US Senate and House of Representatives are in perilous political positions.

The midterms can be an opportunity for voters to, in effect, grade the president’s performance, and possibly trigger White House course corrections if they receive low marks.

Midterm election results can also give aspiring presidential candidates hints on how to tailor their messages to voters in the next presidential campaign, which in this case will be in 2028.

What are polls showing?

Approval of Trump’s performance is at an all-time low of 32 per cent, according to a September Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Domestic issues like rising consumer prices are likely to have an impact on the outcome of many races and could erode support for Republicans.

At the same time, there is evidence that Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting this year than Republicans. If early voting trends continue, it could point to a Democratic win in November.

There are also signs that Latino voters who veered to Trump in 2024 might be returning to Democrats because of frustration over the economy and some of Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics.

However, a landslide for the Democrats is far from assured. Republicans could benefit from continued scepticism towards Democrats, a Republican spending advantage on campaigns, and fears from moderate voters over some primary wins by left-wingers.

Recent midterm history

Recent history tells the story of the shockwaves a midterm election can produce.

In the 2010 midterms, during the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama, Republicans scored major victories, winning 63 additional House seats amid an underperforming US economy and weak support for Obama’s landmark healthcare reform legislation. Democrats lost their majority. In the Senate, they held onto control despite losing six seats.

The Republican wave was a “shellacking,” Obama lamented at the time. He subsequently faced Republican demands for significant reductions to non-defence spending.

Democrats returned the favour in 2018, with Trump in the White House. They gained a net total of 40 House seats, but lost a net two Senate seats.

This year’s elections also have races for governors in 36 of the 50 states and voting in nearly every state for seats in their state-level legislative bodies.
Currently, Republicans control 55pc of state legislative seats across the country, while Democrats hold 43.8pc, according to Ballotpedia.

Who will be speaker?

If Democrats manage to win the House, the next speaker second in line for the presidency after the vice president is likely to be Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York. He is currently the House Democratic leader.

Jeffries, who would become the first Black American to hold the powerful office, would be in a position to direct House committees to launch investigations into a range of controversial activities by Trump and his associates. Jeffries repeatedly has said Democrats would look into what he has called “unprecedented levels of corruption” during the Trump administration.

Jeffries also would steer Democrats’ legislative priorities through the House. He has said Democrats would focus on making healthcare, groceries, housing, energy and other costs more affordable.

A Republican win, on the other hand, would ensure that the speaker’s gavel remains in that party’s hands, either with current speaker Mike Johnson or whichever Republican prevails if he is challenged for the job. Republican priorities are likely to be focused on additional tax cuts, huge increases in defence spending, and deeper social safety net reductions, building on Trump’s 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Marquee races

Among the most-watched House races are Republican Representative Mike Lawler’s bid for reelection to a New York district that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won in her 2024 presidential campaign and an open seat in a Nebraska swing district where farmers and truckers face sharply higher fuel prices as a result of the US war against Iran.

Also high on Democrats’ list of House seats they hope to take from Republicans are two in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey.

Hovering over all of this are questions over whether Trump will try to meddle in the elections, which are administered by the 50 individual states.

Since 2020, he has repeatedly insisted there is widespread cheating in US elections, despite a lack of evidence. State election officials and Democrats in Congress have been preparing for possible legal challenges to any moves by his administration to try to intervene.

LAHORE: A special committee of the Punjab Assembly, chaired by MPA Samiullah Khan, came down hard on decades of government oversight failures after Lahore Gymkhana Club Chairman Salman Siddique conceded that the annual rent of Rs5,000 paid for over 100 acres of prime state land in the provincial capital was wholly inadequate.

Appearing before the committee alongside members of the club’s management, Mr Siddique expressed surprise at the nominal rate given the vast acreage involved and the club’s vastly improved financial footing. Contrasting the institution’s current financial standing with its constraints during the 1990s, he admitted that the club should be paying at least Rs10 million annually, while expressing willingness to cooperate with the ongoing inquiry and share records.

Committee members noted that this admission from the club’s own top leadership underscored the urgency of determining why successive state authorities allowed such a massive concession to persist without meaningful scrutiny. They stressed that the onus rested squarely on public institutions mandated to protect state land, enforce lease terms, and ensure transparent usage.

During the session, the member colonies of the board of revenue revealed that then chief minister Sardar Muhammad Arif Nakai, who was also a member of the club, had verbally directed the fixation of a token Rs5,000 annual rent for the lease extension in 1996, bypassing proper land valuation and relevant legal principles. Perturbed by how a mere verbal instruction could underpin such a major agreement, lawmakers demanded the complete documentary record detailing the legal authority and approval process behind the 1996 lease deed.

PA body constitutes fact-finding committee to frame specific queries, verify records, and present comprehensive report within 10 days

Emphasising that the land ultimately belongs to the people of Punjab, the committee was presented with estimates valuing the prime property between Rs76 billion and Rs218 billion. Members questioned the state’s failure to secure a fair public return on an asset of this scale and firmly rejected any notion that the club’s internal corporate governance shielded it from state oversight, maintaining that institutional autonomy cannot supersede accountability for public property.

Touching upon structural approvals, Mr Siddique affirmed that while the club fulfills its corporate and tax obligations under the Companies Act 2017, he has struggled to locate internal records regarding official building sanctions.

In response, lawmakers called for strict verification of sanctioned building plans, statutory permissions, and compliance with lease terms, raising safety concerns over structures lacking documented approvals.

On the issue of an independent state audit, Mr Siddique noted that the matter remains pending before the Supreme Court and assured adherence to its eventual verdict, a position echoed by management committee member Tasneem Noorani.

The panel also explored proposals aimed at broader public utility, such as opening the club’s cricket ground to the general public or relocating the facility near the Ring Road, while questioning why public funds were ever spent on an exclusive recreational club occupying state land.

To take the probe forward, the committee directed the Lahore Development Authority, Parks and Horticulture Authority, Federal Board of Revenue, and other relevant bodies to submit detailed jurisdictional reports.

Furthermore, a fact-finding committee headed by the Advocate General Punjab, comprising officials from the Board of Revenue, Metropolitan Corporation Lahore, Law department, Agriculture department, and the deputy commissioner, had been assigned to frame specific queries, verify records, and present a comprehensive report within ten days.

Concluding the session, the chairperson directed that legal questions stemming from the proceedings be forwarded to the high-powered Law Reforms Committee, headed by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, for joint deliberations aimed at fixing responsibility for oversight lapses and ensuring the lawful use of public land.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

Artificial intelligence has found critical security flaws in a major programming language called PHP, with many websites taken offline Thursday as organisations worldwide scramble to fend off would-be hackers.

As AI’s fast-advancing capabilities fuel concern over the increased risk of cyberattacks, here are some questions and answers about the situation: What is PHP and how widely used is it? Created in the early 1990s, PHP is a computer programming language that helps run an estimated 70 per cent of the world’s websites.

It is “a backbone of the web”, according to security firm Wiz Research, which says it used AI to find vulnerabilities hidden in PHP for more than a decade.

PHP — a name that originally stood for Personal Home Page — underpins popular web design platforms, meaning the flaws could allow hackers to break into various sites, from online stores to government services.

A fix was released Wednesday, with the PHP Foundation telling the tech departments of companies and organisations around the world: “If you run PHP, it is imperative that you update now.”

That has resulted in a slew of apps and websites — from the Paris police website to a Pokemon sleep tracker — going dark as developers work to protect their underlying code from hacks.

How did AI find the flaws? Cutting-edge AI models, such as those from US giants OpenAI and Google, were used by Wiz and other groups to uncover PHP’s weak spots in August.

This was kept under wraps while a fix was developed.

OpenAI called the flaws “one of the most impactful vulnerabilities in recent memory”, adding that it “marks a new phase, where AI can find security bugs with internet-scale impact”.

Separately to Wiz, security firm Calif found the flaws as part of an OpenAI-funded audit of PHP’s code.

“The trouble with tools like AI is that the moment all the information’s out there, people can weaponise it very, very quickly,”

Steve Kerrison, senior lecturer in cybersecurity at the Singapore campus of James Cook University, told AFP.

“That’s why everybody’s acting with such urgency to respond to this issue.”

Have sites already been hacked? “Taking websites offline does not necessarily mean they have been hacked.”

“It can be a responsible measure to protect systems while security updates are applied,” said Dimitrios Salampasis from Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology.

So far “the evidence that security researchers are seeing is that nobody was actively performing attacks using the techniques available”, Kerrison said.

Larger institutions, from government agencies to news outlets, should be able to fix their websites relatively quickly — but others may be left vulnerable.

“There are sites, systems and people out there who will have no idea about this and still won’t for days, weeks and months,” Kerrison warned.

That may include user-run blogs that could be used to spread computer viruses, spam people or distribute malicious content.

Could there be other consequences? A data breach could affect customers in the future if their personal information is used in so-called “phishing” attacks, where someone is tricked into revealing their password to an online service.

The complex and interlinked nature of online systems, which often use third-party interfaces, means some vulnerabilities could remain even after the problem is fixed.

If the third parties use PHP, “then even though you patched yourself… you’re still unsecure”, said Rahat Masood, senior lecturer in cyber security at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

PHP isn’t everything, however — strong cybersecurity measures should include several layers of defences, Kerrison said.

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Header image: Unplugged LAN network cables at a computer server, as cyber agencies warn that websites may be taken offline while PHP prepares a critical fix, in Berlin, Germany, on October 21, 2026. —Reuters

• Mental health experts explain how diseased mind perceives and rationalises the extreme act
• Identify socio-economic distress, anguish, despair and mental health conditions as key factors
• Stress that psychiatric conditions are treatable with therapy and medication

KARACHI: How could one spouse persuade the other to participate in a joint suicide and kill their own children?

Two recent incidents in Karachi, in which parents allegedly killed their own children and a household member before ending their own lives, make answering this troubling question particularly urgent.

In September, the decomposed bodies of a doctor, his wife and their three daughters were found in a locked apartment in Ahsanabad.

This month, five members of another family were found dead inside a locked portion in Gulshan-i-Hadeed. While investigations are still underway, police authorities treat both cases as suspected murder-suicides.

When mental health experts were asked to address this troubling question of how someone could persuade their spouse to participate in such an extreme act, they explained the psychiatric and psychological conditions that could lead up to such acts.

The experts also pointed to severe socio-economic distress, rising unemployment, and a lack of accessible crisis support systems.

Speaking to Dawn, senior psychiatrist and retired Brigadier Dr Shoaib Ahmed, Executive Director of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Institute of Behavioural Sciences of Dow University of Health Sciences, said: “When someone is moving towards suicide, their mind does not work the way a mentally healthy person’s mind does.

“In such cases, when couples find themselves completely overwhelmed by severe poverty and relentless socioeconomic issues, they often reach a breaking point,” he said, adding: “The amount of pressure and the multitude of issues become too much for them to deal with, which is why they move towards suicide.”

Addressing the specific nature of joint suicides, Dr Ahmed discussed suicide pacts — an agreement made between more than one individual facing extreme distress. He said that while such occurrences happen worldwide under severe circumstances, they stem from a profound sense of helplessness.

“In extreme cases, couples not only choose to end their own lives to escape a world of torment but also tragically decide to take their children’s lives as well, in what they perceive as an act of mercy killing,” the senior psychiatrist said.

Driven by despair, they rationalise that leaving their children behind without any parental support in a painful world would only expose them to further suffering, effectively viewing the devastating act through a distorted lens of mercy, Dr Ahmed added.

The senior psychiatrist warned that financial pressures, job drain among educated professionals, and escalating poverty are pushing individuals to the brink of hopelessness.

However, Dr Ahmed added that the psychiatric conditions are treatable with therapy and medication.

‘Susceptibility’

Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Dr Usama Bin Zubair believes that brain chemistry can play a role in suicidal thoughts, but suicide is rarely explained by “brain chemistry alone”. Responding to Dawn queries on the telephone, the CEO of Pakistan Institute of Mental Health, Rawalpindi, explained biological, psychological and social factors behind such suicides.

“The issue spans biological, psychological, and social dimensions,” Dr Zubair said.

Shedding light on suicide pacts and cult suicides, in which even hundreds of people die by suicide together, he said that there is also the concept of rational suicide.

“In rational suicide, couples mutually decide that their life’s hardships have become far greater than death itself,” Dr Zubair explained.

It is a situation where a person believes, after thinking about their circumstances, that ending their life is a logical or reasonable choice. He said personality factors also play a critical role, including susceptibility, where one partner suggests the act and the other possesses a personality inclined to follow.

‘Contagious anxiety’

Responding to the question of why neither partner in a couple would stop the other from carrying out such an act, senior Clinical Psychologist and Counsellor Atia Fareed spoke about contagious anxiety and shared psychological distress, explaining the dynamics of joint suicide pacts.

“Anxiety is often considered a contagious, catching illness in our society. If someone is dealing with mental health issues in a household, its effects invariably bleed into the lives of everyone living there,” the psychologist warned.

“When both partners are suffering from extreme mental agony, neither is capable of pulling the other out of danger. Instead of offering hope, they can drag each other deeper into despair because both individuals become so profoundly incapacitated that neither is in a position to help the other.”

She said that growing hopelessness can compel a couple to validate each other’s destructive thoughts.

However, she added that the recent Karachi incidents constitute a “murder-suicide” by an individual rather than a collective “mass suicide”.

“True mass suicide requires mutual consensus among all participants,” the clinical psychologist stressed.

Dominant personality or mental illness

“There are two possibilities. Both individuals may be experiencing mental illness, though not necessarily to the same degree,” said senior Psychiatrist Dr Syed Abdurrehman.

Alternatively, one person’s mental illness may cause significant stress for the other family members, creating a shared psychological impact, added the managing director of the Karachi Psychiatric Hospital.

“The dominant personality in a family can also influence others. A husband can affect his wife, just as a mother can affect her children”.

He added that when parents decide that the entire family should die, it may be because both are experiencing mental illness, or because one person’s strong psychological influence affects the other.

“Brain chemical imbalances or any other cause, like genetic inheritance of a disease, are also very major causes,” Dr Abdurrehman added.

Social and economic pressures

Psychiatrist Dr Bilal Zafar also agreed with the experts’ views.

The director of Willing Ways, originally founded as Sadaqat Clinic, said severe financial crises, debt, profound loneliness, despair, and a sense of helplessness could drive people to take such drastic steps.

“A disturbed brain understands this as the only way out — to end life,” Dr Bilal Zafar added.

“Secondly, husbands and wives have a deep relationship. The thoughts of one can affect the other. If one is hopeless, the other automatically absorbs that hopelessness by watching them and also becomes hopeless.”

While financial pressures are significant stressors, reducing complex mental health crises strictly to economic factors is misleading and dangerous, the expert added.

The experts believe that in such cases, families and friends often overlook warning signs such as social withdrawal, isolation, and significant changes in behaviour. Families and friends bear a critical responsibility to monitor their loved ones for such symptoms, they added. They also stress the need to move past social stigmas, maintain open lines of communication with distressed loved ones, and ensure access to affordable, professional psychiatric help before minor psychological struggles escalate into crises.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

IN the two days before writing this column, I had the pleasure of being immersed in a series of discussions in Islamabad on all things related to taxes in Pakistan.

Hosted by the finance ministry and the IMF, the discussions brought together senior practitioners, advisers, and stakeholders for a detailed, high-level debate on what all needs to change in Pakistan’s tax system for it to play a more enabling role in undergirding stability for the private sector and promoting growth rather than being a drag on it.

What struck me during the discussions was the large gulf between the community of experts the IFIs bring to the tax conversation and the people who legislate and oversee the making and implementation of tax policy in Pakistan. The gulf is evident in how they approach the question of tax, the priorities they bring to the table, how they measure success, and the language they use to talk about taxes.

The experts present — sadly, the content of the discussions was “off the record”, so only broad themes can be discussed here — emphasised sustained commitment, balanced compliance, and measuring outcomes, “not activity”. Special emphasis was put on the harmonisation of GST, predictability of policy, and the mutually reinforcing dynamic between various tax heads — for example, how a properly administered GST can help strengthen income tax as well. FBR representatives underlined their tax reform efforts. However, participants still pointed out that the base remains narrow, that withholding plays an outsize role — one of the charts showed how 90 per cent of withholding taxes are collected under 10 heads only — and that this role is increasing. There was broad consensus that Pakistan’s tax system remains inequitable, riddled with “distortions”, and serves more as a drag on growth and investment than as their promoter.

It is surprising how underdeveloped the template governing data disclosure on revenues is.

There is a reason why this is so. The priorities that have shaped Pakistan’s tax system over the years differ from what tax experts suggest it should serve. In Pakistan, raw revenue is the metric of success — and not efficiency, buoyancy, or the self-reinforcing elements of tax administration. Tax policy responds heavily to voice in the system. Over the years, it has evolved along the path of least resistance, so to speak, causing the bulk of the burden of generating new revenue to fall on those with no voice, or the least organised voice, in the system. Even in the section of industry that likes to highlight the quantum of its contribution to the revenue effort, it is highly probable that the bulk of the taxes are passed through to their consumer base rather than being borne by the owners and controllers of capital. Over the years, this course has led to a tax system that is highly regressive, very concentrated, barely buoyant, and heavily reliant on withholding as the basis for its collection.

As participants grappled with the vexing question of tax reform in Pakistan, I felt one modest but concrete proposal might help refocus the conversation on evidence rather than emotion. Given how central the question is to Pakistan’s economic future, it is surprising how underdeveloped the template governing data disclosure on revenues is. The monthly revenue collection data we all see reported in the newspapers is informally taken by reporters from unnamed FBR sources and is often inconsistent.

We only see revenue-collection data when the Fiscal Operations data is released every quarter, but even then it provides only headline numbers, and its release frequency is too low to be useful. One thing that is sorely needed in Pakistan is a more robust, mandatory data release template for the FBR, with monthly frequency at the very least, if not more often.

The IMF should use its access to the highest levels of government to urge that monthly data releases on revenue collection become mandatory for the FBR. The World Bank should offer its expertise to help develop this template, with uniform accounting conventions governing matters such as how to treat withheld refunds and how to break down the releases. Hence, they serve as a meaningful source for discerning the direction of the fiscal outlook during the fiscal year. The government should legislate this requirement and make any necessary modifications to FBR rules to ensure that a dedicated team is always at work within the tax authority, gathering, compiling, and preparing the next data release as per a predetermined schedule.

While we’re at it, let’s also mandate a similar release requirement on the finance ministry on expenditures. Q Block already submits a monthly statement of all expenditures to the IMF, as per the accounting treatment given by the IMF itself. It would be relatively simple to make this public. There is no good reason not to do so. And many participants at the conference did point out that the question of revenue is connected to that of expenditure.

The bad practices that characterise much of Pakistan’s tax system are a symptom of the environment in which tax policy is administered. That environment is riddled with discretionary powers whose sway in the tax bureaucracy is at the root of a lot of what ails the tax effort. The best antidote to discretionary powers is daylight, or transparency. Open a window. Let the light of day shine in the otherwise dark rooms in which the tax machinery is used to operating. Let them grow accustomed to the discipline a regular data-release template brings. Let them answer the questions that will naturally arise once the data starts to flow. And watch the tax conversation find the rails it needs to ride into the future.

The writer is a business and economy journalist.
khurram.husain@gmail.com
X: @khurramhusain

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

THE World Bank’s Reclaiming Momentum Towards Prosperity report presents a sobering reality: poverty has climbed back to 25.3 per cent on the national line; and close to 45pc of Pakistanis fall below the bank’s new $4.20-a-day threshold.

Stabilising our way into deeper poverty has exposed the limits of conventional macroeconomic management. Speaking last week at the International Conference on Inclusive and Resilient Economic Empowerment and Growth, organised by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund in Islamabad, I put one question at the centre: how do we break this cycle?

Accelerating growth requires recognising where real growth originates. Pakistan’s largest capital investment of this decade never appeared in a Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), Annual Development Programme (ADP), or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). Farmers, shopkeepers and households imported about 17 gigawatts of solar panels in 2024, and the same again in 2025. No PC-1. No donor. No climate finance unit. They used their own savings, because diesel costs and the unwinding of unsustainable energy subsidies made it rational.

The lesson for macroeconomic policy is direct. Prolonged, distorted subsidies are not a safety net. They are an obstacle to citizen-led growth. When fiscal pressure forced the state to pare them back, citizens moved faster than planners to protect their own balance sheets. The state’s response was to tax panel imports and revise net-metering terms. So when we ask how planning can accelerate growth, we should first admit that citizens are already ahead of the plan. The question is whether the state will remove the friction in their way or keep chasing donors. Three shifts would make the difference.

Unpriced risk: Macroeconomic stability cannot survive risk that no one has priced. Pakistan already has a climate budget. It is not the one captured by the recently introduced climate budget tagging. It is the one written after each disaster. Major floods now produce post-disaster needs assessments, reconstruction budgets, and emergency appeals. That is our real climate expenditure: unplanned and largely borrowed — a permanent drag on fiscal space. The fix is not more tagging of development spending. It is pricing climate risk before it arrives.

Pakistan already has a climate budget — the one written after each disaster.

In practice, this means treating climate losses as a contingent liability of each province, the way we already treat circular debt and SOE guarantees. The Fiscal Risk Statement mentions disasters but puts no number on them. Each province can estimate its average annual loss from floods, heat, and drought, and appropriate a share of it every year as an expected cost. Budget theorists call this ‘expected-value budgeting’. A loss that is budgeted becomes a decision. A loss that is not budgeted becomes a bailout, often paid through the Benazir Income Support Programme’s emergency transfers.

Maintenance first: Economic productivity depends on assets that work. That makes resilience a maintenance problem before it is a development problem. Embankments, drains, canals, and roads do not fail because nobody built them. They fail because their recurrent budgets are starved. Yet our economic conversation stays inside the development budget. The federal PSDP alone carries a throw-forward of about Rs11 trillion, and new schemes keep joining the queue, while existing assets go unmaintained. The ADP builds the embankment. The operations and maintenance line decides whether it holds. Protecting maintenance allocations for water assets would preserve existing capital and buy more resilience per rupee than most new projects.

One can see where local money is actually spent. The most local spending stream is not an SDG-linked programme. It is the parliamentarians’ development schemes: tube-wells, link roads, drains, and culverts. They are quick, uncoordinated, and climate-blind. Nobody screens them. A single check asking whether the asset will survive the next monsoon would protect more local capital than every formal climate project combined. Green growth at the local level will not come from specialised projects. It will come when ordinary public spending stops creating new fiscal liabilities.

District arithmetic: Growth targets fail when they stay abstract. The NDC is written in tonnes of carbon and gigawatts. A district plans in culverts, acres, and tube-wells. Nobody has done the translation. A union council cannot own or deliver a national target expressed in metrics it does not know.

The first mechanism is a translation layer. Each district needs a short climate investment and growth plan that converts national targets into local units: acres under laser levelling and drip irrigation, tube-wells solarised, kilometres of drains cleared. Once a target is counted in local units, a local official can be held accountable for it.

The second mechanism is money that rewards performance instead of rescuing failure. Versions of this model already work elsewhere. A district that sets up its own climate fund and meets basic public financial management standards qualifies for performance-based grants spent on investments its communities choose. Money follows institutions, not proposals. Pakistan could pilot this in 10 of its most flood-exposed districts through provincial finance commission transfers, with the grant rising as each district meets its conditions. That is local ownership with a test attached.

The third mechanism is creditworthiness. Local growth stays dependent on donor projects because no district or municipal body can borrow or issue a municipal bond. None has a balance sheet, an asset inventory, audited accounts, or a credit rating. A provincial pooled financing facility could bundle bankable projects, such as solar for water supply, municipal waste, and cold storage, and raise capital against the pool. The precondition is unglamorous: audited accounts and own-source revenue at local level. Investors do not lend to plans. They lend to entities with a record.

The fourth point is simpler. For most local investment, the bottleneck is not finance. It is permission. A solar mini-grid needs a Disco connection and a Nepra licence. A restoration project needs a land lease. A water scheme needs water rights. Locally owned investment needs a single district window for permissions before it needs another fund.

In all: price the loss before the flood. Fund maintenance before new projects. Count targets in district units. Make municipalities bankable. Citizens have already shown, panel by panel, even when they are below the poverty line, that they will finance their own resilience. The state cannot lead them, but can stop taxing their initiative and carry the risks they cannot.

The writer is a climate expert.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

THERE had been much speculation about what exactly the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement entails, other than general commitments about the collective defence of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.

But with the release of the text of the 16-article agreement, there is now some clarity about its objectives. While Article 2 says that an “externally originating armed attack” on any of the signatories will be considered an attack on all, triggering the right of self-defence under the UN Charter, the agreement is silent on offensive action.

This should settle questions about the extent of involvement of the pact allies in the ongoing Saudi-Houthi war, and any future engagement. That it is a purely defensive arrangement was also echoed by the Turkish foreign minister.

He stressed it was not an “offensive agreement”, and ruled out sending his country’s troops to a foreign theatre. Other salient features of the pact include joint defence production, intelligence sharing and the interoperability of forces. Such clarity is welcome. While the defence of Saudi Arabia is important, Pakistan, Turkiye, and other regional states should continue efforts to find a negotiated solution to the Yemen conflict — both between the Saudis and Houthis and within Yemen.

In a related development, Pakistan’s chief of defence forces was in Tehran on Tuesday to try and prevent further escalation on the war front. The message from Tehran is that the US should accept Iran’s seven-point proposal if talks are to restart. A key Iranian demand is a ceasefire on all fronts, the end of the American blockade, lifting of sanctions, and the release of the Islamic Republic’s funds. However, despite the efforts of Pakistan and others, there are troubling noises coming from Washington and Tel Aviv.

The abrasive US war secretary — who is no proponent of peace and dialogue — was recently in Israel, while the Israeli prime minister, who will be fighting for his political survival in next week’s elections, has said he and President Donald Trump need to ‘eliminate’ the “Iranian regime”.

Even the sincerest effort to bring peace to the Gulf, Yemen, and the wider Middle East will come to naught if the US and Israel continue with their provocative behaviour. A strike on Iran after the Israeli and US elections would be a massive blunder, and if there are any mature advisers left in Washington, they should talk the US president out of making any such move, besides warning Tel Aviv against such arrogant action. Iran may be under pressure, but as the past several months have shown, it has the capacity to withstand considerable pain inflicted on it by the US and Israel. Fresh aggression can kick off a firestorm that will be in no one’s control, hence it is best to abandon such reckless plans.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Ministry of Law and other respondents on a petition challenging the appointments of the bureau’s Deputy Chairman Ihtesham Qadir Shah and Prosecutor General Sohail Nasir, while directing the petitioner to produce documentary evidence that the two did not meet the legal requirements for their posts.

Justice Umair Majid Malik, who heard the petition filed by Advocate Dr G.M. Chaudhry, observed that the petitioner had “completely ruined the entire case” after he argued that Mr Nasir had improperly described himself as a former judge despite having served only as an additional judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Justice Malik remarked with a smile, “In that case, you might as well remove our badges too, as we are also currently serving as additional judges.”

‘Lack qualifications’

In his petition, filed in the nature of quo warranto, Dr Chaudhry challenged the appointments of the NAB deputy chairman and prosecutor general, arguing that Mr Shah did not meet the qualifications prescribed under Section 7(aa) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999.

The petitioner contended that Mr Shah had previously served as NAB prosecutor general, a position that did not qualify him as a federal government officer in Grade 21 or its equivalent. He also argued that Mr Shah was neither an armed forces officer holding the rank of major general nor its equivalent.

Regarding Mr Nasir, the petitioner argued that he did not meet the criteria under Section 8(a) of the NAO, which requires a NAB prosecutor general to be qualified for appointment as a Supreme Court judge.

He said Mr Nasir had served as a sessions judge before being appointed an additional judge of the LHC, but was not confirmed. The petitioner maintained that he therefore did not meet the requirements under Article 177(2) of the Constitution.

Notices were also issued on miscellaneous applications seeking to restrain the NAB deputy chairman and prosecutor general from performing their duties and to summon the records of their appointments.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

ISLAMABAD: Failure to address the underlying disputes that engender crises between Pakistan and India could lead to more dangerous confrontations in the future, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee warned on Wednesday.

“Terminating a crisis without addressing its root causes only sets the stage for the next, more dangerous conflict,” retired Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat said at the concluding session of the second Islamabad Non-Proliferation Conference, organised by the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI).

Ex-CJCSC warns against ignoring Kashmir dispute, Indus treaty suspension

He said that in the subcontinent, the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir could not be wished away or reduced to an administrative matter. “Similarly, water cannot be converted from a shared necessity into an instrument of power and pressure,” he said while stressing the need for resolution of the Kashmir dispute and restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Gen Hayat warned that repeated crises between the nuclear-armed neighbours could become increasingly dangerous if unresolved disputes, diminishing restraint and the absence of sustained political dialogue continued to undermine regional security.

Referring to the May 2025 conflict, he said Pakistan had demonstrated its military capabilities and political control through a calibrated response that denied India a unilateral fait accompli without pursuing an unlimited war.

“The larger lesson is not that conflict between two nuclear-armed neighbours can be made routine; it is that there is no tested and certified safe space for war,” he said, warning that future crises would involve different leaders, emerging technologies and shorter decision-making timelines, heightening the risk of miscalculation.

He said South Asia lacked an inclusive regional security framework, effective crisis-management mechanisms and sustained political dialogue. “The region lives between deterrence that prevents the worst and disputes that repeatedly regenerate danger,” he said.

Gen Hayat warned unverified allegations could trigger conflict before the facts were established, with a future confrontation potentially arising from an accident rather than a deliberate state decision. He cited the continuing Operation Sindoor in this context.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026

• Coalition downs six drones launched towards cities, including Madina, as interception debris kills two • Rebels deny ‘deep operations’ in Saudi territory
• Iran says Egypt entering Yemen war makes situation ‘more difficult’
• Macron arrives in Riyadh for ‘surprise solidarity visit’

RIYADH: As the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement continues to escalate, the Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday said it had intercepted six drones launched towards the kingdom, including in the Madina region.

“Four drones launched towards the kingdom have been intercepted and destroyed,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki posted on X, adding in a second post that the interceptions took place in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern region as well as Madina.

Al-Malki, who did not specify who was behind the launches, later said drones had been intercepted, also in the eastern region. The Houthis denied having targeted the kingdom, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying their forces had not carried out any “deep” operations in Saudi territory.

The Saudi energy ministry said that falling debris from the successful interception of a drone targeting an oil facility “resulted in the deaths of two individuals, a Filipino and a Nepali, and injuries to two others”. It did not say who launched the drone aimed at Shaybah oil field near the UAE border.

Within Yemen, the Houthis claimed an attack on Wednesday on a military camp near the airport in the southern city of Aden, where the Yemeni government is based.

“Our armed forces were able to target the Saudi enemy’s operations room in the Badr camp in Aden with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

A government military source and a local official told Reuters the group also attacked Riyan airport in the southeastern coastal city of Mukalla. “The Houthis used missiles and drones to target a military base housing forces from the Saudi-led coalition at Al Rayyan airport,” one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP. Saree said the group had targeted “military equipment transported by the Saudi enemy via military cargo planes to Al Rayyan airport”.

Egypt to support Saudis

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that Cairo’s proposed military support for Riyadh was to “defend Saudi territory, and does not include an attack on Yemen,” state-linked media reported.

Al-Qahera News, which is closely linked to state intelligence and is to broadcast a speech by Sisi, reported that he also said “the stability of our brothers in the Gulf concerns Egypt’s national security”. The speech itself has not yet been aired by Wednesday night.

Egypt’s parliament on Monday delayed a debate on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s request to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia until next week.

Sisi had asked lawmakers to approve military support for Saudi Arabia if requested by the kingdom, which has come under near-daily attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.

Iran warns against interference

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that any interference in the Yemen war by Egypt or any other country would make the situation “more difficult”. “Egypt has sufficient experience to avoid entangling itself in such a highly complex conflict,” said Iran’s top diplomat in an interview with Iraqi state broadcaster Al-Iraqiya aired on Tuesday. “We believe that any foreign presence or interference will only make resolving this issue more difficult,” Mr Araghchi noted. He added that Egypt has said it “will not enter Yemen or engage in a war against Yemen”.

The decade-plus war between the Iran-backed Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government reignited in July.

Macron meets MbS

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh in a surprise “solidarity” visit, and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Macron is the first Western leader to visit since the Houthis intensified their attacks on the kingdom this month.

The trip is part of a Gulf tour to secure diesel and petrol supplies as Macron seeks to bring down energy prices following violent protests in France sparked by rising living costs that have created a political crisis for the president.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026