Express Tribune Editorials 12th March 2025

[danish]

Panchayat writ
Despite improvements in education and awareness of rights, the tribal court system continues to mete out injustice across the country. The latest example of 'elders' proving that age does not always bring wisdom occurred in the rural Bhagwani Shumali area of Dera Ismail Khan in K-P.


A local man committed suicide after a panchayat ordered him to marry off his 11-year-old daughter over the "insult" caused by one of the man's nephews having the gall to speak with a woman from an 'influential' family. The panchayat had already extorted Rs700,000 from the man before forcing him to 'sign away' his daughter on stamp paper — which would still not make any marriage legal as the child is 11, and provincial law requires any girl getting married to be at least 16. It is also worth noting that the girl was already in the panchayat's "custody".

While the police have started making arrests, several members of the panchayat and their enablers are still free. Even if all of the people involved are arrested, there is no guarantee that they will get their comeuppance. Local courts have been worryingly lax in their enforcement of penalties relating to forced marriage, and even when perpetrators have faced justice, the penalties in the relevant laws are comically lax - one month in jail and a Rs1,000 fine.

For justice to be served in the short run, prosecutors must also build their case on extortion and pushing the man to commit suicide, both of which carry more significant jail time and fines. In the long run, K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandpur, whose electoral constituency is just a few kilometres away from where the incident took place, needs to push through reforms to provincial child marriage and forced marriage laws, unlike his predecessors, who all cowered before pressure from 'religious parties'.

The federal government should also do its part by arresting and prosecuting people who promote or defend illegal and immoral practices such as child marriage, making use of its otherwise much-criticised recent curbs on free speech.

Perils of negligence
Another life was lost on Monday at the Chest Surgery Unit of Mayo Hospital due to an alleged adverse drug reaction, sending shockwaves through the ward. Fourteen other patients remain in critical condition after being administered the same injection, raising serious concerns about the safety protocols - or lack thereof - governing medical procedures in public hospitals.

The incident unfolded late Sunday when at least 16 patients received the injection and collapsed soon after. A young girl succumbed within two hours, and then a 28-year-old man the following day. These deaths are a glaring indictment of the systemic flaws plaguing Pakistan's healthcare sector.


This is not the first time substandard or improperly administered drugs have wreaked havoc. In 2012, dozens of cardiac patients at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology died after receiving contaminated medicine. Despite such past disasters, regulatory oversight remains inadequate, and accountability is often elusive.

It is appalling that despite past incidents of drug-related fatalities in public hospitals, no concrete measures have been taken to prevent such disasters. Was the injectable drug properly tested and approved? Were the hospital staff trained to administer it correctly? Or did a lack of oversight allow substandard medicine to be used on unsuspecting patients?

These are not questions to be brushed aside; they demand immediate answers. An independent inquiry should be launched immediately to determine the source of the negligence, whether it lies with the pharmaceutical supplier, the hospital administration, or the medical staff. Moreover, there is an urgent need for stringent drug quality control and a foolproof monitoring mechanism to prevent such disasters in the future.

Public hospitals are meant to be sanctuaries for the sick, not places where medical treatment becomes a gamble. Until systemic reforms are enforced, patients will continue to pay the price for a broken healthcare system.

Epicentre of terror
Pakistan has done some plain-talking at the UNSC by driving attention of the world community towards the unbridled terror fissures emanating from Afghanistan. In a carefully worded and well-substantiated presentation, Munir Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, denounced Kabul for providing safe havens to militants, and made no qualms about pointing out that TTP has outgrown as an umbrella entity in the region.

The fugitive body, holed inside Afghanistan with an estimated 6,000 fighters, is rapidly gaining strength by striking alliances with other terror outfits. The Al Qaeda, ISK , BLA, Majeed Brigade and many others are in cahoots with the TTP, rendering a serious threat to peace and security in the region and beyond. This cluster of 20 groups, unfortunately, seems to operate scot-free as Kabul has not lived up to its promise of exterminating this nuisance.


The Taliban 2.0 refuse to realise that these militants are an existential threat to them too. As they go on to intensify attacks on Pakistan, as is evident from a spike in terrorism in the year 2024 to almost 45%, they are ruining the prospects of geo-economics. That is why Pakistan's UN representative honed the point that Taliban authorities are found complicit in their cross-border attacks.

The way forward, as proposed by Ambassador Akram, is a stronger and well-coordinated counter-terrorism mechanism. Pakistan has always been at the vanguard in netting high-profile terrorists, and recent arrest of the Kabul Airport bombing suspect and his extradition to the US is a case of its sincerity.

It is altogether important because weapons capable of mass destruction were recovered from TTP bases in Pakistan, which were apparently abandoned by US forces during their hurried exit from Afghanistan.

The increasing volatility inside Pakistan, as well as the skirmishes witnessed at Torkham border, go on to confirm Akram's assessment that Kabul has a responsibility to shoulder. Rather than adopting an adamant attitude, Kabul should see reason and act immediately.