DAWN Editorials - 13th January 2025

[faheemustad]

Odious trade

WHEN home feels like a sinking ship, people are forced to make ill-fated journeys for a better life. Last month, numerous Pakistanis died in yet another Greek boat tragedy. According to the US State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, the Pakistani authorities fell far short of meeting minimum criteria in several important areas. For a country viewed as a human trafficking hub, the absence of an official database of victims and trafficking rings, coupled with the inability to ensure efficient investigation, expedient prosecution and conviction of traffickers, is not only alarming, it also fuels unbridled exploitation. In this bleak scenario, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s orders to take severe legal action against the human trafficking mafia, including the confiscation of their assets, are encouraging. But as necessary as it is to clamp down on trafficking networks who prey on poverty and desperation, it is equally crucial to reflect on the circumstances that compel citizens to risk their lives.

The vast and multilayered crime of human trafficking requires a wider, pre-emptive and result-driven strategy from the government. Battling complicit officials and powerful interests tops the list of major challenges — an insurmountable reality without unrelenting political commitment. Moreover, as influential perpetrators get away with the imposition of fines instead of incarceration, the on-ground enforcement of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018 remains insignificant, rendering it ineffective as a deterrent. Eradicating human trafficking is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. But estimates show that traffickers dupe thousands of Pakistanis every year due to acute poverty, lack of education, unemployment and violence. Hence, the prime minister’s call for technical training is a long shot because urgent financial support is any household’s priority. Besides, eliminating human traffickers begins with a toughened legal system and a security apparatus empowered enough to withstand political pressure. An invisible side of the odious practice is the growing web of digital trafficking — in 2023, reportedly, online syndicates made up to $37bn from targets across East and Southeast Asia. A UN report in October revealed that online gangs use AI as a weapon of deception. Pakistan’s anti-trafficking measures depend on the speed with which its fractured digital space is restored so that digital slavery rackets, and fraudulent charity enterprises, are successfully thwarted. In short, we must fight fire with fire.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2025


Treasure of the Indus

THE Indus dolphin, or bulhan as it is known locally, is a remarkable species found only in the Indus River. Unlike other dolphins, it is functionally blind, but has sophisticated sonar capabilities to navigate and hunt in our murky river waters. Its distinctive side-swimming and remarkable adaptations make it invaluable for scientific study and a critical indicator of river ecosystem health. Unfortunately, with a population of approximately 1,960, the bulhan remains critically endangered. Organisations like WWF-Pakistan and community volunteers have made significant strides in reversing its decline. Awareness campaigns have curbed harmful practices, such as killing dolphins for oil, and promoted dolphin-safe fishing. Volunteers also educate local communities on alternative livelihoods, such as kitchen gardening, to reduce dependence on fishing.

Current conservation efforts rely heavily on foreign NGOs, an unsustainable model that sidesteps state responsibility. The federal and provincial governments must take the lead. They must allocate dedicated funding, support research, and create permanent positions for local conservation officers rather than depending on volunteers. The private sector should pitch in with corporate social responsibility programmes focused on river conservation and eco-tourism development. These programmes can be incentivised by the government through tax benefits. For their part, communities along the Indus must participate in citizen science programmes to monitor dolphin populations and maintain riverbank habitats. Moreover, educational institutions should integrate river ecosystem studies into their curricula. This means not just textbook learning but hands-on field visits to the Indus, where students can participate in dolphin monitoring, understand river health indicators, and learn practical conservation techniques. Most crucially, Pakistan must develop its own cadre of marine biologists and conservation experts through specialised university programmes and research grants. The Indus dolphin isn’t merely a species to preserve — it’s a symbol of our ecological heritage. Its survival depends on collective action. We must come together to secure the future of this irreplaceable treasure of the Indus.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2025


Anything goes

IT seems that the dark days of the freewheeling internet have returned.

Two of the largest global social media companies have already abandoned important efforts and initiatives aimed at moderating speech on their platforms in a sign of their capitulation to alt-right mega-influencers and their war on ‘woke media’.

The backsliding seems to have started when multi-billionaire Elon Musk bought out Twitter in 2022, seemingly with an eye on leveraging its reach to influence the 2024 American presidential election. As part of his plan to remake the platform in his own image, part of which was to rename it ‘X’, Musk has gradually removed restrictions for accounts violating various platform policies, especially on racial, gender and religious equality. X has resultantly turned into a toxic cesspool of hate.


It may be recalled that US president-elect Donald Trump was barred from Twitter, Facebook and multiple other platforms following the brazen attack on the United States Capitol in January 2021. Now, with Mr Trump about to make a defiant re-entry into the most powerful office in the world, those tech companies seem to be scrambling to get back on his good side.

The new ‘X’, under Mr Musk, has already proven its loyalties by pushing Mr Trump’s campaign and getting him elected. This has earned it enough favour that Mr Musk has even been invited to join the new government. Meta now seems eager to catch up: it has announced that it is abandoning third-party fact-checking initiatives and easing moderation of sensitive topics because its founder believes Mr Trump’s election has signalled a “cultural tipping point” towards free speech over moderation.

There have been enough signs of what the future holds: on X, Mr Musk has, in recent weeks, led repeated attacks on immigrants, Muslims and British Pakistanis, using abhorrent crimes like child grooming and sexual violence to paint a highly offensive picture of these groups for millions of his followers. It seems that this trend will now spread on other social media platforms as well.

No matter how it is being window-dressed, the “cultural tipping point” in fact seems to be dangerously tilted towards out-and-out xenophobia endorsed by powerful moguls in America’s Silicon Valley.


Mainstream media, which has been relentlessly abused and discredited by the self-appointed shepherds of the social media masses, will need to resist going the same way merely to protect its interests. Indeed, we are now entering a period where responsible journalism and adherence to factual reporting will be critical in keeping the world sane as social media companies abdicate their responsibility and cosy up to the new regime.

Mainstream media must step up and embrace the responsibility of shaping global discourse, especially around flashpoint issues, in ways that prevent or at least limit harm to the alt-right’s targets.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2025