DAWN Editorials - 16th february2025

[faheemustad]

Childhood trauma

BEING a child in this society should not be so hard. But recurrent reports of child abuse — from burying girl children alive to torturing a 12-year-old domestic worker to death for consuming her employers’ chocolate — point to a pervasive malaise. The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has, yet again, expressed concern over the escalation in cases of child abduction, murder, rape and trafficking across the country. In 2024, according to the Sindh police chief, some 289 kidnapping cases were registered, with 266 incidents of runaway children; 37 children in Karachi were killed, and there were 209 complaints of child abuse, involving 117 boys and 96 girls. The child kidnapping statistics from Punjab are even more unsettling: the crime rose from 2,339 cases in 2022 to 2,448 in 2023. If such dire circumstances do not evoke greater action from the state and the citizenry, what will?

The government knows what to do: campaigning for better parenting, ending patterns of family violence, creating safe school and madressah conditions, and establishing a trained front-line force tasked with rescuing children in high-risk settings. But it seems hesitant to accept that the sickness requires active treatment. As a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Pakistan should not show such prolonged lethargy. Lawmakers need to spring into action to ensure that our children do not suffer in silence, that they have agency, respect and safety. Child rights are mandatory for a humane society; childhood trauma results in lifelong susceptibility to mental illness, drug use, stress, poor focus and violence, making individuals inept at adapting their emotional reactions to people and situations. Sadly, progress has been negligible because no government has kept pace with the scale of the problem. As Nelson Mandela said: “Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and investment.”

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025


Welcome return

IT is almost here; the moment Pakistan has long been waiting for — the first International Cricket Council tournament on its soil since it co-hosted the 1996 One-day International World Cup. The dry runs of the recently renovated stadiums in Lahore and Karachi have been successfully completed during the tri-nations series, and although concerns remain about the national team’s form, the country is ready to usher in the cricketing world. The mood somewhat soured when India refused to send its team. Its matches were subsequently shifted to the UAE after an agreement that will see Pakistan, too, play its matches on neutral ground when tournaments are held across the border. But the rest of the teams are beginning to arrive; New Zealand and South Africa are already here, and have had a taste of what the new stadiums have to offer during the tri-nations series that ended on Friday. It truly marks the return of international cricket to the country, almost six years after foreign teams resumed their tours to Pakistan following the attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in 2009. The Pakistan Cricket Board, which renovated the stadiums in the three host cities just months before Feb 19 when the Champions Trophy is due to begin, must be applauded. The facelift means that fans flocking to the venues will have a more immersive experience than previously. Therefore, there has been a great demand for tickets: long queues outside selling points reflect people’s passion for the sport.

However, in the run-up to the tournament, it was disappointing to see swathes of empty seats at Karachi’s National Bank stadium during the tri-nation series final between Pakistan and New Zealand. The result was disappointing too; Pakistan’s sloppiness in the field as well as in their decision-making contributed to a five-wicket loss. It was Pakistan’s second defeat to New Zealand — the side they take on in the Champions Trophy opener next week — in the tri-nation series, having also been thrashed in the round-robin stage of the tournament. It was thanks to a record run chase against South Africa that took them to the final where Mohammad Rizwan’s men came up short — two dropped catches and a missed review proving costly. New Zealand have made a statement. Pakistan need to make one on Wednesday to show they mean business.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025


Maintaining balance

THERE are good reasons to be wary. With a new US administration under Donald Trump consolidating its grip on that nation’s foreign policy, there is uncertainty about the short- to medium-term future of Pakistan-US ties.

Recent developments give cause for concern. The Foreign Office has been compelled to publicly express its concerns regarding the outcomes of a recent meeting between President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Specifically, Islamabad is worried about Mr Trump’s offer to sell advanced military technologies, such as F-35 jets, to India, which has implications for Pakistan’s national defence.

It is also indignant that the joint communiqué issued after the meeting has called for Pakistan to “expeditiously bring to justice” those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the Pathankot incident and called for Pakistani territory to not be used for cross-border terrorism. Such references are “one-sided” and “misleading”, the FO has said.

Meanwhile, the US has nominated S. Paul Kapur, a scholar of Indian origin known for his hawkish views on Pakistan, to be its representative for South and Central Asia. Mr Kapur would be the latest addition to a bevy of strong critics of Pakistan in the new administration. His nomination is already being seen in some circles as a sign of Washington’s souring view of Islamabad’s policies.

Then there are vocal groups of Pakistani expatriates in the US who rallied behind Mr Trump during his campaign and have been pushing for the new administration to take a harder line on Islamabad’s internal policies. All of these factors seem to give the impression that the regime in Islamabad is in the unenvious position of being forced to once again ‘prove’ its utility for US policymakers.

There is no question that Pakistan’s concerns regarding India are valid. New Delhi seems to once again be leveraging economic heft to avoid accountability for its own involvement in running global assassination and terrorism networks, while at the same time using its engagements with foreign partners to shift blame publicly onto Pakistan.

Islamabad should not stand by idly as India plays this game; it must take a more proactive approach to establishing Pakistan’s bona fides. It is regrettable that despite Pakistan’s long engagement in the global war against terrorism and its continuing counterterrorism cooperation with the US, the steep price its people have paid in social and economic terms is still not recognised or appreciated.

Clearly, we need to rethink our foreign and security policies to bring them closer to the expectations of foreign allies while keeping national interests supreme.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025