DAWN Editorials - 25th february2025

[faheemustad]

All out

PAKISTAN cricket captain Mohammad Rizwan’s assessment was brutal — it could not have been any other way. At their very own long-awaited home tournament, Pakistan were left lining up for the exit door.

A humbling loss to India on Sunday meant the Champions Trophy hosts were pointless after two matches, having also fallen in the tournament opener against New Zealand. Yet again, Pakistan were left without control of their destiny, relying on other results for survival.

Rizwan was clear that it was not the position he had envisaged his team would be in but that it was the harsh reality: Pakistan have become also-rans in a sport that enjoys the greatest patronage and support in the country. Their unceremonious exit was confirmed when New Zealand beat Bangladesh on Monday, and this will rankle. In their final group game against Bangladesh, Pakistan will be playing for nothing but pride.


In a tournament that was meant to be a celebration of Pakistani cricket and the team — not too long ago, Pakistan had won the One-day International series against Australia and South Africa — the side could not go far enough. The euphoria of hosting an international tournament for the first time in almost three decades has died. In sports, the celebration of any tournament lasts longer when the home team goes far. Understandably, fans here are left wondering whether the next tournament at home will give them reason to hope.

Pakistan had gone in as defending champions but went out with a whimper. Their selections were questionable; their approach was mediaeval. Pakistan seemed to be left behind in the evolutionary race of modern-day cricket.

Head coach and chief selector Aqib Javed, the man entrusted with turning around Pakistan’s fortunes, has been found wanting. Given the top roles after helping the national team mount a remarkable comeback in their Test series against England last year, his magic has faded. Unfortunate injuries also played their part. Pakistan went into the tournament without Saim Ayub and then lost Fakhar Zaman, but that is no excuse.

The India game had become a must-win but there seemed to be no urgency, no desire, and no inspiration. Pakistan’s big names were missing. Babar Azam departed just when he got going. Rizwan went just when Pakistan were getting a foothold into the game. The bowlers were treated with utter disdain by India’s batters. India were completely dominant — Rohit Sharma’s men made the fabled India-Pakistan cricketing rivalry lopsided.

Pakistan need to turn things around to become contenders once again. The onus falls on the Pakistan Cricket Board to ensure this. It invested huge sums of money in renovating the stadiums for the Champions Trophy. It should now invest some time and effort into rebuilding the national team.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025


Bearing the brunt

FOR the past several months, we have repeatedly been told by the prime minister and his cabinet that the government is ‘working hard’ to slash base electricity prices in a big way. For that, the government had also set up a task force, and staffed it with many sector experts, including a former caretaker minister, to ‘engage’ independent power producers, barring the ones that involved Chinese investment, to renegotiate their contracts in order to reduce the burden of capacity price payments on the tariffs. The task force, if we consider what the government has been saying all along, was also to suggest other measures, such as cuts in the myriad taxes on power consumers to substantially bring down electricity prices before the approaching summer months. But, instead of getting a tariff cut, media reports suggest that consumers might be paying an additional surcharge as the cost for the government’s plans to partly liquidate the power sector’s circular debt that has already soared to nearly Rs2.40tr.

The reports say that the government is “in talks” with the banks to obtain a loan from them to reduce the massive power sector debt by Rs1.24tr. The interest costs would be paid by consumers in the shape of a debt-servicing surcharge, the size of which would be determined by the interest rate to be charged by the banks in their monthly bills. With interest rates down by 1,000 bps to 12pc since June, and projected to plunge further in the next several months, the authorities believe they can borrow money at lower rates and make consumers pay it back to lenders through their bills for seven years. If implemented, such a strategy would amount to punishing consumers for the government’s bad policies and the losses being incurred by distribution companies due to their uncontrolled system losses and theft. It seems that the authorities are in a hurry to close the deal with the banks because of the upcoming IMF review of its funding programme. The liquidation of circular debt is indeed crucial for reducing the government’s involvement in the electricity business, moving towards a competitive bilateral contract market, and selling off state-owned power companies. The question is: do the consumers have it in them to bear the cost of the government’s flawed policymaking, and the inefficiencies and corruption of the power distribution firms?

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025


Afghan resettlement

AFGHAN refugees who fled their country after the Taliban took over in 2021, and who hoped to resettle in the West, face an unenviable challenge. Even those Afghans who had been approved for entry into the US now face great uncertainty as President Donald Trump’s administration has temporarily suspended America’s resettlement programme. The noises emerging from the White House indicate that there are slim chances this programme will be revived and that Afghans and others will not be able to board a plane for the US. These decisions have a direct effect on Pakistan, which has been hosting Afghan refugees for the last five decades, with the latest influx coming after the Taliban took Kabul. In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told a foreign media outlet recently that the Afghans denied resettlement by the US will be considered illegal immigrants and sent back to their country of origin. While Mr Dar said Pakistan is open to dialogue with the US over the matter, the state has set a March 31 deadline for Afghans to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where many of the refugees are living temporarily.

The fact is that sending back refugees who worked for the former West-backed Afghan administration, or those who helped foreign military forces, is akin to a death sentence. The Afghan Taliban consider these individuals ‘traitors’ and would hardly treat them with compassion. Pakistan, on its part, faces a genuine resource crunch and cannot support an increased number of refugees. Therefore, it is morally incumbent upon the US and other members of the Western coalition that occupied Afghanistan to take in these refugees, particularly those who have already been vetted and cleared. The state here must communicate to Western capitals, particularly Washington, the need to resettle Afghan refugees without delay. In the meantime, Pakistan should treat Afghan refugees in a humane manner, and these individuals should not be forcibly repatriated.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025