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A life of quiet authority and enduring values

The passing of Mazhar-ul-Haq Siddiqui has left a quiet but profound void in the academic and administrative circles of Pakistan. A distinguished civil servant and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sindh, he belonged to that generation of administrators who believed that institutions are strengthened not by loud proclamations but by integrity, discipline, and a deep respect for human dignity. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a condolence meeting organised primarily by members of his family. The gathering was not merely a formal expression of grief; it was a space where friends, colleagues and relatives shared memories that illuminated different dimensions of his personality. Listening to these recollections, one gradually realised that Mazhar-ul-Haq Siddiqui was not simply a man of high office but a custodian of certain moral and institutional values that are increasingly rare. During his long career in the civil service of Pakistan, he held several important position...
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Israeli foreign minister denies country facing interceptor shortages

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday denied a ​report that Israel was facing a shortage of ballistic missile interceptors after more than ‌two weeks of war that has seen repeated attacks from Iran and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. American news website Semafor on Saturday cited an unnamed US official as saying that Israel had told Washington it was running critically low on ballistic ​missile interceptors. Asked whether the report was accurate, along with an Israeli media report that Israel ​was set to hold direct talks with Lebanon, Saar responded: "For both questions, the ⁠answer is no." An Israeli military source also denied any shortage, saying that the armed forces were ​prepared for a prolonged campaign. Iran has fired close to 300 ballistic missiles at Israel, according to the ​Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University, and hundreds of drones since US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Read More: Netanyahu posts video ...
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Austerity's hollow veil

The US-Israel aggression against Iran has plunged much of the region into turmoil. It has triggered wider ripple effects, including geopolitical tensions and rising concerns over energy security and fuel prices. And Pakistan — being no exception to potential implications and already battered by epic misgovernance, inflation and a fragile IMF bailout programme — finds itself at the epicentre of an economic storm it did not start but cannot escape unscathed. The country has proactively responded with a historic 20% hike in fuel prices on existing stocks and a set of austerity measures to navigate the crisis. Though they may have been a necessity, necessity alone doesn't always bring stipulated results unless they are enforced in a transparent and quantifiable manner. The austerity measures include a four-day workweek for government offices, 50% work from home and a 60% reduction in the government vehicle fleet, as well as closing schools for two weeks, cutting ministerial salari...
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Five killed in Russian air attacks on Ukraine

Russia hammered Ukraine with missiles and drones on Saturday, killing five ‌people and causing damage across several regions of the country, Ukrainian officials said. The main target was energy infrastructure outside the capital Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, adding that residential buildings, schools and businesses were also damaged. He said the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro and ​Mykolaiv regions were also targeted in an attack that included around 430 drones and 68 missiles, ​most of which were downed by air defences. The governor of the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, ⁠Ivan Fedorov, said a residential area of the city of Zaporizhzhia had been hit by Russian-guided bombs, killing ​one person and injuring three. Photos posted online showed parts of buildings reduced to rubble. Saturday's strikes come as ​the Iran conflict has distracted international attention from a US-backed peace push in the four-year war, which Kyiv says Moscow has no interest in ending. "Russia w...
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The electrostate rises

For over a century, the word petrostate explained much of the world's political dysfunction. Oil-rich countries exercised power in an extremely disproportionate manner to their size or institutional capacity. Neither virtue nor military ingenuity placed Saudi Arabia, Russia and the Gulf states in the high seat of international affairs; it was geology. Fossil fuels determined the lines of alliances, supported authoritarian regimes, and put whole economies at the mercy of prices set in Riyadh or Vienna. That era is not over. However, a new one is taking shape and the idea that most describes it is "electrostate". An electrostate is a country whose international influence is not based on oil fields and gas pipelines, but on dominating the infrastructure of the clean energy transition: critical mineral processing, solar manufacturing, battery chains and electric vehicles. Where petrostates drew advantage out of what was under the ground, electrostates draw advantage out of wh...
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11 Indian nationals charged with visa fraud conspiracy in US

The United States on Friday charged 11 Indian nationals over a conspiracy involving visa fraud and attempts to obtain immigration benefits. According to a press release issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts in Boston on March 13, the defendants staged armed robberies of convenience stores to allow clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications. The statement said all of them were charged with at least one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, with many reportedly residing unlawfully in Massachusetts. All had the surname Patel. It said Jitendrakumar, 39; Maheshkumar, 36; Sanjaykumar, 45; Rameshbhai, 52; Amitabahen, 43; Ronakkumar, 28; Sangitaben, 36; Minkesh, 42; Sonal, 42; and Mitul, 40 were living in the US unlawfully, while 40-year-old Dipikaben from Weymouth, Massachusetts, was deported to India. Six of the accused individuals were arrested in Massachusetts and released after appearing in a federal court in Boston e...
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Two rudimentary TTP drones successfully intercepted, no infrastructure hit: information ministry

The information ministry said on Friday that security forces had "successfully intercepted" two rudimentary drones of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group using electronic countermeasures, adding that no damage to infrastructure was caused. Earlier, security sources said drones were detected at two locations adjacent to Rawalpindi and were neutralised before causing any damage. Officials confirmed that there were no casualties or property damage in the Rawalpindi incident. Airspace restrictions imposed as a precaution were later lifted, restoring normal flight operations.  The Afghan Taliban regime's Urdu X account had claimed targeting a military centre in the federal capital via drones. However, in a post on X, the information ministry rubbished the allegation, saying: "Two rudimentary drones of terrorist FAK, nurtured by Afghan Taliban regime, were successfully intercepted by the Pakistan security forces using electronic counter measures. No milit...
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