The Debrief
From Courtrooms to Cloudbursts
At a glance: On August 25th, Pakistan saw just another Monday. The courts kept grinding against the PTI with fresh ATC convictions of senior PTI figures, this time with 10 year sentences for an “attack” on PMLN’s Rana Sanaullah in Faisalabad on May 9, 2023 against many leaders who weren’t even present in the city. Conveniently, former PTI members who’ve made peace with the Army were acquitted. Meanwhile floods continued across the country as the death toll crossed 700, while from across the border India sent formal flood alerts. The first time this year since India vowed to trash the IWT post Operation Sindoor. Security flared high in KP with a deadly attack on the FC in Hangu, Regionally, Islamabad pushed for a thaw with Dhaka, as FM Ishaq Dar’s visit saw new cooperation signals.
Some drama elapsed from within the PTI too, as an alleged altercation between General Secretary Salman Akram Raja and Imran’s sister Aleema Khan led to multiple tweets by the famous lawyer about his resignation. Meanwhile, PTI announced that it will not be contesting for any by-election seats. This, as lost cause and firebrand MNA Sher Afzal Marwat forced the PTI into clarifying that no PTI social media channels are monetized. And finally, Jang Group’s Suhail Warraich continued to dig himself deeper in his grave, with another rather pathetic apology of a column. Picking up from where he left off, Jang Group’s other editorial dinosaur Ansar Abbasi has published some more recipes for how Imran should get out of trouble.
Shiza’s quick take: Domestically it’s continuity over change—legal pressure on PTI staying high, law-and-order stress in KP, and flood management crowding the civil calendar. Internationally, India-Pakistan barbs continue even as practical flood coordination quietly happens, and the Dhaka track is one of Islamabad’s few tangible bright spots this week. Expect the flood story and India–Pakistan narrative sparring to mature over the next 24 hours as water data and political soundbites roll in.
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