LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has strongly condemned the sudden ban imposed on overland travel to Iraq for Arbaeen pilgrims, calling it “cruel and unacceptable”.

This decision by the government has prevented thousands of poor pilgrims from traveling to Iraq by land route, after they had already spent hundreds of thousands of rupees on visas, hotel bookings and transportation arrangements.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier claimed that “terrorism in Balochistan is a challenge even a station house officer (SHO) can handle.” However, following the abduction of the Jaffar Express train and the new wave of terrorist attacks, the government imposed a ban on overland travel for pilgrims.

During the PTI’s tenure, PTI Punjab media cell head Shayan Bashir said, there was a significant decline in terrorist activities in Balochistan. He says that serious counter-terrorism operations and local development initiatives played a key role in maintaining peace in the troubled province. In contrast, he said, security threats have increased by 60 percent in 2025.

SYNDICATES: Meanwhile, Mr Bashir also condemned the “Universities and Institutes Amendment Act 2025,” which, he said, turned the academic institutions into political hubs.

“This move is a serious attack on academic freedom and institutional autonomy,” he observed.

He said the PML-N government had made it mandatory for over 26 universities in Punjab to include three Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) in their syndicates—one of whom must be a female MPA nominated by the speaker of the assembly.

Appointing political loyalists to university syndicates, the PTI spokesman said, would damage academic standards and turn educational institutions into shelters for party workers, where the voices of students and faculty would be suppressed.

Questioning the academic qualifications of the three MPAs to be included in the syndicates, he asked: “Are they truly fit for [appointment in] government educational institutions, or selected solely on the basis of political loyalty?

He said most PML-N MPAs had little to no academic qualifications and had no background in academic governance, research,or educational management. These individuals lack the capability to understand academic matters, yet they would be making decisions for the country’s leading universities, he regretted.

The spokesman said all universities, during the PTI’s government, enjoyed freedom and autonomy with the sole objective of promoting education. “The new act is a clear attempt at political takeover of universities – an act strongly opposed by HEC and the wider academic community.

MEDICINES BUDGET: The PTI has termed the drastic reduction in the budget of a Bahawalpur hospital unacceptable and condemnable, calling it a clear example of an “anti-people” government’s disregard for the public welfare.

PTI spokesman Mr Bashir said the Punjab government had slashed the annual medicine budget of the Nawab Sadiq Abbas Hospital, Bahawalpur, from Rs300 million to just Rs100 million –a shocking 70pc reduction.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2025