s we start the New Year, Pakistan is grappling with several long-standing issues that should have been resolved last year.

On the first dawn of the year 2025, we faced the same issues with the same familiar faces at the helm: terrorism, climate change, overdue education reforms, political polarisation; the list goes on. Let us unpack these challenges one by one.

Terrorism is one of the most serious challenges Pakistan has faced for two decades. There is news almost every day of attacks on military as well as civilian targets. The victims and their families suffer inconsolable pain and financial burden. In November 2024, there was a marked spike in terror attacks, taking the death toll from 100 in October to 169 in November. Besides, more than 220 people were seriously wounded. Many of the attacks were claimed by proscribed outfits like Balochistan Liberation Army and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The latter has safe havens in Afghanistan.

Immediate steps must be taken to deter these and other outfits from launching attacks from Afghanistan. First, the entire Durand Line border should be fenced to stop terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering Pakistan. Second, diplomatic efforts to secure the Durand line are also required. Operations against terrorists sanctuaries in Pakistan must be intensified to deracinate it from its roots. Third, Pakistan has informed the de facto government in Kabul about its concern and requested that the Afghan soil not be allowed to be used against Pakistan. However, the situation has not improved. It is high time Pakistan implemented the National Action Plan, persuading the Afghan government to track down these terror outfits. COAS Gen Asim Munir has repeatedly stressed the armed forces’ commitment to safeguarding Pakistan’s borders and eradicating terrorism. It seems that Islamabad’s foreign policy towards Afghanistan has as crucial a role in eradicating terrorism as military actions.

Anthropogenic activities continue to impact the planet’s ecology. The upcoming years are projected to bring climatic changes, especially devastating for the less developed countries if substantial tangible steps are not taken immediately. In our country, there was a marked increase from accidents to breathing diseases in children to economy and education losses via lockdowns on account of hazardous air quality. Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to changing climate patterns. It is still reeling from the devastating floods in 2022 that had caused huge damage to infrastructure besides the losses in lives.

According to Climate Change Performance Index, Pakistan is currently ranked 31st with mixed ratings: high in greenhouse gas emissions and energy use; low in climate policy; and very low in renewable energy. To get out of this logjam and improve its ranking, it will have to investing more into infrastructure, policy reforms, planning a fossil fuel phase-out, enforcing more renewable energy initiatives and implementing mechanism for national climate policies with unwavering commitment and sincerity. The National Climate Change Policy 2021, National Water Policy 2018 and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy provide a blueprint to save the environment from the worsening climatic.

The next challenge is related to education. Millions of graduates from accredited institutions are unable to find suitable employment. Reforms to improve the standards of education are overdue.

In some cases, the curriculum is obsolete. Rote learning must be discouraged at all levels and replaced by critical thinking, practical solutions and active participation by the students.

Teachers must be familiarised with international standards of education, techniques and technologies and equipped accordingly. Vocational training is paramount to boosting the confidence and brushing up the skills of the students. Personalised panel interviews should be conducted to help them prepare well for the job market. Unless these steps are taken, graduates will continue to encounter the same issues. Instead of establishing new institutions, the governments should focus first on improving the standards.

The politics has become highly divisive and polarised. For now the Punjab belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Sindh to the Pakistan Peoples Party and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. The debate is limited mostly to name calling and blaming one another for the nation’s ills.

The common man has been encouraged not to trust politicians. They are often seen as being willing to go to any extreme to stay in power. Given the opposition obsession to oust the governments as soon as possible, the governments are often focused more on curbing dissent than good governance.

What is needed is a consensus among all mainstream political parties to let bygones be bygones and stop blaming one another since it will take them and Pakistan nowhere.

On account of their very nature, no single party acting alone can solve these problems. No matter who is in power, they must ensure policy continuity so that the gains under the previous governments are not lost.

The writer is a columnist. He can be contacted at hamza.malick0341@gmail.com