On the morning of June 27, the Swat River, usually a tranquil ribbon winding through the valleys, suddenly roared to life. Families who had gathered by its banks found themselves fighting a wall of water. Within minutes, around a dozen lives were lost. Sirens never blared, rescue helicopters never arrived, and administrative teams showed up only after the river had receded, leaving homes and hopes in ruins. Pakistan is now among the world’s most climate vulnerable countries, with 2022 floods alone causing nearly $15 billion in damages, this underscores the urgent need for flood defenses, real-time warning systems, and strict land use regulation to prevent escalating monsoon disasters.

Only weeks earlier, Pakistan had leapt onto the global stage by prevailing in a four-day exchange with India in the month of May. What began as tit-for-tat strikes over the Pahalgam false flag could have unravelled our unity. Instead, our air force once more reestablished its air supremacy, our military forces stood firm, rival parties paused their quarrels, and even Washington and Beijing urged calm. In that ordeal, Pakistan emerged victorious, and more importantly, unified. We almost got this glory furthered as an important regional and global player in Iran-Israel conflict.

This stark contrast: vulnerability was laid bare and strength reclaimed, offers another chance for our nation. Out of nowhere, we have regained serious traction: as a stabilizer in South Asia, as a trusted partner in the Islamic world on security and development, and as a country capable of both weathering storms and commanding respect. The real challenge is to turn this fleeting goodwill into lasting prosperity.

In my last column titled “The Missed Century”, I emphasized that no South Asian nation prospers in isolation. Reviving that promise requires a new imagination of integration. The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor must evolve from isolated highways into a mesh of trade and energy connectivity, westward into Afghanistan and Central Asia, and, when the time is right, eastward toward India. Our engagement with BRICS should........

© Business Recorder