Next 48 hours critical
Shehbaz, Munir in Switzerland
Hello all on Sunday, June 21.
Waking up to late night flights as PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Asim Munir leave for Switzerland, with US VP JD Vance and the Iranian delegation also landing at the resort. The peace deal is already in trouble, as Israel is not keeping its end of the deal.
It’s a very important day for peace and Pakistan is center stage.
In other news, that telecom bill everyone is talking about is detailed below, a girl, killed for honor in Balochistan finally gets justice. Don’t miss the pen bomb story. It’s something else.
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The case of 14-year-old Pakistani-American Hira Anwar shocked many after what first appeared to be a random shooting turned out to be a family murder. In January 2025, Hira was killed in Quetta’s Balochi Street area, and her father initially told police that unknown gunmen had attacked her. But as investigators dug deeper, police found that Hira’s father and her maternal uncle were behind the killing, allegedly because they strongly disapproved of her social media activity and lifestyle. After a lengthy trial, an additional district and sessions court in Quetta has convicted both men, sentencing them to life in prison and fining them Rs200,000 each.
The new telecom bill sparked major controversy after it was passed quietly in the National Assembly and sent to the Senate, where the Senate questioned how it could let telecom companies access private land, as laid out in the bill. The bill was designed to speed up the laying of fibre cables and installation of towers to improve Pakistan’s internet. But its Right of Way (ROW) clauses were seen as unclear, especially because they said disputes could be sent to an “appropriate authority” if a property owner didn’t respond and the govt could ‘take over’ private land or fine property owners up to Rs 50 million, who ‘delayed’ the telecom infrastructure. Major backlash followed after these clauses were revealed, with critics saying that lawmakers and the IT minister had not even read the bill before it was sent to the Senate. After the backlash, the IT Ministry clarified that the bill does not allow forced entry or land acquisition, and said property owners still have the right to negotiate, object, or seek compensation through legal channels.
A strange explosion in Karachi that was initially feared to be a “pen bomb” has turned out to be far less sinister. Police say the young man who reported finding a pen-like device on the roadside, that blew up and injured his hand, was actually injured by a firecracker he had bought himself for a cousin’s birthday. After first treating the case as a possible terror incident, investigators now say the man gave false information, and a case has been registered against him.
Switzerland talks begin as fragile US-Iran peace faces its first real test
*The following information has been taken from GEO, Dawn, Al-Jazeera and The Guardian
Just days after the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the US and Iran, with Pakistan playing the central mediating role, it seemed as if that was it. War over, deal done, Switzerland trip canceled as the signing had already taken place.
But no, the fragile peace deal started to falter almost immediately, and now all eyes are now on Bürgenstock, Switzerland, where the next phase of technical and political negotiations is underway.
PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir have travelled to Switzerland to help “support and advance” the agreement, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office. The talks mark the first formal engagement between Tehran and Washington since the MoU was signed on June 17, and Pakistan is expected to hold side meetings with Iranian, American, Swiss and Qatari officials as it continues positioning itself as the key diplomatic bridge in this crisis.
On the American side, US Vice President JD Vance has also landed in Switzerland, saying the priority is twofold: resolving the nuclear issue and stabilising Lebanon. Vance said he hopes the talks can move the interim 60-day agreement into something more permanent, though he admitted the Lebanon front remains volatile.
Iran’s delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has arrived in Zurich with a clear message: Iran wants proof the US will honour its commitments before moving forward. Tehran says this trip is less about new concessions and more about enforcing what was already agreed.
Lebanon threatens to derail everything
The biggest immediate threat to the agreement is no longer direct US-Iran conflict — it’s Lebanon.
Despite a ceasefire announced between Israel and Hezbollah, fighting has continued almost immediately. Israeli forces launched repeated strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, accusing Hezbollah of firing rockets and drones but Hezbollah is adamant that Israel is violating the truce and attempting to sabotage the broader US-Iran agreement.
The fiercest battle remains concentrated around Ali al-Taher Hill near Nabatieh, which is known as a major underground Hezbollah stronghold and Israel has tried to seize multiple times. In the latest clashes, at least five Israeli soldiers have been killed in two days, with more than a dozen wounded. Israeli officials say they have now been ordered to halt proactive strikes elsewhere in Lebanon, but fighting continues around this hill.
Civilian casualties in Lebanon continue to mount. At least 16–20 people were killed in the latest Israeli bombardments, including entire families in residential buildings. In one village, a man said nine members of his family, including babies, remain buried under rubble. Lebanese authorities say over 4,000 people have been killed since this phase of fighting began in March.
And Iran is not having it. Iran dramatically escalated pressure by announcing it was “closing” the Strait of Hormuz after Israeli strikes in Lebanon, claiming the attacks violated the MoU.
But there’s confusion over whether the closure is really being enforced. US Central Command says Strait traffic is continuing. Indian authorities confirmed at least three oil tankers safely passed through, while Trump said there would be “no tolls” during the 60-day ceasefire period. However, he warned the now the US may impose tolls if negotiations collapse.
Political cracks are emerging on all sides
Inside Iran, the agreement is already facing internal pressure. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly skeptical of the peace deal and has left much of its management to President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is now under fire from hardliners who believe the US and Israel cannot be trusted. In his first statement addressing the MoU, Khamenei noted he held a "different view" on the deal. He formally authorised its signing only because Pezeshkian and his negotiators took full responsibility for the agreement and promised to protect Iran’s interests
In Washington, Democrats are also attacking Trump, calling the agreement fragile and already “falling apart.” Some have accused him of entering a rushed ceasefire without fully controlling Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
Meanwhile in Israel, PM Netanyahu remains openly resistant to parts of the agreement. And US VP Vance is making it clear in interviews that the US is not okay with Israel’s resistance, saying it is time to put the American people first.
However, Netanyahu has vowed Israeli troops will stay in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is neutralised, a position directly clashing with Iran’s demand for Israeli withdrawal as part of the peace framework.
What happens next
The next 48 hours in Switzerland are critical.
The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to build a broader nuclear and regional agreement, but history shows that is an extremely tight timeline. A deal in 2015 took more than 18 months.
Pakistan is now, again, at the centre of one of the most consequential diplomatic processes in the world, but whether this becomes a historic peace or just a temporary pause may depend entirely on whether the Lebanon front can be contained.
Don’t push yourself to do something you don’t want to. You need a break and you deserve it.
If you’re in Lahore, hit Tayyib store’s Sunday market today. It’s got great local produce, have a croissant and a coffee, or a refreshing juice and enjoy a bright, happy morning.
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