Saying goodbye to 2025, spectacular fireworks were held on 31 December around the world to welcome the New Year. The Pakistani nation, too, celebrated the advent of the New Year with immense enthusiasm—and rightly so—because in 2025 a cataclysmic crisis was created for Pakistan and a war was imposed under the name of Operation Sindoor; then the eye of the heavens witnessed a spectacle that no one had even expected.
In the Battle of Truth against Pakistan, India faced a humiliating defeat, which was not only remembered until the end of 2025 but has also become part of history. After this, Pakistan’s foreign policy was realigned and its diplomatic stature increased, carrying forward the momentum in foreign policy in which the pivotal role of Pakistan’s traditional and military diplomacy cannot be forgotten. In the new year, the hope is that Pakistan will further advance its successes, and it can be expected that in 2026 Pakistan will be able to fully reap economic benefits due to its elevated standing in the world.
From an economic perspective, Pakistan is facing daunting challenges, where even the availability of basic necessities of life for the middle class is no less than a challenge; however, according to a report, in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the country’s GDP increased by 3.71 percent. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal was quoted as saying that an impressive growth rate of 9.38 percent was recorded in the industrial sector, which, compared to last year’s growth of 0.12 percent, was termed a sign of economic resurgence. The country’s resilient economy and sustainable growth rate can make Pakistan more attractive for global investment.
As reflected in another report, in December 2025 the FBR faced a revenue shortfall of 21 billion rupees. The tax collection target was 1,446 billion rupees, against which net tax collection stood at 1,425 billion rupees. Due to fiscal discipline, a fiscal surplus was achieved in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2025–26, which is the second surplus after the first quarter of the previous year, while the primary surplus was recorded at 2.7 percent of GDP, as stated by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
It was also stated that there has been a significant improvement in tax collections, and in fiscal year 2024–25 the FBR’s tax-to-GDP ratio reached 10.2 percent, which is the highest level in the last 25 years, whereas in fiscal year 2023–24 this ratio stood at 8.8 percent.
Whenever polio is mentioned in the health sector, Pakistan’s name is taken along with Afghanistan, as these are the only two countries in the world where, unfortunately, a disease like polio that cripples children has not yet been eradicated. However, in 2025, six anti-polio campaigns were successfully completed, and more than 98 percent of children were administered polio drops. In 2024, the number of polio cases in Pakistan was 74, which has now come down to 30. The heartening development is that since September 2025, no new polio case has been reported across the country, which is indeed a major milestone attained by Pakistan.
On the global stage, the increase in conflicts has been alarming, where, in the form of the Ukraine–Russia war, global powers such as the United States, Western bloc countries, and Russia have come face to face. Since the war began in 2022, there has been a devastating loss of life, and as of January 2026, this conflict continues. Ukrainian President Zelensky has stated that a peace agreement is 90 percent ready, but Russia considers Ukraine’s membership in NATO its red line. If a peace deal is not finalized, and if the European Union or the United States openly stands against Russia, a Third World War could become a grave possibility. However, all nuclear powers know that if a nuclear war were to begin, this world of living, breathing humans would turn into heaps of corpses in the blink of an eye, and there might hardly be anyone left even to bury them.
Similarly, the Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza continues into 2026, where Israel has suspended the activities of several aid groups, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis. These fears of a Third World War have also been felt with regard to Pakistan, as U.S. President Donald Trump has mentioned on several occasions that Pakistan and India could have used nuclear weapons, and if that had happened, the ashes of a nuclear fireball could have even reached Los Angeles. He also praised Field Marshal Asim Munir for playing an important role in ending the 2025 conflict.
Likewise, tensions between the United States and China are also increasing in 2026, particularly over Taiwan and the South China Sea. China conducted large-scale military exercises in December 2025, and according to experts, this conflict may intensify further in 2026, affecting the global economy and peace.
When discussing global conflicts and wars, it certainly cannot be said that the end of international conflicts at the very beginning of the New Year is an expectation that can be easily attained; rather, this will require consistent efforts, diplomacy, and the willingness of conflicting parties to sit at the negotiating table, engage in dialogue, and achieve understanding with patience and restraint. However, with regard to 2026, a positive and encouraging hope can be expressed that this year may prove to be the year of ending global conflicts, in which the Russia–Ukraine war, Israeli aggression in Gaza, and the Kashmir issue will be at the top.
The Gaza issue is moving toward a resolution, but if this issue is not resolved due to Israel’s obstinacy, instability and terrorism will increase in the world, which cannot be termed a positive sign for global peace and stability. It is necessary that global leadership, instead of pouring manpower and capital into wars, turn toward negotiations and, by freeing humanity from wars, pave the way for economic stability.
