Against this backdrop, nearly two-year tenure of Director General Rangers Sindh, Major General Muhammad Shumraiz Khan, holds particular significance. He assumed command of Sindh Rangers in November 2024 at a time when citizens and the business community were deeply concerned about law-and-order conditions and street crime in Karachi. One of the notable features of his tenure was his direct engagement with the business community alongside his focus on security matters. During his tenure in Karachi, I had good interaction with Shumraiz Khan and always found him to be cheerful, energetic, and willing to listen to people’s problems. Whenever I brought a law-and-order issue in the city to his attention, he did not merely listen to it as a formality but gave it practical consideration. This was why his engagement with the business community was not limited to formal meetings or photo opportunities. Practical measures were taken to address the security concerns faced by business community. As a result, they felt more secure during Shumraiz Khan’s tenure.

During his tenure, Shumraiz Khan visited SITE Association and other industrial areas and met industrialists, making the security of industrial zones a priority. Security was not viewed merely in terms of roads and checkpoints; the protection of business and industrial activities was also given importance. At the same time, the joint security strategy of the Rangers and police sought to ensure the safety of the business community as well as foreign nationals.

When the business community learned that he would soon be leaving Karachi to assume new responsibilities in the Pakistan Army, there was a sense of both happiness and sadness over his departure. Before leaving, General Shumraiz Khan invited Karachi’s businessmen to a farewell meeting, which I also attended. I found the businessmen visibly saddened by his departure, and they appreciated his efforts for the city. During the meeting, I told him that after seeing and understanding Karachi’s problems from such close quarters, he could now present the city’s case more effectively in Islamabad. As an economic hub, Karachi continues to face numerous challenges related to water, transportation, infrastructure, roads, sewage, and other basic civic facilities. For a city that plays such an extraordinary role in the national economy, it is certainly a matter of concern that its residents still have to rely on water tankers, security arrangements, and alternative systems to meet basic needs. In his farewell address, DG Rangers said that he understood Karachi’s problems and would make every possible effort to help resolving them. He also expressed his commitment to maintaining the relationship he had established with the business community even after his departure from Karachi.

The Rangers deserve credit for the fact that when Karachi’s law & order situation was deteriorating in 2013, with incidents such as the discovery of human bodies in sacks becoming common, the Karachi operation was launched on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Rangers played a key role in the operation, and within a few years, Karachi’s economic and social life began to recover.

It would not be incorrect to say that this achievement would have not been possible without Rangers. When the Karachi operation began, Major General Rizwan Akhtar was leading Sindh Rangers. During the operation, in 2014 he was appointed Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), while Major General Bilal Akhtar continued the operation as DG Rangers Sindh. In 2016, he was promoted and appointed Chief of General Staff of the Pakistan Army.

Shumraiz Khan has also been assigned an important responsibility in the ISI, a security institution of Pakistan Army, which further reflects the significance of his experience and responsibilities.

After meeting DG Rangers, as I was leaving, I noticed the Martyrs’ Memorial Wall in the compound of the building. The names of more than 155 Rangers officers and personnel who sacrificed their lives for peace in Karachi were inscribed on the wall. Looking at those names made me realize that the price of peace in the city is also reflected in the sacrifices of those soldiers whose loved ones lost their lives in the service of peace in the city.

I hope that the new DG Rangers Sindh will carry this tradition forward and maintain direct and effective engagement with the business community. Understanding the concerns of Karachi’s business circles, identifying their problems, and working with the relevant institutions to resolve them is essential for the city’s economic stability. Peace in Karachi is not merely a necessity for the citizens of Karachi; it is a necessity for Pakistan’s economy.

The tragedy is that political confrontation and governance failures reinforce one another. Governments spend enormous resources on security and administration during prolonged protests; businesses suffer; daily-wage workers lose income; supply chains are interrupted; investors become cautious; and ordinary citizens ultimately bear much of the cost. Democracy certainly includes the right to disagree, protest and demand accountability. But democracy should not mean bringing the entire machinery of the state and economy to a standstill whenever a political dispute arises. A mature democracy provides multiple constitutional and institutional channels for resolving disagreements: Parliament, courts, election institutions, negotiations, committees, the media and peaceful public demonstrations. Protest is a legitimate democratic instrument, but protest need not necessarily mean blocking roads, shutting down businesses, paralyzing cities or occupying the capital for prolonged periods. Pakistan needs to move from a culture of confrontation towards a culture of political dialogue.Perhaps the political parties themselves should consider something unprecedented: a “Charter of Marches. “Instead of another Charter of Democracy that remains largely aspirational, all political parties could agree on basic rules for political protest. No prolonged long marches intended to paralyses the capital or major cities. No indefinite sit-ins blocking roads or essential public facilities. Political parties should give prior notice of demonstrations and designate specific places for peaceful protest. Hospitals, schools, markets, transport routes and essential services should remain accessible. Demonstrations should remain peaceful and disciplined. Political disputes should simultaneously be pursued through Parliament, dialogue and constitutional institutions. Short-duration protests may be undertaken without disrupting the ordinary functioning of the country. No political party should demand from its opponents a standard that it is unwilling to follow when it is itself in opposition.Such an understanding would not take away the democratic right to protest. It would civilize the exercise of that right. Around the world, democracies witness demonstrations and political protests. Citizens march, governments are criticized and opposition parties mobilize. But the objective should remain to express disagreement-not to hold the economy hostage. Pakistan has paid a considerable price for political confrontation. It cannot afford to keep repeating the same experiment and then calculate the losses after every march. The country needs political competition, but it also needs economic continuity. It needs accountability, but accountability must apply across the political spectrum. It needs protests, but protests should be peaceful, proportionate and responsible. Otherwise, the marches will continue, the losses will continue, the borrowing will continue-and ordinary Pakistanis will continue paying the bill.Perhaps the time has come for all political parties to agree on one simple principle: democracy gives us the right to protest, but it does not give us the right to paralyses the country.

World Heart Day is an important occasion to reaffirm our commitment to protecting the cardiovascular health of our people and creating greater awareness about the prevention, early diagnosis and timely treatment of heart diseases. The theme “Don’t Miss a Beat” rightly reminds us that every heartbeat is precious and every warning sign deserves attention.

The Government of Sindh has accorded high priority to strengthening cardiac healthcare and ensuring that quality treatment is accessible to people irrespective of their financial circumstances. I am particularly proud of the exemplary services being provided through NICVD and the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD) network, which have significantly expanded access to specialised cardiac care across Sindh.

Through state-of-the-art cardiac hospitals and Chest Pain Units, advanced facilities including emergency cardiac care, angioplasty, cardiac surgery and paediatric cardiac services are being made available free of cost. This extensive network reflects our commitment to taking quality healthcare closer to the people.

However, treatment alone is not enough. Prevention must remain our first line of defence. Healthy diets, regular physical activity, avoidance of tobacco, and timely screening for hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol can prevent many cardiovascular complications.

I appreciate The Financial Daily International for publishing this Special Supplement on World Heart Day 2026 and contributing to public awareness about heart health.