March | Pakistan

KARACHI - The Sindh government has announced that schools across the province will remain closed from March 16 to 31, while government employees will work from home on Fridays.

The Sindh government on Tuesday announced its own set of austerity measures to curtail the economic impact of the ongoing regional tensions, stating that schools will observe a spring vacation and government offices will work from home on Fridays. Addressing a press conference, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said schools across the province will have a “spring vacation from March 16 to 31, while colleges and universities will switch to online classes”. However, he noted, no ongoing exams will be postponed. The minister also clarified that, contrary to some media reports, government functioning will not stop on Fridays. Instead, government officials will work from home (WFH). “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — you have to work. On Friday, you have to work from home,” he said. The Sindh minister affirmed that the province endorsed all the decisions announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday. “The Sindh government has launched its austerity campaign,” he added. He declared that the prov...

Educational institutions throughout Punjab will remain physically closed until March 31, according to an announcement by Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat.

The Sindh government on Monday announced that public and private educational institutions across the province will remain closed on Wednesday (March 12) on account of Youm-i-Ali. The directive was issued in a notification by the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department, a copy of which is available with Dawn. The notification said, “… all public and private educational institutions under the administrative control of the School Education and Literacy Department, government of Sindh, shall remain closed on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, as a holiday on account of Youm-i-Ali.” Last week, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah sought the cooperation of prominent Shia scholars in ensuring “best possible” security arrangements for Youm-i-Ali, Youm Al Quds and Jumatul Wida against the backdrop of the prevailing regional situation. During the meeting, detailed discussions were held regarding administrative and security arrangements and the participants exchanged views on guiding the public in light of the situat...

The United States Embassy in Islamabad has canceled all visa appointments scheduled from March 9 to March 13.

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday fixed March 10 as the date of hearing of a petition filed by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, seeking permission to receive medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the registrar’s office to fix PTI founder Imran Khan’s plea — seeking permission to undergo medical treatment at Shifa International Hospital — for hearing on March 10. The IHC also fixed the main appeal in the Toshakhana criminal case — in which the PTI founder was first arrested on Aug 5, 2023 — for hearing on March 10. A division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the matter along with objections raised by the Registrar’s Office. Senior counsel Latif Khosa, assisted by Salman Akram Raja and other lawyers, appeared before the court. The bench inquired about the nature of objections raised by the Registrar’s Office on the miscellaneous application. Responding to the court, Khosa submitted that one of the objections pertained to the non-provision of a certified copy of the power of attorney. Justice Tahir observed that two of the objections were valid. The court subsequently directed the office to ...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to hear former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi’s petitions seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190 million corruption case on March 11. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan resumed the case proceedings on Thursday. During the hearing, the bench expressed displeasure as dozens of lawyers affiliated with PTI stood up and approached the rostrum simultaneously. “What is this? Are you trying to influence the court?” the IHC chief justice asked. Imran’s counsel, Barrister Salman Sardar, replied: “Not at all.” He argued that the matter had assumed greater urgency in view of the former premier’s sudden eye ailment. He further submitted that Bushra Bibi, despite being a woman, was serving a seven-year sentence and that her petition for suspension of sentence had been fixed after six months. “We request you to suspend the sentence. The last order was passed on November 9,...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has announced that the year’s first total lunar eclipse will occur on March 3 and will be partially observable in several cities across Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned a joint session of Parliament on March 2, at the start of the new parliamentary year. A notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday said that in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 read with clause (3) of Article 56 of the Constitution, the president has summoned both Houses of Parliament to assemble together at the Parliament House in Islamabad on March 2 (Monday) at 10:30am. Earlier, a post on the Presidency’s X account stated that he had approved the summary for convening the session. The post also said that the session would be convened at 3pm on March 2. Later, the National Assembly Secretariat issued its notification, in which the time was revised to 10:30am. The session is being convened in continuation of the practice of a joint sitting behind held at the start of every parliamentary year. According to Article 56 of the Constitution, the president addresses both Houses of parliament at the start of th...

President Asif Ali Zardari has given approval to convene a joint sitting of Parliament on March 2, formally initiating the new parliamentary year.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has indicated that Ramazan is expected to last 30 days this year, as the Shawwal crescent is unlikely to be visible on March 19.

The Lahore High Court has announced a new roster for its judges, which will remain in effect for two months from March 2 to May 2.

The government has resolved to summon a joint sitting of Parliament on March 2 to formally inaugurate the new parliamentary year.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday extended the airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft till March 23. The airspace will remain closed for all Indian civil and military registered aircraft till March 23, the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said in a new notice to airmen (Notam) issued today. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April 2025 in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people. New Delhi, without evidence, had alleged that Islamabad backed the attack. Pakistan strongly denied any involvement and offered a neutral probe. Then, in early May, the nuclear-armed nations fought their fiercest military conflict in decades. Pakistan say...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Wednesday that 5G spectrum auction would be held on March 10 and no changes were likely to be made in the schedule, saying that the sale was likely to fetch between $300-$700 million. The authority is offering 597 megahertz (MHz) in several bands in the upcoming auction and three existing telecom operators have been mandated to obtain a minimum of 100 MHz in the auction process. “With the prescribed rate, even if 300 MHz is obtained by the telecommunication operators without any competitive bidding, the government will get $300 million,” PTA Director General Licensing retired brigadier Aamir Shahzad told a media briefing. “And if all the 597 MHz is sold at auction at a slightly competitive rate, $700 million will be available for the government, but this scenario is less likely to happen,” he added. Shahzad said that the auction would be conducted using a multi-round electronic clock auction format, with the main allocation stage starting on Ma...

KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Wednesday expressed hope that the main corridor of the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Karachi’s University Road would be completed by March. “Our effort is to complete the main corridor on University Road — where there is heavy public movement and where citizens face difficulties — by March,” said the senior minister while speaking to the media in the metropolis. “The remaining BRT work will continue, including bridges, underpasses, and U-turns,” he added. He further said the condition of the main thoroughfare and its adjoining routes is now “far better than before”. “Wherever the roads appear damaged, it is only because development work is currently under way,” he added. Referring to the lack of construction activity, he maintained that the provincial government was not at fault, as there were “some serious issues at the national level”, adding that with an increase in the exchange rate, the project’s cost ballooned. He added that the Sindh Transport Depa...

LAHORE - PIA is enhancing its flights to United Kingdom and now after resumption of flights to Man-ches­ter and announce­ment of flights from Islamabad to lon­don from 29 March, the airline has also finalised arrange­ments for launch of direct flight from Lahore to London from 30 March.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Thursday that it would be resuming direct Lahore-London flights on March 30. According to a statement issued by the PIA spokesperson, the airline was enhancing its flights to the United Kingdom. “After the resumption of flights to Manchester and the announcement of flights from Islamabad to London from March 29, the airline has also finalised arrangements for the launch of a direct flight from Lahore to London from March 30,” the spokesperson said. He added it would operate up to seven flights to the UK by the end of March. He added that flights were being increased in light of the high demand and long-standing requests of Pakistanis and expatriates residing in the UK. “All flights to the UK are operating on full loads,” he added. The relaunch dates of Islamabad-London and Lahore-London flights were arranged for consecutive dates driven by demand and the airline’s readiness, the spokesperson said. The airline will operate flights three times a week from Islam...

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Tuesday that it was resuming direct flights to London in March 2026 after a six-year hiatus. In a statement, the PIA spokesperson said the national flag carrier was increasing its flights to the United Kingdom. He said the airline would operate four weekly flights from Islamabad to London from March 29, 2026. He said that the flights would be operated from Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4. “The flights are being resumed after a long gap of six years,“ he added. The spokesperson further said that London was the airline’s “first-ever” international destination and remained one of its most important routes. He maintained that the national carrier was already operating three weekly flights to Manchester. In June 2020, the European Union Air Safety Agency had barred PIA from operating in EU countries over safety concerns after a flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed near Jinnah International Airport, killing around 100 passengers. The ban on flights followed the ...