Pakistani | Pakistan

Pakistan’s passport ranking has improved on the Henley Index in 2026, rising from 103 in 2025 to 98 this year, according to figures released on Thursday. According to the latest rankings, Pakistan’s travel document was placed 98th on the list, tied with Yemen. It ranked higher than Iraq (99), Syria (100) and Afghanistan (101). The ranking showed that Pakistan’s passport allows visa-free access to 31 countries, including visa-on-arrival (VOA). Pakistan’s ranking on the Henley Passport Index from 2006 to 2025. — screengrab via Henley’s website Singapore ranked the highest, with visa-free access to 192 countries, followed closely by Japan and South Korea with 188. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland tied for the third spot with visa-free access to 186 countries. According to the Henley Index, Pakistani passport holders have free visa access to Barbados, Cook Islands, Dominica, Haiti, Micronesia, Montserrat, Rwanda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. While a visa-on-...

Amid ongoing violent protests in different parts of Iran, Pakistani students studying at various universities and religious institutions, along with pilgrims visiting holy sites, have started returning to Pakistan through the Gwadar route.

Noor Zaman surged in the global squash rankings to break through in the Top 30 on Monday and reach a career best after a scintillating performance at last week’s Karachi Open that saw all six Pakistani players at the tournament improve in the PSA list. Noor reached world number 30 on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings, having achieved his previous career best of 37 on October 27 after a series of international wins. The 21-year-old gave former world champion Mohamed Elshorbagy a run for his money as he took the Englishman to five intense games at the Karachi Open quarterfinals before being defeated 3-2, thereby ending Pakistan’s streak at the international championship. Noor, the U23 world champion at the same venue last year, is no stranger to strong comebacks and lengthy, five-game matches. He was narrowly defeated in the fifth game with a match scoreline of 11-2, 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9. Former world number one Elshorbagy called Noor one of the most focused players he’s ever seen. “It’s grea...

ISLAMABAD - For the safety and security, Pakistani nationals were advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until conditions improve, the Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson said in a press statement on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu said the mortal remains of two Pakistani nationals Armanullah s/o Gul Rahman and Ihtasham s/o Mukhtar Gul, both residents of Nowshera, have been repatriated to Pakistan through Taftan border earlier Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD: Italy has offered more than 10,000 jobs to Pakistani workers over the next three years. According to an agreement reached between the two countries, Italy has allocated a labour quota for Pakistan. As many as 10,500 Pakis­tani workers will be provided employment in various sectors, including ship brea­king, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture, as well as welding, technician roles, chefs, waiters, housekeeping, nursing, medical technicians and farming. Skilled and semi-skilled job aspirants will travel to Italy for employment in these sectors. Each year, 3,500 Pakistani workers will sec­ure overseas jobs under seasonal and non-seasonal quotas. This includes 1,500 Pakistanis under the seasonal quota and 2,000 under the non-seasonal quota annually. Italy is the first European country to allocate job quotas specifically for Pakistan. The second meeting of the Pakistan-Italy Joint Working Group will be held in Islamabad in February 2026. Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2025

Sultan Aziz Azzam, a spokesperson for Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), was arrested by Pakistani authorities this year, a recent report submitted to the UN Security Council has revealed. IS-K is a branch of the Islamic State terrorist organisation active in Central and South Asia, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank. The United Nations’ 16th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team noted that IS-K’s ability to operate in the region had been degraded as a result of high-profile arrests by Pakistan, such as that of Azzam from the border region this May. The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said that Azzam was arrested by intelligence agencies during an operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The APP report claimed that following his arrest, IS-K propaganda arms, such as the Al-Azaim Foundation, had suffered a major blow. “Overall, the capability of [IS-K] has been degraded as a result of counter-terrorism operations,” the UN repor...

Mountaineer Samina Baig has completed an expedition where she skied to the last degree of the South Pole, according to her brother. Mahboob Ali told Dawn that she was part of an international expedition organised by Elite Exped, which departed from Pakistan on December 2. It reached Union Glacier on December 6 and she completed her journey on December 14. In a post on her Facebook page, Baig said she was “deeply grateful and humbled” to have successfully skied to the last degree of the South Pole, part of her pursuit of the Explorer’s Grand Slam. “This ski journey has never been accomplished by any Pakistani in the past. It has been one of the most challenging and meaningful experiences of my life, and it is still difficult to put into words,” she wrote. “From standing on the summit of Mount Everest in 2013 to completing the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent, from climbing K2 and Nanga Parbat to now reaching the South Pole, this journey has taken me across the highest mountains and the mo...

The 11 Pakistani fishermen in Indian custody.—Courtesy Coastal Media Centre KARACHI: Indian forces have detained 11 Pakistani fishermen, including two boys, from Pakistani waters near Kajar Creek and confiscated their boat. However, Indian media reported that their Coast Guard had on Dec 10 apprehended the 11 Pakistani fishermen after their boat was allegedly found inside Indian waters near Jakhau. According to Kamal Shah of the Coastal Media Centre, all 11 fishermen belonged to Ibrahim Hyderi and they were out on a fishing expedition. As news of their arrest reached Ibrahim Hyderi, there was utter confusion and panic in their homes. The fishermen, said to be related to each other, live in close vicinity to each other, which created an atmosphere of mourning in their neighbourhood. All those captured are residents of Ibrahim Hyderi; their families seek govt intervention The fishermen’s families have urged that the government intervene in retrieving them. Local residents and area leaders have also demanded tha...

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday issued notices to the federal government and other concerned authorities in a petition filed by an overseas Pakistani citizen residing in Cambodia, seeking the removal of his name from the blacklist.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday dismissed Indian media reports claiming that a man arrested in the US for illegal possession of a machine gun was Pakistani, clarifying that he is an Afghan national.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday that a man arrested by the US police last week in Delaware after he was found in possession of a handgun, ammunition and written plans for an attack was not of Pakistani origin and was an Afghan. “He is not [a] Pakistani national or [of] Pakistan origin. He is an Afghan, spent a few years as a refugee [in Pakistan] and then went to the US, where he spent most of his life,” Andrabi said in a statement shared with journalists. His clarification came after several media reports, including those from Indian and American news outlets, identified the suspect as a man of Pakistani origin. A USA Today report said the arrested man, Luqman Khan, was a Pakistan-born US citizen, who was arrested on November 24. Similarly, reports by the New York Post and India’s Hindustan Times and Times of India, among others, also identified him as a Pakistani immigrant. According to a report by The Associated Press from earlier today, which also does not identify Khan as ...

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday emphasised that the mandate of the planned International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza should be focused on monitoring the ceasefire and securing the territory’s borders, as he suggested a broader Pakistani role in the reconstruction and recovery of the conflict-battered territory. “Our position on the stabilisation force is clear that its main mandate must be monitoring the ceasefire on the ground to ensure that both sides abide by their commitments, and securing the borders of Gaza,” he said while talking to Dawn shortly after landing in Islamabad for a two-day visit during which he would discuss with Pakistani leaders a wide agenda — from consultations on conflicts, including Gaza and Sudan, and the dispute over the Iranian nuclear programme, to ways of intensifying economic cooperation. His comments came after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar disclosed publicly for the first time that Islamabad had conveyed to international part...

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said on Friday that three Pakistani prisoners in India were repatriated via the Wagah border. The border, which connects Lahore with the Indian city of Amritsar, is the only active land crossing between the two neighbours. It was closed to general traffic following a brief but intense military conflict earlier this year. The high commission identified the prisoners repatriated today as Asghar Ali, Ramzan and Muhammad Idrees, saying that it would continue working towards the “release and repatriation of all Pakistani prisoners in India”. The Foreign Office (FO) told Dawn the identities of the arrested fishermen and when they were taken into custody. Ramzan, 43, from Lahore, was arrested in 2010 by India on charges of illegally crossing the border and possessing narcotics. After receiving consular access, his status as a Pakistani national was confirmed in February 2011. Meanwhile, Muhammad Idrees from Narowal was arrested in 1995 for allegedly crossing the border illeg...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P) Senator Attaul Haq on Thursday stated that Afghans with Pakistani passports travel abroad and if they engage in crime, it reflects badly on Islamabad. Speaking during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, he said, “Fifty per cent of Afghans travel abroad using Pakistani passports. Whenever Afghans are caught by authorities abroad, they are carrying Pakistani passports.” An official from the interior ministry acknowledged that this had occurred, but assured the committee that the practice had stopped. “In the past, when people were deported from Saudi Arabia, it was found that deportees were Afghan citizens carrying Pakistani passports.” Earlier today, the committee condemned Justice Ali Baqar Najafi’s remarks in the Noor Mukadam case that surfaced a day earlier, deeming them “ridiculous”. Justice Najafi, who is now part of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), observed that the Noor Mukadam case was the direct result of a “vice” spreading in soci...

A Pakistani diplomat in Afghanistan met a key Afghan governor amid tensions over rising terror incidents in Pakistan, saying efforts were underway to thaw bilateral ties, according to Afghan state media and Pakistani sources who spoke to Dawn. The meeting was held hours after three Federal Constabulary men were martyred in a suicide attack on the force’s headquarters in Peshawar’s Saddar area this morning. Security forces quickly neutralised the attackers. This was the first high-level contact in months between the Pakistani Consul General in Jalalabad, Shafqatullah Khan and Nangarhar Governor Mullah Muhammad Naeem Akhund. Akhund is an important Taliban leader and is considered a confidant of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Governor Akhund has previously served as deputy minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs and deputy minister of Civil Aviation during the Taliban’s first government from 1996-2001. He had played a key role in the Taliban’s military commission during the 20-year war against the ...

South Korea’s Lotte Chemical said on Thursday it has sold about 75 per cent stake in its Pakistani subsidiary to Dubai-based PTA Global Holding for $68.94 million (98 billion won). The South Korean company is trying to restructure its portfolio under a government-led programme aimed at aiding loss-making petrochemicals in the country due to poor demand and abundant supply. Lotte Chemical Pakistan produces 500,000 tons of high-purity terephthalic acid (PTA), used in polyester fibers, industrial yarns, and PET bottles, annually at its plant in Karachi. Adnan Afridi has been appointed the firm’s chief executive officer following the stake sale, Lotte Chemical Pakistan said in a statement late on Wednesday. “The acquisition marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the company’s journey — one defined by innovation, operational excellence, and strategic growth, positioning Lotte Chemical Pakistan as a key industrial growth agent for PET and PSF customers in Pakistan,” the statement said. The statement also...

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday said that the suicide bomber who carried out the attack outside the Islamabad district and sessions court building was “not a Pakistani national”. Twelve people were killed and 36 were injured in a suicide blast on Tuesday outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area. The incident occurred as international events were being hosted in the capital, including the first one-day international (ODI) match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. A clearance operation was also carried out in Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan against terrorists hiding inside the educational institute. Statements from the leadership had linked the attacks to Afghanistan and India. Elaborating on the matter in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Chaudhry said: “The suicide attacker in the Islamabad blast was not a Pakistani. I am confirming this to you. He did not know Pakistan’s language nor did he know of the c...

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested a suspect accused of selling the personal data of Pakistani citizens online.

The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended a Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruling that had granted Pakistani citizenship to an Afghan man on the basis of his marriage to a Pakistani woman.