Pakistan

The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has not yet announced the schedule for the presidential election due to procedural gaps in the communication it received.

Pakistan’s benchmark stock index, the KSE-100, closed in the green, up 5,159.10 points to 157,132.09 points on Tuesday, following the largest single-session decline in the bourse’s history on Monday. This 3.39 per cent increase marks a significant rebound from yesterday’s drop of more than 16,000 points. This upward momentum followed early volatility, with the benchmark slipping 700 points into the red at 9:16am. Topline Securities noted that market participation also improved, with total traded volume reaching 770 million shares and turnover clocking in at Rs 44.3 billion. However, the index continued to reflect the volatility seen in the previous session, swinging between an intraday low of 151,258.85 points and a high of 158,217.01. The most actively traded stocks were led by K-Electric Limited, which climbed 8.81pc to Rs7.29 on a volume of 74,401,539 shares. It was followed by Worldcall Telecom Limited, up 8.04pc to Rs1.21 with 50,045,665 shares traded, while Pak Elektron Limited declined 9.04pc to Rs39.3...

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Tuesday that the country’s airspace remained “fully open, safe, and completely available for all civil aviation traffic”. The clarification came after the authority issued a notice to airmen (Notam) regarding specific air routes in Karachi and Lahore regions, saying they would remain unavailable from March 3 to March 31 between 9am and 3 pm daily. The Notam said “selected ATS (air traffic service) routes segments” in the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) flight information regions (FIRs) would remain unavailable during the above-mentioned period due to “operational reasons”. This screengrab shows the Notam issued by the PAA on March 3. 2026. In a subsequent statement, the PAA said that the Notam was a “routine operational advisory”. “It announces the temporary unavailability of specific ATS route segments within the Karachi and Lahore FIRs during daily windows (0900-1500 PKT) from March 3 to 31. These segments are closed from ground level to unlimited a...

An Islamabad court on Monday granted bail to Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana fake receipt case, while also approving bail for the former premier in five additional cases, including those pertaining to attempted murder and alleged defamation of the army.

A PPP delegation met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in the country as well as the regional situation. A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that a delegation of PPP parliamentarians met with the premier today. “The Pakistan People’s Party is an important coalition party of the government,” PM Shehbaz said according to the statement. “The PPP supported the government at every step in important decisions for national development and progress, for which it is grateful.” The meeting discussed the current political situation in the country as well as the prevailing regional situation in the Middle East, but the statement did not provide details of the discussions. The PPP delegation included Senator Sherry Rehman, Raja Pervez Ashraf, and Members of the National Assembly Naveed Qamar and Aijaz Jakhrani. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Azam Nazeer Tarar, and PM’s A...

US Marines opened fire during the storming of the American consulate in Karachi over the weekend, two US officials said on Monday, marking a rare use of force by military personnel at a diplomatic facility and underscoring the gravity of the security breach amid nationwide unrest.

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 ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has reaffirmed that Pakistan stands wholeheartedly with Iran, urging that the situation not be given a wrong domestic colour and stressing continued diplomatic efforts to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.

The United States mission in Pakistan has cancelled all visa appointments through Friday, March 6, citing the prevailing security situation, according to an official notice issued to applicants.

The Sialkot Stallionz have officially changed their name to the Multan Sultans, Pakistan Super League (PSL) CEO Salman Naseer announced on Tuesday. In a press conference, Naseer said that the group’s name change request, put forward by the team’s new CEO, Gohar Shah, had been officially accepted. According to him, the name change request was Shah’s first act as CEO of the franchise, as the name ‘Multan Sultans’ had not previously been available. “You saw him (Shah) amongst other bidders at the team auction for the Multan Sultans,” the PSL CEO said. “There was a lot of desire, passion, and I think Gohar was the most disappointed when he couldn’t get the team.” The PSL CEO added that the option to change team names had been kept in all auction processes, including the ability to request a name that was not one of the six provided. “At the time, I think Multan was not available, so he chose Sialkot,” Naseer said, adding that as soon as Shah came in as CEO of the franchise, he had applied for a name change, discu...

Amid rising regional tensions, Pakistan’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has issued a fresh cybersecurity advisory, warning of an increased risk of cyberattacks targeting sensitive institutions across the country.

Pakistani nationals hauled suitcases across the border from Iran, describing missiles being launched and travel chaos as they scrambled to leave the country after the US and Israel launched strikes over the weekend. AFP journalists saw a steady trickle of people passing through large metal gates at the remote border crossing between Iran’s Mirjaveh and Taftan in Balochistan. Powerful explosions have rocked Iran’s capital Tehran since Saturday, with embassies from countries around the world telling their citizens to leave. “All our Pakistani brothers who were in Tehran and other cities had started to leave and were arriving at the terminal, which caused a lot of crowd pressure,” 38-year-old trader Ameer Muhammad told AFP on Monday. Cargo trucks wait to enter the Pakistan-Iran border crossing at Taftan, Balochistan province on March 2, 2026 amid ongoing US-Israel strikes on Iran. —AFP/File “Due to the crowds, there were major transport problems.” The isolated Taftan border lies around 500 kilometres from Quetta...

Police on Tuesday continued their crackdown against illegally residing Afghan nationals in the city, arresting 57 individuals during search operations conducted over the past 24 hours.

A total of 116 outbound flights from major airports across Pakistan to various Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled on Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded amid escalating regional tensions.

Chairman Board of Governors of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center (PKLI), Professor Dr.

Pakistani nationals streamed back across the border from Iran on Monday, hauling suitcases through the remote crossing at Taftan as powerful explosions rocked Tehran following weekend strikes by the United States and Israel.

Oil prices rose for a third day on Tuesday as the widening US-Israeli conflict with Iran and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz heightened fears of supply disruptions from the key Middle East producing region. Brent crude futures were at $79.44 a barrel, up $1.70, or 2.2 per cent, by 04:00 GMT. On Monday, the contract surged to as high as $82.37, its highest since January 2025, though it pared those gains to settle 6.7pc higher. US West Texas Intermediate crude jumped $1.17, or 1.6pc, to $72.40 a barrel. In the previous session, the contract initially climbed to its highest since June 2025 before sliding back to still settle up 6.3pc. “With no quick de-escalation in sight, the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and Iran showing a willingness to target energy infrastructure in the region, upside risks remain and they grow the longer the conflict drags on,” Tony Sycamore, ING market analyst, said in a note. The US and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday with Israel attacking Lebanon an...

Karachi’s MT Khan Road was closed again on Tuesday in response to the prevailing security situation in the city, according to the traffic police. Ten people were killed in Karachi on Sunday as protests erupted against the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks. A ban on gatherings and rallies has also been extended across Sindh. An alert issued by the Karachi Traffic Police for District South at 5:38am said that both sides of MT Khan Road remained closed from the PIDC signal towards Jinnah Bridge for security reasons. As an alternative route, traffic from PIDC has been diverted towards Khajoor Chowk and Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, and from Jinnah Bridge towards II Chundrigar Road, it said. Subsequently, the police issued another alert at 9:21am for traffic congestion on both sides of II Chundrigar Road from Jinnah Bridge towards Tower and Shaheen Complex due to the MT Khan Road closure. A map showing road closures in Karachi on March 3. — screengrab via Google Maps I...

ISLAMABAD: Multiple Pakistani television channels, websites and mobile applications came under coordinated cyberattacks on Sunday night, prompting the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to launch a formal investigation. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima presided over a meeting of the National CERT, which was held in Islamabad on Monday to assess the cyberattacks. Cybersecurity experts and officials reviewed preliminary findings and agreed to initiate a comprehensive probe into the breaches. Authorities said efforts were underway to determine the motive, origin and technical nature of the intrusions. CERT officials assured that a detailed report would be issued once the investigation was completed. The main attack happened at the state-owned satellite of the country, Pak-Sat, as a result of which several TV channels suffered transmission issues. However, no major government or private website was hit. Taking note of the situation, CERT issued an alert and advisory to all ...

FUNERALS of several victims were held at the Markazi Imamia Masjid in Gilgit.—Photo by the writer • Prayers offered at Markazi Imamia Jamia Masjid Skardu and Central Imamia Masjid Gilgit • Three-day curfew imposed in both districts amid deteriorating law and order situation GILGIT: Funeral prayers for 13 people who were killed during protests after the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were held in Skardu and Gilgit as authorities imposed a three-day curfew in both cities starting Monday to manage the prevailing law and order situation. A total of 13 people, including one security official, were killed during clashes on Sunday. Six people lost their lives in Skardu, while seven were killed in Gilgit. According to official and hospital sources, a young man who had sustained injuries during the protests in Gilgit succumbed to his wounds, raising the death toll to 13. More than 100 people were reported injured. Funeral prayers for five of the deceased were offered at the Ma­­rkazi I...