Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dissolved the bench hearing the appeals of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha against their conviction in a controversial tweets case, and ordered the file to be placed before Chief Justice Sardar Sarfaraz Dogar for the constitution of a new bench. A sessions court had sentenced the two lawyers to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in January, a day after they were arrested in Islamabad in connection with a separate case. Justice Muhammad Asif issued the order on an application filed by the appellants seeking the early hearing of their appeals and suspension of their sentences. During the proceedings, the counsel for the appellants, Riasat Ali Azad, argued that despite the matter being taken up on February 19, no effective date had been assigned for the hearing, prolonging the incarceration of his clients. The court was informed that proceedings involving the same appellants had previously been enter...

Following an early crash and a temporary market halt, the KSE-100 benchmark index resumed trading, recovered slightly by midday, but plunged sharply by 16,089.17 points, posting its largest-ever single-day decline. As trading began Monday following a weekend marred by geopolitical instability, the market crashed by over 15,000 points, causing the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) to halt trading. According to Chief Executive Officer Topline Securities Mohammed Sohail, the “market overreacted initially amid selling by a few funds and leveraged players”. As trading resumed around 10:30am, the index was down 12,334.88 points from its previous close of 168,062.16 points, marking a fall of 7.34 per cent. Sohail added that after the halt, some buying was seen as investors realised the market had already fallen by 20pc from its recent peak and had attractive values. By 11:07am, the market recovered more, with the index down 9,164.62 points, marking a fall of 5.45pc. However, by closing the index hit 151,972.99 points, s...

India and Canada on Monday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust, and positivity,” Modi said. Ties effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Sikh activists in Canada, accusations India rejected. Carney’s visit — his first to India since taking office last year — is not only aimed to reset strained ties, but also to push efforts to diversify trade beyond the United States. “There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decades combined,” Carney said in New...

The Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi has launched an initiative aimed at “facilitation and outreach” efforts for Pakistani nationals residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. In a post on X, the embassy said, “The Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi has launched an online registration form for the Pakistani community residing in the UAE for the sake of facilitation and outreach”. The nationals were directed by the embassy to register here. The embassy has set up facilitation desks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which will “operate round the clock”. The embassy also issued directives for Pakistani nationals stranded in transit in the UAE due to flight disruptions and airport closures to register here. In a post on X, the embassy said, “All Pakistani citizens who are presently in transit are requested to fill out this form carefully and completely”. “The information provided will help the Embassy coordinate with relevant authorities and airlines to extend necessary assistance...

The Karachi Traffic Police closed multiple roads in the city’s West and South districts on Monday, in view of the prevailing security situation. Ten people were killed in Karachi and two in Islamabad as protests erupted countrywide against the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks. In response, law enforcement personnel resorted to teargas shelling and baton-charge to control the situation. A ban on gatherings and rallies was also extended across Sindh. A road closure alert was issued at 8:51am for both sides of the road from Sultanabad Traffic Section towards Mai Kolachi, as well as both sides of MT Khan Road, from Jinnah Bridge towards PIDC and from PIDC towards Jinnah Bridge. A map showing planned road closures and alternative traffic routes in Karachi’s West and South districts. — via Karachi Traffic Police Traffic from Jinnah Bridge was being sent towards II Chundrigar Road as an alternative route. Traffic from Boat Basin was being U-turned at Mai Kolachi Ph...

At least three people died and 14 were injured following a mass shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, early on Sunday, police said. The suspect was killed in an exchange of fire with law enforcers at the scene, police said, adding that 14 people were in hospital, three of whom were in a critical condition. The man suspected of the shooting had a history of mental health issues, officials said, while the FBI was looking into a possible terrorism link. Law enforcement officials said the suspect had a history of mental health conditions, according to an internal update from the National Counter-terrorism Centre reviewed by Reuters. A law enforcement official told Reuters that the shooter wore a shirt with an Iranian flag and IRAN spelled out in green, white and red across the front. Authorities are investigating whether the suspect was motivated by the joint US-Israel strike on Iran, the official told Reuters. The shooter was identified as Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalised US citizen from Senegal, according to the Coun...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange experienced a dramatic fall on Monday, with the KSE-100 index dropping by 15,607 points amid escalating geopolitical tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

Trump administration officials acknowledged in closed-door briefings with congressional staff on Sunday that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack United States forces first, two people familiar with the matter said. The US and Israel launched their most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades on Saturday, assassinating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sinking Iranian warships and hitting more than 1,000 targets so far, officials say. But Sunday’s remarks to Congress appeared to undercut one of the key arguments for the war made by senior administration officials. They told reporters the day before that US President Donald Trump decided to launch the attacks in part because of indicators that Iranians might strike US forces in the Middle East “perhaps preemptively”. Trump, one of the officials said, was not going to “sit back and allow American forces in the region to absorb attacks”. Pentagon briefings lasted more than 90 minutes Pentagon officials briefed Democratic and Republican s...

KARACHI: At least three people died in Rizvia Society of the city’s Nazimabad No. 1 area after consuming toxic liquor, police said on Monday. According to a statement issued by police, six people were currently under treatment after consuming the illicit liquor. All the affected persons belonged to North Nazimabad No.1 and its adjoining areas. A suspect has been arrested in relation to the incident, the statement said. “16 small and three large bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from the possession of the suspect,” the police said in its statement, adding that a case has been registered and raids were underway. The statement said that, as per the Rizvia Society Police, the illicit liquor was purchased from different places. Sindh Inspector General (IG) Javed Alam Odho took strict notice of the incident and has sought an immediate and detailed report from the Central district senior superintendent of police (SSP), according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. IG Odho directed that a transparent, i...

US President Donald Trump has claimed that joint US-Israel strikes have killed at least 48 senior Iranian officials, including the country’s Supreme Leader, asserting that much of Iran’s leadership has been decimated and several officials are seeking to surrender.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has dissolved three election tribunals in Punjab that were hearing cases related to the 2024 general elections, officials confirmed on Sunday.

Oil prices surged by as much as 13 per cent on Monday after shipping in the crucial Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by retaliatory Iranian attacks following initial bombing by Israel and the United States that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Brent crude futures rose to as much as $82.37 a barrel, the highest since January 2025, before retreating to be up $5.41, or 7.4pc, to $78.28 by 06:05. US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed to an intraday high of $75.33, up over 12pc and the highest since June, though it later pared gains and was up $4.74, or 7.1pc, at $71.76. Both benchmarks jumped as a sustained exchange of counterattacks damaged tankers and sharply disrupted shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea. On a typical day, ships carrying oil equal to about one-fifth of global demand from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait sail through the Strait along with tankers hauling diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline and...

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, air routes passing through Pakistan and Afghanistan have emerged as some of the busiest aviation corridors in the world, according to flight tracking data.

Authorities have closed several major roads in Karachi as a precautionary measure ahead of possible protests following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in reported US-Iran airstrikes.

The Sindh government has approved summer and winter holidays for all educational institutions across the province, along with the academic calendar for the 2026–27 school year.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday described the recent attacks on Iran as “extremely regrettable,” saying they have left every Pakistani deeply saddened.

• PICSS says first two months of 2026 see almost half of all 2025 suicide attacks • Balochistan records ‘visible decline’ in attacks ISLAMABAD: Combat-related fatalities in Pakistan surged by 30 per cent in February 2026, driven by a sharp increase in suicide attacks across the country, according to monthly statistics released by an Islamabad-based think tank. The report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) documented 470 deaths and 333 injuries during the month. The dead included 96 civilians, 80 security forces personnel and 294 militants. The number of injured comprised 259 civilians, 50 security forces personnel and 24 militants. The figures represent a 74pc surge in the deaths of security forces personnel, a 32pc rise in civilian deaths and a 21pc increase in militant deaths compared to the previous month. Violence escalated significantly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its merged districts (erstwhile Fata). The region saw 53 security forces personnel and six civilians killed...

• Enhanced capacity on Jhelum, Chenab will increase flood, drought risks for Pakistan • At federal-provincial dialogue, Wapda chief stresses need for large dams ISLAMABAD: Around $60 billion in investment by New Delhi on storage projects along the two major western rivers — the Jhelum and Chenab — flowing from India-held Kashmir could soon become a lethal weapon against Pakistan, potentially causing both floods and droughts. At a recent federal-provincial dialogue on water storage projects, Water and Power Development Autho­rity (Wapda) Chair­man retired Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed reported that In­dia’s $60bn investment plan was estimated to increase New Delhi’s storage capacity on these rivers to 55-60 days, up from around 15 days at present. “Such capacity could cause drought in Pakistan, given a nearly two-month window to stop normal flows, particularly when crops need crucial water downstream,” a participant at the briefing told Dawn. “Conversely, India can trigger floods at will during monsoon or heavy rainfa...

• Israeli military says ‘unaware of the attack’ • US claims strike reports being looked into • Malala urges all states, parties to ‘safeguard schools’ PARIS: The death toll from the Israeli strikes that hit a girls’ school in southern Iran surged to 148, with nearly 100 others wounded, Al Jazeera reported. While Iranian officials claimed the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in the Minab city killed more than 100 people, neither the United States nor Israel confirmed that any such attack has taken place. Israel’s military on Sunday said it was “not aware” of any US or Israeli strike on any school in Iran. When asked about the strikes on school, Israel’s military spokesman Lt-Col Nadav Shoshani said, “At this point not aware of an Israeli or an American strike there… We’re operating in an extremely accurate manner.” However, The New York Times later quoted a CENTCOM spokesperson as saying: “We are aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations. We ta...

• PM speaks to Jordan, Bahrain rulers, offers support to restore calm; Dar contacts Omani, Iraqi counterparts • Loud blasts heard in Dubai and Doha; Oman hit for first time; multiple Gulf ports targeted • Emirati, Kuwaiti stock markets closed amid crisis • UAE confirms Pakistani national killed by missile debris ISLAMABAD: Amid Ira­nian counterattacks against US assets in the Gulf, Pakistan reached out to the rulers of Jordan and Bahrain via telephone and urged the need for restraint, de-escalation, and dialogue to preserve regional peace and stability. The Gulf states, which house American assets, came under attack after Iran retaliated to joint US-Israeli strikes, which killed its top leadership, including the supreme leader, and scores of citizens. According to the PM Office, the PM held a telephone conversation with Jordan’s King Abdullah II to discuss the evolving regional situation. The two leaders exchanged views on the serious regional developments following the recent escalation from the Israeli atta...