Pakistan

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...

• Iran confirms supreme leader’s death, declares 40-day mourning • Hospital targeted as Israeli missiles pound Tehran, other areas for second day; retaliatory strikes kill 9 in Israel • US claims sinking 9 Iranian warships, B-2 bombers target missile sites; 3 American troops killed • Shipping paralysed as IRGC closes Strait of Hormuz • Trump says war on Iran ‘could last four weeks’; Tehran still open to talks, insists on ‘no limit’ to self-defence JERUSALEM: The war between Iran and the US-Israel alliance escalated sharply on Sunday after Iran confirmed the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khame­nei in a joint US-Israeli airstrike, a move that has plunged the Middle East into its most perilous crisis in decades. As Iranian government declared 40 days of national mourning and seven public holidays following the death of the man who wielded absolute power since 1989, Iranian missiles killed at least nine people in a central Israeli town, while the US and Israel continued bombardment of Tehran, with...

.

Melenchon says he is not antisemitic while addressing a rally in Lyon

About 20% of global oil, LNG transit route

Leadership council formed to guide nation; Trump claims 48 Iranian leaders killed in one go; Iranian strikes kill 9

.

10 die in clashes outside US consulate in Karachi; army called out in Skardu after 11 deaths

Information minister says 182 Taliban checkposts destroyed; Pakistani forces take control of 31 additional posts

Policy uncertainty risks undermining exports and green energy adoption