Pakistan

The Foreign Office (FO) announced on Wednesday that Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a 48-hour temporary ceasefire following recent border clashes.

Spotify and FC Barcelona have announced their seventh jersey takeover, with global superstar Ed Sheeran as the featured artist — marking the first time a solo male pop artist has fronted the iconic blaugrana shirt.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari on Wednesday rejected the claims made by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) regarding the government “concealing information” about the Muridke operation carried out to disperse Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) march they claimed was in solidarity for Palestinians. The TLP began protests in Lahore on Oct 9, announcing a march to the US embassy in Islamabad to oppose the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after two years of conflict in Gaza. The demonstrations quickly turned violent, with police using baton charges and tear gas against stone-pelting protesters. The following day, clashes in Lahore’s Shahdara area left at least 40 officers injured, while the TLP claimed over 10 workers were killed. As the group attempted to move towards Islamabad, Punjab Rangers and police from five districts were deployed to Muridke, where trenches were dug and an operation launched to disperse them. Regarding the Mudrike Operation and the violence that broke o...

The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Wednesday reaffirmed its authority to hear petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment, with Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar stating that judges from all constitutional benches could be included if required.

The prosecution has filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court challenging the acquittal of senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the May 9 violence case.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath to PTI MPA Sohail Afridi as the province’s chief minister on Wednesday. Footage of the event showed throngs of people surrounding the two amid the ceremony. View this post on Instagram Afridi also held up a portrait of PTI founder Imran Khan during the event. After his oath-taking, PTI leader Asad Qaiser extended “heartfelt congratulations” to Afridi. “I hope that, God willing, he will take effective measures to resolve the province’s issues and for the welfare and prosperity of the people […] And that he will also play a role in securing the release of all innocent prisoners, including Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and Shah Mahmood Qureshi,” Qaiser posted on X. The CM’s focal person on digital media Yar Muhammad Khan Niazi said that upon arrival at the CM’s secretariat, a well-equipped police contingent presented a guard of honour to Afridi. Afridi was elected the new KP chief executive on Monday during an assembly session marred by the oppositi...

Pakistan’s passport has further declined in global rankings, falling to 103rd place in the Henley Passport Index 2025, down from last year’s 96th spot.

The Pakistan Army carried out a successful intelligence-based operation in the Aba Khel area of North Waziristan on October 14, killing seven militants, security sources confirmed.

Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Wednesday, called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr and briefed him on the overall internal and external security environment of the country.

Security forces repulsed an attack by the Afghan Taliban along the Balochistan border on Wednesday, killing around 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. According to a statement by the ISPR, Afghan Taliban “resorted to cowardly attack[s] at four locations in [the] Spin Boldak area” in the early hours of Wednesday. “The attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces,” the statement said. It added that as Pakistani troops repelled the attack, 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban were killed and several others were injured. “The situation is still developing. There are reports of further buildup at staging points of Fitna-al-Khwarij and [the] Afghan Taliban,” the statement said. Fitna-al-Khwarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ISPR said that the attack from the Afghan side was “unfortunately […] orchestrated through divided villages in the area, with no regard for [the] civil population”. “The Afghan Taliban also destroyed the Pak-Afgh...

PPP leader and former speaker of the Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani passed away on Wednesday at the age of 72, according to a statement by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. In a statement issued by the Sindh CM House, Shah expressed deep sorrow and grief over Durrani’s passing. Murad called Durrani “a sincere, loyal and principled leader of the party, saying he played an important role in strengthening the Sindh Assembly and stabilising democracy. “Agha Siraj Durrani made public service the axis of his politics,” he said, expressing his condolences to the bereaved family. “The services of the late Agha Siraj Durrani will always be remembered,” he said. President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed “deep sorrow” over Durrani’s passing. “The president paid tribute to his political and public services, noting his role in strengthening democracy and serving the people of Sindh,” said a post by the Presidency on social media platform X. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the late Durrani for his ...

The Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISEs) across Punjab announced the results for the 2025 Intermediate Part-I (11th grade) annual exams on Wednesday.

Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani Wednesday held a meeting with the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Emin Cohodrevica.

Pakistan is expanding its trade and investment footprint in Saudi Arabia, with over 100 Pakistani information technology (IT) firms now formally registered to operate in the Kingdom.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has emphasized the need to translate the emerging consensus between Pakistan and the US on trade into a broader economic partnership.

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has directed the newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to devise an effective and comprehensive strategy to counter terrorism in the province.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has expressed satisfaction over the staff-level agreement reached between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking the annulment of Sohail Afridi’s election as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, who is set to be administered his oath by the provincial governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, later today. The petition, on which the court had reserved its verdict earlier today, was filed by JUI-F leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman yesterday. Rehman, who was among the four contenders for the KP CM post, had requested the court to “set aside” Afridi’s election and declare it null and void. At today’s hearing, which was presided over by Justice Arshad Ali and Justice Waqar Ahmad, Barrister Yaseen appeared on behalf of Rehman against PTI’s Salman Akram Raja. Addressing the court, Raja pointed out that the JUI-F petition at hand “has become ineffective in light of yesterday’s PHC order.” Responding to his comments, Justice Ali said, “Yes, we are aware of the order, but let’s hear the petitioner’s argument.” Barrister Yaseen told the court, “How was a new chief minister e...

Pakistan Tele­commu­nications Limited (PTCL) on Wednesday said the international cable consortium had completed the repair of a repeater installed in the submarine cable, which had affected internet speeds across the country. Yesterday, internet users, already facing disruptions in parts of upper Punjab and the federal capital due to law and order situation, experienced slow connectivity. PTCL had said that a maintenance activity was planned on one of the company’s submarine cables to repair a faulty repeater by the international cable consortium. “The repair process began at 11 am on October 14 and has been successfully completed,” PTCL spokesperson Amir Pasha said in a statement today. “Internet service speed and connectivity have been restored across the country.” The state-owned PTCL manages three undersea optical fibre cable networks that provide international internet connectivity to Pakistan. The combined capacity of all six submarine cable systems serving the country, including three PTCL cable system...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking to annul the election of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s newly elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, just hours before Governor Faisal Karim Kundi was set to administer the oath of office.