Pakistan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The main inter-provincial highway linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab was reopened to traffic on Wednesday after remaining closed for several hours following a suicide attack at the Dajil checkpost in Bhakkar. The road had been sealed after a suicide attack at the inter-provincial checkpost on Tuesday evening, leaving two police officials martyred. Following the attack, authorities suspended traffic as a precautionary measure and launched a search operation. Officials said the Dera Darya Khan bridge was reopened for all kinds of traffic on Wednesday after consultations between the district administrations of Dera Ismail Khan and Bhakkar. Traffic was restored once security clearance was completed and necessary checks were carried out. It is worth mentioning that the Dajil checkpost is at the border of Dera Ismail Khan and Bhakkar. Traders against repeated closures The continued closure of the inter-provincial route caused significant inconvenience to travellers and transporters. Vehicles r...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed the need for reducing direct taxes “across the board” in the upcoming budget to facilitate the business community. The premier made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Pakistan Governance Forum 2026, which was attended by businesspersons as well. PM Shehbaz stressed the need for increasing economic growth, production, exports, investments and foreign direct investments (FDI), rather than relying on hiking taxes. He said: “I believe that in the upcoming budget — which will come a few months later — we must decrease direct taxes across the board so that businesspersons and investors are facilitated. “My entire team and I are united on this that we must reduce taxes immediately,” he said, adding that businesspeople did not pay indirect taxes. Noting that many businesspersons sitting among the audience understood the issue he was referring to, PM Shehbaz said, “You obtain the indirect tax from the consumers. But if you keep it in yo...

Pakistan has boosted security and arrested dozens of suspects as it fears a rising wave of militant attacks following its air strikes in Afghanistan, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Wednesday. “Our forces are on high-alert to combat any attacks,” Chaudhry told Reuters. “You know the militants always react whenever we go after their hideouts in Afghanistan.” Pakistan carried out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan over the weekend on what it said were militant targets responsible for a spate of recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil. Islamabad blames Kabul for allowing the fighters to use Afghanistan as a safe haven. Kabul denies the charges, saying the militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem. Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along their border on Tuesday, with each side accusing the other of initiating the clash. There have also been a number of militant attacks, including the ambush of a police vehicle in Kohat in which five officers and two civilians were killed and a s...

ISLAMABAD: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Iva Petrova on Wednesday began technical-level discussions with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in Karachi for the third review of the $7bn Extended Financing Facility (EFF) and the second review of the $1.1bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The mission will remain in Karachi this week and begin policy discussions with the federal and provincial governments on Monday, with the customary opening roundup with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. The minister on Wednesday said the government was well-positioned for a successful review of its loan programmes. Talking briefly to journalists after a parliamentary committee meeting, the minister said the government was also in a good position on collections by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). Responding to a question, he said there was “absolutely no issue” with the rollover of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) safe deposits with the central bank and the sides were in constant contact. Th...

ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khanum, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, on Wednesday launched a scathing criticism of the party leadership over decisions taken for the former premier’s medical treatment and of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) over the delay in fixing his cases for hearing. A day earlier, the PTI founder was taken to the hospital for follow-up treatment of his eye ailment, which came to light in late January. However, his party took exception to the ‘secrecy’ surrounding this procedure and the complete exclusion of family members from this process. The opposition has also repeatedly demanded that cases of the incarcerated PTI founder be fixed for an early hearing. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Aleema said the health of the PTI founder was the family’s primary concern and insisted that no decision regarding his treatment should be made without their permission. Referring to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s statement from February 17 regarding Imran’s health, she said the minister had publicly claimed t...

ISLAMABAD: Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi reiterated a decision made last year to issue visas to over 10,000 skilled Pakistani workers, saying that it was aimed at promoting “legal migration”. Italy would issue 10,500 work visas for Pakistan’s skilled workers to promote “legal migration”, he said during a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Rome, according to a statement issued by the interior ministry. In December last year, an agreement was reached between Pakistan and Italy, under which the latter had allocated a labour quota for the former. According to the agreement, 10,500 Pakis­tani workers will be provided employment in various sectors in Italy, including ship brea­king, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture. Each year, 3,500 Pakistani workers will sec­ure overseas jobs under seasonal and non-seasonal quotas, as per the agreement. Visa-free entry for diplomatic passport holders During the meeting, it was also decided that Pakistani diplomatic passport holders would be allowed...

Pakistanis, including tourists, travelling to the United Kingdom (UK) will now be able to do so with an e-visa, receiving confirmation by email rather than stickers in passports, according to a statement issued by the British High Commission on Wednesday. In July 2025, the UK government introduced an e-visa system for Pakistanis; however, it was limited to study or work visas. Applicants applying for general visitor visas were still required to obtain a physical visa. In the statement released on Wednesday, the high commission said visitors would continue to submit their applications online and attend a visa application centre to provide biometrics. It said that successful applicants would have a digital record of their immigration status provided through an e-visa, accessible through an online UK Visas and Immigration account. “It means applicants no longer need to attend a visa application centre a second time to collect their passport, instead holding on to it after their biometrics session,” the commissio...

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi has marked a significant victory in its mission to protect state assets by successfully retrieving 43.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has launched the “PTA Digital Assistant” to provide ease and facilitation to telecom consumers with general guidance on telecom services and complaint procedures.

The United Kingdom has rolled out a new electronic visa (e-visa) system for Pakistani nationals, removing the requirement for physical visa stickers on passports and shifting the process entirely online.

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday. The tremors were felt in Peshawar, Chitral, Swat, Swabi, Bajaur, Mardan, Charsadda and Mansehra, DawnNewsTV reported, adding that they were also felt in Islamabad. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the quake struck at 4:12pm at a depth of 114 kilometres. It said the earthquake’s epicentre was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region. The department also added that the quake was felt in Islamabad, Swat, Peshawar and Chitral. Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region. Last week, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of KP, with tremors felt in Shangla, Swat, Mardan, Swabi and Nowshera.

GWADAR: Six people, including the attacker, were killed and four others were injured in a shooting and mortar attack at a house in the Minaz locality of Kech district’s Buleda tehsil, a police official said. Initially, police sources said six members of a family, including three children, were killed when assailants opened indiscriminate gunfire and launched a mortar strike. Later, Buleda Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Talal Gichki stated that an attacker was among the six dead in the incident, while four others were injured. “Firing continued for one and a half hours. During the exchange of fire, a rocket fell on a hut,” the DSP said, adding that the entire residence got burned down as a result. Over a dozen cattle were also lost as a result of the attack. Following the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace the attackers. Police sources said an investigation was under way and the matter was being probed from multiple angles. On February 16, unidentifi...

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Wednesday imposed an “immediate and complete” ban on flying drones outdoors across the province for the next 30 days, citing risk to public safety. In a notification issued by the Punjab home department, available with Dawn, a complete ban on the outside flying of drones was announced under Section 144 (6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, which is to remain in force “for a period of 30 days from the date of issuance or until withdrawn earlier”. However, the notification said that the ban did not apply to “use of small drones for coverage of indoor activities, such as in halls or marquees”. It further added that the ban was also not applicable to “drones used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies”. The home department noted that “credible reports and prevailing circumstances indicate that the increasing and unregulated use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) within the territorial limits of Punjab poses potential risks to public safety, security of public and pr...

Pakistan’s benchmark index, KSE-100, closed in the red on Wednesday, down 1632.25 points from its previous close of 166,258.54. Volatility persisted in the market, with the index touching an intraday high of 168,191.64 and a low of 164,229.36, underscoring continued instability in trading activity. This follows Tuesday’s particularly turbulent session that saw the index swing from an intraday gain of 1,546 points to a steep decline of 3,783 points as selling pressure intensified. Analysts at Topline Securities note that the benchmark was primarily impacted by weak investor sentiment and futures rollover pressure. The top active stocks were led by K-Electric Limited, which rose 1.85 per cent to Rs7.71 at a volume of 99,786,190, followed by Cnergyico PK Limited, which rose 8.31pc to Rs7.17 at a volume of 70,330,560, and First National Equities Limited, which rose 0.68pc to Rs1.48 at a volume of 33,421,278. The top advancers were led by Media Times Ltd., which rose 11.02pc to Rs5.24, followed by Chenab Limited, ...

Sohail Afridi on Wednesday attempted to address the rostrum of Sarfraz Dogar at the Islamabad High Court, but the chief justice left for his chambers without hearing him.

A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths. It was the second consecutive annual record for press deaths and the deadliest year since the CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago. “Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement. “We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.” Over three-quarters of all the fatalities in 2025 were in conflict settings, the CPJ said in its report. More than 60 per cent of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire in 2025 were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, it added. The Israeli military claims that it never “deliberately targets” journalists. The number of journalists killed in Ukraine and Sudan also increased in 2025 compared to the year before. The CPJ highlighted a rise in drones being used, w...

The Punjab home department submitted a report to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday stating that 17 people died during the recent Basant festival in Lahore. The three-day Basant festival was held in Lahore from February 6-8, following the Punjab government’s decision to lift a ban on the historic event after 18 years, with strict regulations. However, despite the government’s emphasis on safety measures, over 100 accidents were reported in connection with the festival. The petition, heard by Justice Owais Khalid, sought the details of deaths and injuries during Basant. According to the report, three people died of electrocution during the festival, and two died after falling from trees. In addition, 12 people lost their lives falling from roofs, the report added. The LHC also sought details of people injured by kite strings during Basant. According to the petitioner’s lawyer, Advocate Azhar Siddique, the data was not provided. Earlier this month, the court summoned a police report on the deaths and inju...

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking the transfer of jailed Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment, particularly an eye examination by a specialist.

Classes have been suspended in 133 government schools in Lahore after a structural survey found their buildings to be unsafe, officials said.