Pakistan

Pakistan formally appoints Asim Munir as first Chief of Defence Forces

President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday approved the appointment of the army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, as Pakistan's first Chief of Defence Forces for a period of five years. President Zardari approved the summary submitted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally asking him to appoint Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Munir as the first CDF of Pakistan. Last month, the parliament passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment providing to create the post of CDF with the objective to create unity of command and expedite the decision making in any critical situation. The CDF replaced the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), the post for which was abolished. The President extended his best wishes to Munir, a release from President's office said here. Zardari also approved a two-year extension in the service of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, Chief of Air Staff, to take effect from the completion of his present tenure on March 19, 2026. According to a stateme

IED blast targeting police vehicle kills 3 policemen in northwest Pakistan

Three security men were killed in an improvised explosive device blast targeting a police vehicle in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, an official said. The incident occurred in the Panyala area of Dera Ismail Khan district, bordering South Waziristan. Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Gul Alam, Constable Rafiq and the driver of the mobile van, Sakhi Jan, lost their lives in the incident. The Paniyala Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), station house officer (SHO) and other district police officials reached the site of the improvised explosive device (IED) blast soon after the incident. A statement by the office of Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Sajjad Ahmad Sahibzada said that the attack was carried out by unidentified terrorists. The terrorists have carried out a cowardly attack, the DPO told the media. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has strongly condemned the bomb attack. There have been severa

Imran Khan 'perfectly fine' but facing mental torture, says sister

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan's health is "perfectly fine" but he is being subjected to "mental torture in solitary confinement", his sister Dr Uzma Khan said on Tuesday after meeting him at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. The development comes amid rumours on social media about Khan's health as his family was constantly being denied from meeting him in prison for more than a month.

Pakistan passes Bill to protect minorities, set up rights commission

Pakistan's Parliament has approved a long-pending bill to strengthen protections for minority communities and create a statutory commission to oversee their rights and address discrimination

Female suicide bomber targets Pak paramilitary HQ in Balochistan; 6 killed

A female suicide bomber of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) blew herself up at the entrance of the headquarters of a paramilitary force in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, triggering a prolonged gunfight in which six militants were killed, security officials said on Tuesday. The attacker detonated herself at the main entrance of the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters in Nokundi town of Chagai district on Sunday night, the officials said. The BLA later identified the bomber as Zinata Rafiq and released her photograph. Following the explosion, six militants attempted to storm the headquarters. Three were shot dead near the entrance after an extended exchange of fire, while the remaining three managed to enter the compound before being encircled by FC personnel. The security officials said the three have been killed as well. Residents said intermittent gunshots and explosions were heard from inside the headquarters until Monday evening. The incident marks at least

Govt rejects reports of airspace denial to Pak for Sri Lanka aid flight

India on Monday expeditiously heeded to Pakistan's request to use Indian airspace to send humanitarian assistance to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka, people familiar with the matter said. They also described as "fake" reports in the Pakistani media that India has not granted overflight facility to Pakistan to send aid to Sri Lanka. The official request for overflight was submitted by Pakistan at around 1300 hours (Indian time) on Monday seeking permission to fly over Indian airspace, the people said. Given the fact that the request pertained to humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, India expeditiously cleared the request and intimated the same to Pakistan at 1730 hours (Indian time) on Monday through official channels, they said. It was processed at the shortest notice period of four hours, they added. This gesture from India despite Pakistan having banned its airspace for Indian airlines was considered purely on humanitarian grounds, the people said. "Pakistani media, as usual, is indulgi

7 explosions occur in Balochistan in 24 hours, no casualties reported

At least seven explosions have occurred in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province in the last 24 hours without any casualties being reported while two security guards of a construction company were injured. Suspected insurgents carried out the attacks in Balochistan capital Quetta and Dera Murad Jamali. On Saturday, insurgents hurled hand grenades at a police checkpoint in Quetta, following which an IED explosive was detonated near an Anti-Terrorism Department vehicle. Three other explosions were carried out later in the evening. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asif Khan said that the blast was carried out near Lohr Karez, on the outskirts of Quetta, blowing up the main line connecting Quetta with other parts of the country. Fear and panic spread in the capital due to the incident, however, no casualties were reported. SSP Khan said miscreants planted IED devices on the railway track and blew them when a train was scheduled to reach Quetta station. The blast caused damage t

'He is fine': Pak govt, PTI dismiss rumours about Imran Khan's condition

Speculation intensified on social media after reports suggested the 73-year-old could be shifted to a high-security facility, a move that would further restrict interaction

UAE said to halt visas for Pakistani tourists; envoy highlights reforms

Pakistan's Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry told the Senate that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE had "stopped short of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport"

Rumours claim Imran Khan is dead; family says police stopping all access

Imran Khan's family says police assaulted his sisters and denied access to Adiala Jail as online rumours about the former PM's death spread, prompting PTI to demand a neutral investigation

Pak's arms push, China's expanding naval power key concerns: Navy official

Post-Operation Sindoor in May, Pakistan has been shopping all around the world for arms and ammunition which is a matter of concern, while China, too, remains an enduring challenge on the back of its growing assertiveness, a top Indian Navy officer said on Wednesday. Vice-Admiral K Swaminathan, who heads the crucial Western Naval Command headquartered in Mumbai, noted the Chinese Navy has already become the largest in the world and has added fleet to the size of the Indian Navy in just last decade and expanding like never before. He was speaking at a security conference organised by the Bramha Research Foundation. Swaminathan noted that the commissioning of Fujian, the third aircraft carrier of the Chinese Navy, along with the demonstration of fifth and sixth generation fighters, is part of the Communist nation's global strategic narrative and signalling. "China, also worryingly for us, continues to maintain five-eight ships in the Indian Ocean Region," he said. This group ...

Prez Murmu pays tribute to 26/11 martyrs, urges unity against terrorism

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday paid tribute to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and asked all to reaffirm their commitment to combat terrorism in all forms. The nation remembers their supreme sacrifice with gratitude, Murmu said in a post on X. Ten Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists from Pakistan arrived by sea on November 26, 2008, and killed 166 people, including 18 security personnel, during a 60-hour siege of Mumbai. "On the anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, I pay my humble tribute to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the people of our country. The nation remembers their supreme sacrifice with gratitude. "Let us reaffirm our commitment to combat terrorism in all forms. Let us move forward together on the path of progress with a resolve to build a stronger and more prosperous India," the president said.

Some justice delivered but 26/11 conspirators still hiding in Pak: Nikam

Noted lawyer and Rajya Sabha member Ujjwal Nikam has said that while justice has been delivered to some extent to victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, their conspirators are "still hiding in Pakistan". Talking to PTI Videos on the eve of the 17th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks on Tuesday, Nikam said Pakistan continues to make "pretences", having arrested eight or nine persons, yet the status of their trials remains unknown. Citing the success of Operation Sindoor, India's military operation after the Pahalgam terror attack, Nikam said persons like Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who masterminded the "entire conspiracy with help from ISI" for the 26/11 attack, must also be brought under the grip of the law. As many as 166 people lost their lives and more than 300 were injured after 10 terrorists from Pakistan launched simultaneous attacks in several parts of Mumbai on November 26, 2008. Ten armed militants from the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba

NIA court sentences two more accused in Pak-linked Navy espionage case

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday sentenced two more accused in the Pakistan-linked Visakhapatnam Navy espionage case to simple imprisonment (SI), along with a fine. The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar and Vikas Kumar, hailing from Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts, respectively, will have to undergo SI of 5 years and 11 months, a statement issued by the NIA said. They also face an additional SI of one year in the event of default of payment of a Rs 5,000 fine, imposed by the NIA special court at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), it said. With this, NIA has successfully secured the conviction of eight of the 15 accused arrested in the case till date. Ashok and Vikas were arrested in December 2019 from Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Karwar (Karnataka), respectively. NIA had, in June 2020, chargesheeted 14 accused persons, and subsequently filed a supplementary charge sheet against one more accused in March 2021. A total of 15 accused persons have been arres

Pakistan to export 100K tonnes of rice to Bangladesh, marking record trade

Pakistan is set to export 1,00,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh, highlighting the improved trade relations between the two countries since the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina last year in August. The tender for the same was issued by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) last week, a TCP official said. This is the highest consignment of rice to Bangladesh from Pakistan to date. The first Batch of 50,000 tonnes of rice was exported after both countries began government-level trade with rice imports in February this year. A leading rice exporter said that if trade increased with Bangladesh, it would be good for business as rice exports had fallen 28 per cent in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2025-26. It is because of the many barriers we face from the government, which complicates the entire process, Waqar Ahmed, who runs his own rice mills in Punjab province, said. He added that the reasons for the decline were the resumption of rice exports by India last year, an

Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan kill 10, injure 4 says Afghan Govt

Air strikes also occurred in Kunar and Paktika, where four civilians were injured

3 security personnel killed in suicide attack in Pakistan's Peshawar

At least three security personnel were killed and two others injured in a suicide attack at a paramilitary force headquarters on Monday in Pakistan's Peshawar, according to a report. Three terrorists were also killed in the early morning attack at the Frontier Constabulary (FC) headquarters, Dawn reported. The terrorists tried to enter the building after one bomber blew himself up at the gate, but were killed in a counter-firing, the report said. Security forces have surrounded the area, and a clearance operation is being carried out, it added. Earlier, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmad had told Dawn that the headquarters was under attack and the area was being cordoned off. The injured are being taken to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar. The civilian paramilitary force, originally called the Frontier Constabulary, was renamed by the government in July. The headquarters of the force is located in a crowded area, close to a military cantonment, the repor

Delhi Police bust ISI-linked drone arms network, arrest 4 suspects

An international arms trafficking network allegedly linked to Pakistan's ISI-backed suppliers has been busted with the arrest of four key operatives involved in supplying high-end foreign-made weapons to organised crime groups across north India, police said on Saturday. According to the police, the network sourced foreign-made weapons smuggled from Pakistan using drones and supplied them to gangsters in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Investigations revealed that weapons were being smuggled from Pakistan using customised drones capable of low-altitude flights to evade radar. Traffickers based across the border allegedly dropped consignments at pre-marked GPS locations along vulnerable stretches of the international border in Punjab late at night. Local receivers retrieved the packages, transported them to safe houses, and supplied them to crime networks across India. The module used encrypted communication and changed drop locations frequently to avoid surveillance, poli

17 TTP militants killed in operations in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least 17 TTP militants were killed and several others injured in multiple operations in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Saturday. Police and security forces launched coordinated operations in the Sheri Khel and Pakka Pahar Khel areas of Bannu district after confirming the presence of militant groups in the region. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed said 10 militants were killed, five were injured, and one facilitator was arrested in a joint action led by Lakki Police, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Bannu and security forces. He said the bodies of seven militants had been recovered, while three could not be retrieved due to the difficult mountainous terrain. In a separate eight-hour operation conducted by Bannu Police, CTD and security forces, seven more militants were killed and several others were injured. A large contingent of police and security personnel remained unhurt during the engagements, and local residen

Here's why Pakistan may regret letting army back at the centre of power

The 'establishment', Pakistanis' euphemism for their powerful military and the industries and organisations it controls has held a large share of power since its first decade as an independent nation