Pakistan

KARACHI: A petition was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday, seeking the initiation of “criminal, departmental and contempt proceedings” against officials found responsible for the Gul Plaza fire. The fire, which erupted late on Saturday night, raged for almost 24 hours before it was doused. The death toll from the inferno rose to over 20 today from six reported on Sunday as rescue workers continued a search operation for several persons reported missing following the incident. Meanwhile, a lawyer, Advocate Saleem Michael, and a resident of Karachi, Muhammad Haris, filed a plea in the SHC, stating that the “tragedy was not an unavoidable accident but a direct consequence of gross negligence, failure of inspection, nonenforcement of safety laws, and maladministration by the respondents who are legally bound to ensure building and fire safety”. The Sindh government, Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi’s chief fire officer, the Sindh Emergency Rescue Service dire...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday held a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty to discuss recent regional developments as well as ongoing bilateral and multilateral matters.

The federal government has formally released the list of public and optional holidays for 2026, with the Cabinet Division issuing a comprehensive notification covering national days, religious observances, and minority festivals.

Incarcerated leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday once again approached Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi, seeking early fixation of their appeals against convictions in cases related to the May 9 unrest.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday announced a compensation of Rs10 million each for the families of those who lost their lives in the deadly Gul Plaza fire in Karachi and pledged that the damaged building would be rebuilt after necessary assessments.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, one-day protective bail in relation to their arrest warrants in a case linked to controversial social media posts. The case has been registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca), in which the two have been accused of inciting divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. On January 17, Mazari and Chattha challenged their arrest orders in the IHC, arguing that the trial court had unlawfully curtailed their right of defence, issued arrest warrants without fulfilling mandatory legal requirements, and ordered judicial custody along with virtual production. Justice Azam Khan of the IHC took up the petition today and stayed the arrest of Mazari and Chattha until tomorrow. Lawyer Kamran Murtaza, who represented the couple, informed the court that...

A contingent of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) arrived in Saudi Arabia to take part in a multinational aerial combat exercise, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release on Monday. The PAF contingent, comprising F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft alongside dedicated air and ground crew, arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to participate in the multinational aerial combat exercise ‘Spears of Victory 2026’. “The exercise is witnessing the participation of fighter jets and combat support elements from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Italy, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America,” the ISPR said. “It offers a robust platform to enhance interoperability, operational synergy, mutual understanding and capacity building among participating air forces, particularly in large force employment, night composite air operations, integrated ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance), and operations in advanced electronic warfare enviro...

A high-speed train derailed and was hit by another in southern Spain killing 39 people and injuring more than 120, authorities said Monday, saying the country’s worst train crash in over a decade was “extremely strange”. It was the deadliest train accident since 2013, when 80 people died after a train veered off a curved section of track outside the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela. The crash happened on Sunday evening when a train operated by rail company Iryo travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, crossing onto the other track where it crashed into an oncoming train, which also derailed. The interior ministry said at least 39 people died, raising the toll from 21 given by police late on Sunday. Another 123 people were injured, including five very seriously and 24 seriously, a ministry spokesperson added. Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters the disaster took place on a straight part of the track, which was completely renovated. The first train to derail was “practically ...

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has reaffirmed that government jobs in the province will be awarded strictly on merit, dismissing the practice of issuing positions through recommendations.

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent comprising F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft, along with air and ground crew, has arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia to take part in the multinational aerial combat exercise Spears of Victory-2026, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives in traffic accidents caused by dense fog and other factors in different cities of the province.

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.

Punjab Prosecutor General Syed Farhad Ali Shah visited the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) on Monday, where he was briefed on the agency’s operational procedures and working model.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 jolted parts of Pakistan on Monday, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar and adjacent areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said. According to PMD, the earthquake struck at 11:21am at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre in Northwestern Kashmir. According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which uses the Moment Magnitude scale, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Kashmir at a depth of 31 km. It said that the quake was recorded 58 km north-west of Barishal in Pakistan. Earlier this month, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of the country. Tremors were felt in Islamabad and parts of KP. 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. In October 2025, a 3.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Karachi. A m...

Pak-Turk Maarif International Schools & Colleges have officially announced the launch of MAGIS 2026-1 (Maarif Entrance Exam), a merit-based admission and scholarship programme designed to identify talented and high-achieving students across Pakistan.

Australia will rest five top players, including Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell, for a three-match Twenty20 series in Pakistan ahead of the World Cup, selectors said on Monday. Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis will also skip the series starting later this month. Their absence opened the door to fringe players Sean Abbott, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mitch Owen, Josh Phillippe and Matt Renshaw, who come into the 17-man squad. Chief selector George Bailey said the five were either returning from injury or having their loads managed ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka which begin on February 7. “The series is a great opportunity for those on the brink of selection and some young players we rate highly for valuable experience,” he added. “Some are already experienced international players, along with Mahli Beardman who has been with the group a number of times, and Jack Edwards who joined for the last one-day match against India in Sydney last year.” Australia will play Paki...

The 11th edition of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) will see yet another historic development as the franchise moves to a player auction model instead of the traditional player draft system, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday. The board called the transition to the auction model “a historic move after a decade of success” and said that it reinforced PSL’s “continued growth, competitiveness, and commitment to innovation”. “This strategic shift is aimed at enhancing competitive balance, increasing transparency, and providing players greater earning opportunities,” PCB said in a statement today. Under the revised player acquisition framework, each franchise may retain a maximum of four players, limited to one player per category. Previously, every franchise was allowed to retain eight players from their squad, including a mentor, a brand ambassador, and a Right to Match (RTM) option to retain a ninth player in the draft. The rules pertaining to mentors, brand ambassadors and RTM have b...

The death toll from the devastating fire at Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping centre climbed to 14 on Monday after firefighters and rescuers brought the blaze under control following nearly 33 hours of gruelling efforts, officials said.

Three additional judges were sworn in as permanent judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday.

Authorities in the federal capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags, with more than 166,000 cars now registered under the system, according to data released on Sunday, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.