Pakistan

At least 31 people were killed and more than 160 others injured in a suicide bombing during Friday prayers at an imambargah in the Tarlai area of the federal capital, officials confirmed, prompting strong condemnation from the country’s leadership.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected an offer from his Russian counterpart to voluntarily extend the caps on strategic nuclear weapons deployments after the treaty that held them in check expired. “Rather than extend ‘New START … we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved and modernised Treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. Arms control advocates warn that the expiration of the treaty will fuel an accelerated nuclear arms race, while US opponents say the pact constrained the US ability to deploy enough weapons to deter nuclear threats posed by both Russia and China. Trump’s post was in response to a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the sides to adhere for a year to the 2010 accord’s limit of 1,550 warheads on 700 delivery systems — missiles, aircraft and submarines. New START was the last in a series of arms control treaties between the world’s two largest nuclear weapons powers dating back more than half a cen...

LAHORE: As Basant festivities kicked off on Friday after an 18-year hiatus, at least six kite-flying-related injuries have been reported in the city so far. In December last year, the Punjab government lifted the ban on kite flying and allowed the celebration of Basant with strict regulations. The kite-flying festival was banned in 2007 in Punjab because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire. In the first incident, a 21-year-old man sustained injuries around his neck after coming in contact with a stray kite string in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). The young man was returning home from a local market on a bike when the string became entangled around his neck, leaving visible deep wounds. However, a police official claimed that the injured person was riding the bike without a safety rod. Earlier, the government had instructed the motorcyclists to install protective steel wire...

A man lost his life and at least five others, including children, were injured in separate kite-flying-related incidents across the city as Basant festivities commenced, rescue officials said on Friday.

Security forces killed 24 militants described as “Indian-sponsored terrorists” during two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai and Khyber districts, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

The United States on Friday expressed solidarity with Pakistan following recent militant attacks in Balochistan, reiterating its support for efforts to bring those responsible to justice. In a post on X, the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) said it stood “steadfast with Pakistan” in the wake of the attacks, which it described as “horrific”. The bureau noted that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) remains a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). In August last year, the US State Department added the BLA and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, to its FTO list, according to a press release. FTO designations are made by the secretary of state, following section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and “are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business”. “We support efforts to hold the perpetrators of these horrific attacks accountable,” the SCA added. Earlier on Thursday, securi...

QUETTA: Train services were once again suspended in Balochistan on Friday, a day after resuming, following a five-day suspension in the wake of a spate of attacks in the province. Spokesperson of Pakistan Railways Quetta division, Muhammad Kashif, in a statement, said that Jaffar Express (from Quetta to Peshawar) and Karachi-bound Bolan Mail had been suspended again. “The passenger train to Chaman also remains suspended,” he added. A day earlier, train services were restored in Balochistan as the security situation improved. Authorities had also said on Thursday that mobile internet services remained suspended in many parts of Balochistan, but Quetta was expected to be back online on Friday (today). On Thursday, after several days of “mop-up” actions in parts of the province following the January 31 attacks, the military announced that security forces successfully concluded “Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1” in Balochistan, killing a total of 216 terrorists. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 36 civilia...

Australia and Indonesia signed a security treaty on Friday, paving the way for closer cooperation and new military training facilities in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The pact will facilitate defence initiatives that include embedding a senior Indonesian officer within Australia’s defence force, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement after the signing in Jakarta. Australia will also support the development of military training facilities to boost Indonesia’s ability to conduct joint drills, he said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara chief Rosan Roeslani show signed document at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 6, 2026. —Reuters Canberra has been seeking to bolster its military power in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence. Indonesia has proven more cautious with its foreign policy, not wanting to be seen taking sides and upsetting Beijing, its biggest trading partner. Albanese hailed the agree...

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday briefed Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong about operations conducted by security forces in Balochistan after recent spate of attacks across the province.

Security forces killed 24 terrorists in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released on Friday. “On 4-5 February 2026, twenty four khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy Fitna Al Khwarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,” said the statement from the military’s media wing. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Two intelligence-based operations were conducted in the province’s Orakzai and Khyber districts. During the operation conducted in Orakzai district, troops engaged the terrorists and killed 14. While in Khyber, during the conduct of another IBO, security forces killed 10 terrorists. “On reported presence of khwarij, an intelligence-based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in Orakzai District. During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and after an intense fire exchange...

K-Electric (KE) Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi on Friday stepped down from his position, according to a disclosure submitted to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). In July last year, the provincial ombudsman for protection against harassment of women ordered the removal of Alvi for harassing a former chief marketing and communication officer of KE and also directed him to pay Rs2.5 million to the complainant in compensation. Alvi, however, had denied the charges and vowed to challenge the decision of the ombudsman before an appropriate legal forum. “Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi has tendered his resignation from the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of K-Electric Limited,” stated the disclosure, dated February 6, submitted to the PSX and available to Dawn. The PSX was informed in “accordance with Section 96 and Section 131 of the Securities Act, 2015 and Clause 5.6.1(a) of the Rule Book of Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited”. “You are requested to disseminate the information to the TRE Certificate Holder...

LAHORE: Former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ihsan Mani has called on incumbent Jay Shah to play a role in defusing tensions after Pakistan decided to boycott its match against arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held in Colombo on Feb 15. Speaking to Dawn from London, Mani — who has also served as the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) — said that being the current ICC chief, Jay Shah should not only speak to Mohsin Naqvi to defuse tensions, but also save world cricket from potential financial losses. “He should go to Pakistan to convince the government to end the boycott and also listen to their grievances,” he said. Asked about media that the ICC had appointed Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja to negotiate with the PCB, Mani said that Khawaja represented associate member Singapore, and was not the right man to deal with the matter. “It is better for the ICC chairman to deal with the government of Pakistan on his own.” He was of the opinion that if the government of Pakistan had taken such ...

LONDON: British police have charged three more men in an investigation into a series of violent incidents targeting Pakistani dissidents in the United Kingdom, according to a statement released by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday night. The latest charges bring the total number of people arrested in connection with the investigation to seven. The charges relate to attacks on properties in Cambridge and Chesham in late December 2025 and form part of a wider counter-terrorism investigation being led by Counter Terrorism Policing London. Although the police statement did not name the victims, earlier reports indicate that the arrests are linked to attacks reported by former Imran Khan adviser Shahzad Akbar and YouTuber-blogger Adil Raja. Adil Raja’s home was targeted on December 24, 2025, while Shahzad Akbar’s residence was attacked on December 24 and 31, 2025, and again on January 10, 2026. Following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, Asaf Afsar, 38, of Birmingham; Liam McGarry, 24, of Warwic...

ISLAMABAD: Even though the country’s electronic media regulator has been without a chairperson since October, a summary for the appointment of Ambreen Jan as head of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has been pending with the Prime Minister’s Office for over a month. Ms Jan, a former federal secretary for information, was selected by the parliamentary panel as Pemra chairperson. If her appointment is approved, she will be the first woman to head the authority. According to a reliable source, Ambreen Jan’s confirmation has been held up due to “objections regarding security clearance”. Ms Jan is a former Grade-22 officer and has served as information secretary, the director general of Radio Pakistan and as managing director of PTV. She also served as press counsellor in Bangladesh from 2011 to 2018, when Islamabad-Dhaka ties were under strain. She was among the five shortlisted candidates considered for the Pemra job, along with retired Brigadier Anwar Ahmed, journalist Mateen Haider, I...

LARKANA: The management of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) has urged the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council to review the admission criteria for admissions to MBBS and BDS for the session 2025-26 to help fill the vacant seats in private medical and dental educational institutions of Sindh. It was learnt on Thursday that the SMBBMU registrar had last month approached the PMDC and drew his attention to the seats in the private institutions going vacant as candidates failed in meeting the criteria of the admission. In a letter, he stated that approximately 350 MBBS seats remained vacant due to the failure of aspirants in meeting the existing PMDC criteria. It said the SMBBMU, Larkana, has received multiple requests from private medical and dental colleges, expressing serious concern over the inability to fill those seats despite repeated admission rounds. SMBBMU seeks 10pc reduction for MBBS and BDS programmes The registrar said that during the previous academic year, the passing cri...

After weeks of uncertainty, indirect talks between Iran and the United States are set to open tomorrow in Oman’s capital, Muscat. The very survival of the process is notable, even though expectations of a breakthrough remain low. The road to these talks has been uneven; plans were repeatedly disrupted by military incidents, disputes on the venue and disagreements over the scope of engagement. At one point, Washington was said to have walked away altogether. Each time, the process was revived. Not because of confidence, but because the alternatives appeared to be far riskier. From what we know so far, Washington’s attempts to expand the agenda was one of the straws that nearly broke the camel’s back, so to speak. While Iran had agreed to discuss its nuclear programme – given its stance that it isn’t interested in nuclear weapons – the US instead insisted on putting ballistic missiles, regional proxies and internal governance on the table. For Tehran, this confirmed long-held suspicions that diplomacy was being...

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PM to invite opp leader soon on constitutional posts

Envoy condemns terrorist attacks in Balochistan

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