Wednesday, September 23

PAKISTAN NEWS

Ishaq Dar departs for New York to attend 81st UN General Assembly session
20Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS, United Nation (UN)

Ishaq Dar departs for New York to attend 81st UN General Assembly session

ISLAMABAD, 20 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has departed Islamabad for New York to attend the high-level segment of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he will join Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from September 21 to 25. According to the Foreign Office, Dar will have an extensive programme of diplomatic engagements during the high-level week, including participation in a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, where Pakistan will reiterate its support for the rights of Kashmiris. He will also attend several OIC ministerial meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, including the annual coordination meeting of OIC foreign ministers and ...
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Afghan National Identified as Kohat Mosque Suicide Bomber
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

Afghan National Identified as Kohat Mosque Suicide Bomber

KOHAT, 19 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): One of the suicide bombers involved in the explosion at the Kohat Police Lines mosque during Friday prayers has been identified as an Afghan national, according to security sources. The bomber was identified as Matiullah, while authorities are continuing efforts to establish the identity of the second terrorist allegedly involved in the attack. The suicide bombing at the Kohat Police Lines mosque killed 23 people, including police personnel, and injured more than 100 others. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi strongly condemned the attack and directed the authorities to take immediate action against those responsible.
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Dar, Araghchi Discuss Regional Situation, Stress Safe Maritime Passage
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

Dar, Araghchi Discuss Regional Situation, Stress Safe Maritime Passage

 ISLAMABAD, 19 September, 2026 (Ghufran): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday and discussed the latest developments in the region. According to the Foreign Office, the two foreign ministers exchanged views on recent regional developments during the conversation. Ishaq Dar stressed the importance of ensuring uninterrupted energy supplies and the safe passage of commercial vessels, noting that disruptions to maritime traffic could have implications for developing countries and global supply chains. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that dialogue and diplomacy were the only viable means of ensuring peace and stability in the region. According to the Foreign Offi...
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DPM Ishaq Dar Reviews Implementation of Prime Minister’s Fuel Subsidy Relief Scheme
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

DPM Ishaq Dar Reviews Implementation of Prime Minister’s Fuel Subsidy Relief Scheme

 ISLAMABAD, 19 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy to review the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Special Relief Scheme. The committee was informed that an overwhelming majority of fuel stations across the country are now operational on the system, while citizens are redeeming fuel tokens. Registration under the scheme is continuing nationwide through SMS at 9771. The committee approved the redemption of fuel tokens through SMS at fuel stations located in areas without internet connectivity, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the provinces were directed to furnish lists of such stations so that they could be brought under the s...
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Islamabad Red Zone to Be Sealed Ahead of Long March
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

Islamabad Red Zone to Be Sealed Ahead of Long March

ISLAMABAD, 19 September 2026 (Ghufran): Authorities have decided to seal the extended Red Zone in Islamabad ahead of a long march, with all five routes leading to the area to be completely closed and two layers of containers placed at each route, while heavy police contingents will be deployed. Sources said the extended Red Zone would remain sealed and be opened only in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, Islamabad Police have imposed a ban on all types of leave for officers and personnel until October 5, 2026. According to a circular issued by the Inspector General of Islamabad Police, restrictions have been imposed on casual, earned and foreign travel leave, while all leave except emergency leave has been suspended with immediate effect. Officers and personnel currently on leave have also b...
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Kohat Police Lines Operation Completed, 8 Terrorists Killed
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

Kohat Police Lines Operation Completed, 8 Terrorists Killed

PESHAWAR, 19 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): The security operation launched following the suicide attack on Kohat Police Lines has been completed, with police and security forces killing eight terrorists and clearing important buildings in the area, while the death toll from the attack and subsequent exchange of fire has risen to 23. According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, eight terrorists were killed during the retaliatory operation, while the terrorists who had entered the Special Branch building inside the Police Lines were also eliminated. The clearance operation was jointly conducted by the Elite Force commandos, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), police and security forces, with the CTD Additional Inspector General personally leading and supervisi...
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Punjab CTD Arrests 23 Terrorists in 158 Intelligence-Based Operations
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

Punjab CTD Arrests 23 Terrorists in 158 Intelligence-Based Operations

LAHORE, 19 September 2026 (Ghufran): The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab conducted 158 intelligence-based operations across the province during the past month, resulting in the arrest of 23 terrorists, according to a CTD spokesperson. The spokesperson said a suspected terrorist allegedly linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was also arrested from Sahiwal. The arrested suspects were identified as Hidayatullah, Muhammad Mujahid, Tasleem Hasnain and Tariqullah. Explosive material, seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 26 detonators and 48 feet of fuse wire were recovered from the possession of the arrested suspects, while 22 cases have been registered against them. The CTD spokesperson further said that 4,601 combing operations were carried out across Punjab durin...
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Pakistan Condemns Houthi Attacks on Merchant Shipping, Calls for De-escalation
19Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS

Pakistan Condemns Houthi Attacks on Merchant Shipping, Calls for De-escalation

NEW YORK, 19 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan has strongly condemned Houthi attacks on merchant shipping and seafarers in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, calling for their immediate cessation and stressing the need to protect freedom of navigation and the safety of commercial shipping. Speaking at a Security Council Arria Formula meeting titled “Safe Seas, Shared Security: Protecting Freedom of Navigation in an Evolving Security Environment,” organized by the Permanent Mission of Bahrain, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said attacks on merchant vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz demonstrated that maritime crises could have far-reaching consequences for global peace, stability, energy securi...
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Saudi Arabia, Houthis Exchange Fresh Strikes as Yemen Conflict SpreadsA
18Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
PAKISTAN NEWS, WORLD

Saudi Arabia, Houthis Exchange Fresh Strikes as Yemen Conflict SpreadsA

 DUBAI/CAIRO, 18 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis exchanged fresh strikes across their border on Thursday as fighting spread to Yemen and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns over oil supplies and key shipping routes in the Middle East. Houthi-controlled television reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah province near the Saudi border and in the vicinity of Taiz, while Saudi civil defence said a Yemeni resident was killed by debris from a drone intercepted over the western city of Taif. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy also reported that a Togo-flagged oil tanker caught fire after being hit while attempting what it described as an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation has raised concerns over global energy supplies as traffi...
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Pakistan Abstains from UN Vote on Iran Sanctions Monitoring Panel
18Sep By The Pakistan TimesNo Comments
Latest, PAKISTAN NEWS, United Nation (UN)

Pakistan Abstains from UN Vote on Iran Sanctions Monitoring Panel

 UNITED NATIONS, 18 September 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote on extending the mandate of an independent panel monitoring sanctions on Iran, while Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution seeking to extend the panel’s mandate. Eleven Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution, while Pakistan and Somalia abstained. Addressing the council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve outstanding issues concerning Iran’s nuclear programme. He said growing regional tensions, strikes on nuclear facilities and differences among permanent members had made the issue increasingly difficult to address through dialogue. Ahmad reiterated Pakistan’s pos...
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