PAKISTAN

Analysis: Pakistan’s Saudi defense pact faces its first major test as Iran-Israel war engulfs the Gulf ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and Tehran’s retaliation with missiles and drones — not only at Israel but at six Gulf countries — have thrust Pakistan into the most precarious regional crisis it has faced in years. Bound to Saudi Arabia by a new mutual defense pact, tied to Iran by geography and a tense but necessary relationship,…

Pakistan bombed Taliban government forces in Kabul and Kandahar overnight in the first direct strikes on Taliban military sites since the group returned to power in 2021, a sharp rupture between the neighboring Islamic nations that Islamabad’s defense minister described as “open war.” The escalation raises the risk of a broader conflict along the 2,600-kilometer (1,615-mile) frontier and deepens a crisis already fueled by cross-border militant attacks. “Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and…

Pakistan strikes Kabul and Kandahar as border clashes with Taliban escalate ISLAMABAD — Pakistan launched airstrikes on targets in Kabul and Kandahar early Friday, officials in Islamabad said, after a night of heavy cross-border fighting with Afghanistan’s Taliban that shattered a fragile ceasefire and drove civilians to flee frontline towns. A spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban said on X that its forces responded with renewed attacks against Pakistani military positions along the frontier. The post was later deleted.…

Pakistan said it launched multiple overnight airstrikes against militants inside eastern Afghanistan, prompting condemnation from Kabul after Afghan authorities reported children among the dead and wounded. The cross-border operation was the most extensive since October, when border clashes left more than 70 people dead on both sides and hundreds injured. Islamabad said its military hit seven sites along the frontier targeting Afghanistan-based militant groups “in the aftermath of recent suicide bombing incidents in…

At least 14 people — including 11 security personnel — were killed in two bomb attacks and a gunfight in northwest Pakistan, authorities said, underscoring a surge in militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border. At least 25 others were wounded across the separate incidents. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a suicide bomber in the evening rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the wall of a religious college in Bajaur district. “The blast also caused the roofs of…

QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistani forces are hunting separatist fighters across Balochistan after a wave of coordinated attacks left more than 190 people dead over two days, officials said, as the government vowed to strike back and the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility. Authorities said around a dozen sites remained sealed off Sunday as troops combed banks, jails, police stations and military installations struck by militants a day earlier. At least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed in the assaults,…

Somalia, Pakistan sign visa-waiver pact for diplomatic passport holders MOGADISHU — Somalia and Pakistan have signed an agreement abolishing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports, marking a bid to accelerate high-level engagement and deepen political cooperation between the two countries. The agreement was concluded during a meeting in Pakistan attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Somalia’s Minister of Interior, Ali Yousuf, underscoring renewed momentum in bilateral ties. Pakistan’s Special Secretary at…

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Somalia agreed Friday to step up cooperation on internal security and counterterrorism in a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf at the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad. Officials said the talks focused on building shared capacity across a range of security functions and formalizing channels for sustained collaboration between the two governments. The ministers also discussed ways to streamline people-to-people links, including easier…

Pakistan, Somalia move to strengthen security, counterterrorism ties ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Somalia agreed to deepen cooperation on internal security and counterterrorism following talks between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Somali counterpart, Ali Yusuf, on Friday at Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior. The ministers outlined a plan to expand collaboration across security training, policing and border management, along with measures to bolster disaster response and share expertise on urban management. Both sides cast…

At least 55 dead in Karachi mall fire as families provide DNA amid painstaking search at Gul Plaza KARACHI, Pakistan — The death toll from a weekend fire at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest city climbed to at least 55 as rescuers combed the wreckage of the three-story Gul Plaza and families waited for news of missing loved ones, authorities said. “A total of 55 bodies have been recovered since Saturday night” when the blaze erupted, said Javed Nabi Khoso, deputy commissioner of Karachi’s south district, speaking to AFP.…