Pakistani security and geopolitical analyst Ikram Sehgal has said that Bangladesh now holds a strategically vital position in South Asia and that India is in a more vulnerable security situation. Speaking in Islamabad at a meeting with a visiting Bangladeshi media delegation, he asserted that if Bangladesh strengthens its military capacity, India would think twice before taking any aggressive stance. Sehgal emphasized that Pakistan is ready to provide comprehensive assistance to Bangladesh, including military cooperation and training exchanges.

He proposed that future Dhaka-Islamabad relations could be built on the concept of “two countries, one nation,” though he acknowledged this would be challenging. Sehgal also highlighted the need to remove visa barriers, promote duty-free trade, and resolve pending bilateral issues. He expressed support for Bangladesh’s upcoming election and urged a return to democratic processes. Additionally, he criticized India’s role in obstructing SAARC’s effectiveness and called for renewed regional cooperation.

Separately, Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) offered technical assistance to Bangladesh to enhance and secure its national database systems, citing concerns over data breaches and the importance of protecting sensitive information.

At least five people were killed and ten others injured in a suicide explosion at a wedding ceremony in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on Friday night. Police said the blast occurred at the residence of a peace committee leader in the Qureshi Mor area. District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada confirmed the explosion took place during the wedding of Noor Alam Mehsud’s family, when guests were dancing to drum beats. The intensity of the blast caused the roof to collapse, complicating rescue operations.

According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi, five bodies and ten injured persons were recovered and taken to the district headquarters hospital, where an emergency was declared. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. Preliminary information indicated that peace committee leader Wahidullah Mehsud, also known as Jigri Mehsud, was among the dead.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohel Afridi condemned the attack, ordered an immediate report from the provincial police chief, and directed that the perpetrators be swiftly identified and brought to justice. He also pledged full support for the families of the victims.

Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif has called on Pakistan to boycott the upcoming T20 World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. The appeal follows Bangladesh’s decision not to send its team to India over security concerns. Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul confirmed that Bangladesh wants to play in Sri Lanka, a co-host of the tournament, rather than in India. The International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected Bangladesh’s request, prompting criticism from Latif.

Latif argued that Pakistan should stand with Bangladesh and challenge what he described as the current cricket system’s unfairness. He said this was an opportunity for Pakistan to take a firm stance and demonstrate unity. Latif also questioned the ICC’s assurance that there would be no security risks for Bangladeshi players in India, calling such guarantees unrealistic.

The tenth edition of the T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7, with India and Sri Lanka as co-hosts. Bangladesh’s refusal to play in India and Latif’s call for Pakistan’s boycott have added new tension to the tournament’s preparations.

Pakistan’s state-owned Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has announced the discovery of new oil and natural gas reserves in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to a notice filed with the Pakistan Stock Exchange, production has begun from the exploratory well ‘Baragzai X-01’ in Kohat district, yielding approximately 3,100 barrels of crude oil and 8.15 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. Two other wells in the same area are already producing oil and gas.

OGDCL stated that the new discovery will help narrow the gap between domestic energy demand and supply while boosting Pakistan’s hydrocarbon reserves. With the addition of the new output, the Baragzai fields are now producing about 9,480 barrels of oil daily, accounting for roughly 14.5 percent of the country’s total crude oil production. Pakistan currently produces around 66,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The announcement comes as Pakistan intensifies efforts to expand domestic oil and gas production and reduce dependence on costly imports amid ongoing economic challenges. Last year, the government signed five exploration agreements with local and international companies for three offshore and two onshore blocks.

Rescue teams in Karachi have recovered 30 additional bodies from a shop inside the Gul Plaza shopping mall following a devastating fire. The discovery, made on the mezzanine floor of a crockery shop, has raised the death toll to 60. The bodies were sent to Civil Hospital by a special team formed by DIG (South) Syed Asad Raza. Several people remain missing as search operations continue.

The fire broke out on January 17 at the Gul Plaza, one of Karachi’s largest shopping complexes. It reportedly started in the basement and spread rapidly throughout the building. Authorities suspect that an electrical short circuit triggered the blaze. Firefighters took 24 hours to bring the flames under control due to the intensity of the fire.

Rescue operations had been temporarily halted on the first and second floors before resuming on the mezzanine level, where the latest bodies were found. Officials continue to search for more victims amid reports of missing persons.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court seeking permission to meet imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. The petition also requests the withdrawal of what it describes as Khan’s unlawful solitary confinement. The case was filed under Article 199 of the Constitution by a group of about 17 senators, including Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, naming the Punjab Home Department and the Adiala Jail Superintendent as respondents.

According to the petition, the continued solitary confinement and alleged inhumane treatment of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are unconstitutional and amount to a violation of fundamental rights. PTI stated on social media that police used force to disperse its protest outside Adiala Jail and that several workers were arrested and injured during the operation. Barrister Zafar said the senators approached the court as part of their constitutional duty to uphold parliamentary oversight, human dignity, and the rule of law.

The petition highlights growing tensions between PTI and law enforcement following recent protests in Rawalpindi and may prompt judicial review of prison conditions for political detainees.

Pakistan has extended its airspace ban on all Indian-registered aircraft for another month, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) announced. The restriction, which applies to both civilian and military aircraft, will now remain in effect until February 24. According to the PCAA, the ban covers all aircraft owned, operated, or leased by Indian airlines, as well as Indian military planes.

The measure was originally imposed amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Although a ceasefire was later brokered through U.S. mediation, Islamabad has not lifted the airspace restriction. The PCAA had previously extended the ban until January 23, maintaining it despite ongoing diplomatic contacts between the two countries.

The continued closure of Pakistani airspace has caused significant financial and operational strain on Indian airlines. Flights to the Middle East, Europe, and the United States are being forced to take longer routes, increasing fuel consumption and extending travel times by nearly three hours.

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Pakistan’s northwestern Kashmir region on Monday, killing one person and causing several houses to collapse, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The quake’s epicenter was about 35 kilometers below the surface. The tremor triggered landslides that sent heavy rocks tumbling onto roads, damaging infrastructure and blocking access routes.

Regional Information Minister Ghulam Abbas said that in Gilgit-Baltistan province, multiple mud houses were destroyed or damaged. Falling rocks from surrounding mountains struck several roads, closing entry points and damaging a major highway. Government agencies quickly deployed machinery to clear debris and restore normal traffic flow.

Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage, and local alerts remain in effect in the affected areas as cleanup and recovery operations continue.

At least 14 people have been confirmed dead and more than 50 remain missing after a massive fire broke out at Gul Plaza Shopping Mall on M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi, Pakistan. The blaze began late Saturday night and took firefighters nearly 36 hours to bring under control, allowing rescue teams to enter the building and recover victims. Police Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza said eight more bodies were recovered on Sunday evening, raising the death toll from six to 14.

Authorities are using mobile phone data and contacting families to locate between 54 and 59 missing individuals. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, who visited the site on Monday, described the situation as a national tragedy, noting that more than 70 people were still unaccounted for. Officials have warned that the building remains structurally unsafe and could collapse at any time.

Rescue operations resumed later on Monday as flames continued in one section of the mall. The incident recalls Karachi’s 2012 garment factory fire that killed 260 people, underscoring ongoing safety concerns in the city’s commercial complexes.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended its preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup, expressing full support for Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which has refused to send its team to India citing security concerns. According to a report by Pakistani outlet Geo Super, the PCB described Bangladesh’s concerns as legitimate and justified, and has halted all training and planning activities for the tournament scheduled to begin in India on February 7.

PCB officials stated that if the International Cricket Council (ICC) fails to reach an acceptable resolution regarding Bangladesh’s position, Pakistan may reconsider its own participation in the tournament. The board has also instructed its team management to prepare an alternative plan in case Pakistan ultimately withdraws from the event.

Geo Super further reported that the PCB believes no host nation should use its position to pressure or threaten other countries, emphasizing the need for fairness and respect in international cricket governance.

Six members of the same family were killed in a shooting incident in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack occurred in Karak district following a domestic dispute, according to a report published on Sunday, January 18. Police said the suspected gunman opened fire indiscriminately on his family members, killing six people on the spot, including two women and two young daughters.

Authorities identified the victims as the suspect’s two brothers, his sister-in-law, wife, and daughter. After the attack, the suspect reportedly fired at law enforcement officers in an attempt to evade arrest. Police spokesperson Shaukat Khan stated that officers quickly conducted an operation, apprehended the suspect near the scene, and recovered the weapon used in the killings.

The report did not mention further details about the motive or the condition of the surviving relatives. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to police sources cited in the report.

At least five people were killed in a massive fire that broke out late Saturday night at Gul Plaza shopping mall on M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi, Pakistan. Officials said the blaze burned for more than ten hours before being partially brought under control. By Sunday morning, part of the building had collapsed due to intense heat, and firefighters were still unable to enter the structure, severely disrupting rescue and search operations.

The Chief Fire Officer said the building’s enclosed design and poor ventilation made firefighting extremely difficult. Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Nabi Khosa told Geo News that the fire had reignited in the rear section of the first floor and that people might still be trapped between the first and second floors. He added that the lack of emergency exits was under investigation and that the building’s fire safety compliance would be reviewed. Rescue 1122 officials reported that 20 fire tenders and four snorkels were deployed from three directions, but large amounts of flammable materials inside hindered progress.

Authorities confirmed that 25 people had been rescued alive, though an unknown number remained trapped as parts of the building continued to collapse.

At least 14 people were killed when a truck plunged into a canal in Sargodha, Punjab province of Pakistan, late on Friday night. The accident occurred around 11 p.m., reportedly due to heavy fog that caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. According to Geo News, seven people died on the spot after being trapped under the truck.

Rescue officials said the truck, carrying 23 passengers, fell into the Galapur Bangla canal near Kot Momin city, though the canal contained no water. The vehicle was traveling from Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province toward Khushab. Hafiz Abdul Rashid, an official from the Khushab branch of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, confirmed that they received an emergency call at 11:22 p.m. and immediately launched rescue operations at the site.

Authorities have not yet released further details about the injured or the condition of survivors, and rescue efforts were ongoing at the time of reporting.

Pakistan has expressed concern over the escalating anti-government protests in Iran and warned that any regime change there could have disastrous consequences for the region. The statement comes amid threats of intervention in Iran by U.S. President Donald Trump. Pakistani officials and analysts said instability in Iran could immediately fuel cross-border militancy, arms smuggling, refugee flows, and economic disruption along the two countries’ 900-kilometer border.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Asif Durrani, said any internal or external intervention in Iran would directly affect Pakistan. He noted Islamabad’s past role in easing tensions between Iran and Western powers and emphasized that Pakistan’s diplomatic missions also monitor Iran’s interests. Former foreign secretary Jauhar Saleem warned that external interference—economic, cyber, or military—would worsen Iran’s crisis.

Experts added that unrest in Iran could strengthen militant networks across the border and undermine Pakistan’s counterterrorism gains in Balochistan. Islamabad, already hosting millions of Afghan refugees, fears a new influx if Iran’s regime collapses. Pakistan maintains that preserving Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability is vital to regional security.

Pakistan has continued sending Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. According to a report by The Express Tribune published on Thursday, a total of 988,812 Afghans have so far been repatriated. Data from the provincial Home and Tribal Affairs Department shows that among those returned, 230,470 held Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, 71,570 had Afghan Citizen Cards, and 686,772 were undocumented individuals.

On the previous day, Wednesday, 2,312 Afghan nationals were sent back through the Torkham border crossing. This group included 1,522 PoR cardholders, 277 Citizen Cardholders, and 513 undocumented persons. The repatriation process has intensified since border clashes began between Pakistan and its neighboring country.

The ongoing operation reflects Pakistan’s effort to manage cross-border movement amid heightened tensions, with the majority of returnees being undocumented Afghans.