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.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that discussions are underway with several countries to sell Pakistani-made fighter jets. He stated that demand for the aircraft has increased following Pakistan’s military success against India in May 2025. The announcement was made during a cabinet meeting, according to Geo News.

Defence Production Minister Raja Hayat Harz confirmed in an interview with the BBC that Pakistan is negotiating potential deals for the sale of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets with multiple countries. The aircraft is jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and Harz noted that any export agreement would require China’s consent due to its role in the jet’s development.

Reuters, citing government sources, reported that the discussions involve Libya, Sudan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. However, Harz declined to name any specific countries, describing the negotiations as confidential and refusing to disclose their current status.

Six police officers were killed and three others injured in two separate bomb explosions near the Afghan border in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday. Officials said a remote-controlled bomb targeted an armored police vehicle on the Gomal Bazaar road in Tank district, killing six officers on the spot. Another attack the same day in Lakki Marwat district injured three officers, one of them critically.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks and paid tribute to the slain officers. Following the incidents, the province’s Counter-Terrorism Department launched operations in Peshawar, Bannu, and Khyber districts, killing at least eight armed suspects and claiming to have foiled several sabotage plots. Naqvi stated that security forces would continue their operations to restore peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings so far. However, tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have escalated since October last year, with Pakistan accusing the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of launching cross-border attacks from Afghan territory and alleging that India provides the group with financial and logistical support.

Eight suspected militants were killed on Sunday in multiple counterterrorism operations conducted jointly by police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) across Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The operations took place in the tribal districts of Bannu, Khyber, and Zahir Garhi, according to a report by Geo News. Authorities said the suspects were involved in attacks on security forces, and a large cache of weapons and equipment was recovered from the sites.

According to the Central Police Office, two militants were killed in Bannu during an operation by local police and the CTD. These individuals had earlier attacked police posts in Sheikh Lindak and Fatah Khel. In Khyber, three militants were killed while allegedly preparing to attack police, and three rifles were seized. Another three militants were killed in Zahir Garhi near Peshawar, while their accomplices managed to escape.

The coordinated operations reflect ongoing efforts by Pakistani security forces to curb militant activity in the region, which has seen repeated attacks on law enforcement in recent months.