Pakistan has launched a new diplomatic initiative aimed at restarting stalled talks between the United States and Iran, inviting senior Iranian negotiators to visit Islamabad. On Monday night, Pakistani Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar called Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and asked him to travel to Pakistan as soon as possible, according to the report published on August 4.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also invited Iran’s chief negotiator, Baqer Ghalibaf, to visit Pakistan this week. An Anadolu News government source provided the information. Iran has not yet issued an official response to the invitations, and no details were available on when a possible meeting could take place.

Iran has repeatedly said it is not holding direct talks with the United States, while US President Donald Trump has maintained that discussions between the two countries are continuing. The source said mediators from Pakistan and Qatar are working with both sides to determine a date and venue for possible talks. Pakistan previously helped establish a fragile ceasefire in April and mediated a memorandum of understanding signed in June, though that agreement was not implemented.

Preliminary third-party-mediated talks have reportedly begun on a possible conditional release of jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan on health grounds. Sources close to Pakistan’s influential military and Khan’s family confirmed the information, according to the report published on August 3, 2026. Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has been held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail for three years.

Khan was arrested in a corruption case in 2023 and has not been seen in public since. A source familiar with the discussions said Pakistan’s political deadlock needed to end because prolonged instability had caused irreparable damage. The report said a specific, credible reason is generally required for prison release under legal and administrative procedures, and Khan’s health could provide that basis. The 73-year-old underwent eye surgery earlier this year.

Family members say they have been barred from seeing Khan for months and fear for his physical condition. His sons said he has been isolated from the outside world for more than seven months. Analysts believe any arrangement could include leaving Pakistan, staying inactive in politics and making no political statements. His friend Clive Stafford Smith said Khan may resist such strict conditions.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 wounded in a suicide bombing outside Kabal police station in Pakistan’s Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Sunday afternoon. The explosion occurred while hundreds of people were protesting recent militant activity in the Swat valley, according to local sources cited by Pakistani media outlet Dawn.

Swat Deputy Inspector General Fida Hussain said the attacker detonated an explosive vest worn on his body, killing four police officers. District Police Officer Umar Khan said officers tried to stop and search the suspect at the entrance to Kabal police station before he activated the explosives, causing a powerful blast at the scene.

Security forces quickly cordoned off the area, issued maximum alert measures, and continued investigating the motive and those involved. No group had claimed responsibility. Earlier Sunday, an IED blast near a toll plaza on the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway injured two police officers. A security assessment said 154 people were killed in attacks and violent incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, excluding merged districts, during July, compared with 75 in June.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has welcomed a draft Gaza peace agreement, saying he hopes the initiative will help secure Palestinians’ right to self-determination and create a path toward an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state. The report was published on August 1, 2026.

In a statement posted on X, Sharif said Pakistan hopes the ongoing efforts will help realize Palestinians’ legitimate rights. His comments reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the establishment of an independent state for Palestinians.

Sharif said a Palestinian state should be established on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem, Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as its capital. The recent peace initiative is being viewed internationally as an important step aimed at ending the prolonged conflict in Gaza and establishing lasting peace. Pakistan has previously expressed support for demands for an independent Palestinian state.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has welcomed a draft Gaza peace agreement, saying he hopes the initiative will help secure Palestinians’ right to self-determination and create a path toward an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state. The report was published on August 1, 2026.

In a statement posted on X, Sharif said Pakistan hopes the ongoing efforts will help realize Palestinians’ legitimate rights. His comments reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the establishment of an independent state for Palestinians.

Sharif said a Palestinian state should be established on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem, Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as its capital. The recent peace initiative is being viewed internationally as an important step aimed at ending the prolonged conflict in Gaza and establishing lasting peace. Pakistan has previously expressed support for demands for an independent Palestinian state.

At least 32 mine workers were killed in a devastating explosion at a coal mine on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, on Thursday. At least 10 more workers remain trapped inside the mine, while the provincial disaster management authority said rescue operations are continuing in the mine’s depths.

Government mine inspector Ghani Baloch said preliminary investigators believe toxic methane gas accumulated inside the mine and caused the explosion. Rescue teams initially recovered seven bodies, then retrieved another 25 during further searches. Local authorities fear the chances of finding survivors are very low because oxygen levels inside the mine fell rapidly after the methane explosion, requiring rescuers to work with extreme caution.

Balochistan’s mines and minerals minister Shoaib Nosherwani pledged full provincial government support for the rescue effort and announced compensation of 500,000 Pakistani rupees for each victim’s family. Authorities have ordered an investigation committee to determine the precise cause and review mine safety arrangements. The Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation blamed serious safety negligence and demanded action against those responsible and strict enforcement of mine safety rules.

Pakistan said Thursday it is making its utmost effort to bring the United States and Iran back to negotiations under a memorandum of understanding signed to stop the war between the two countries. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the statement to journalists in Islamabad, according to an AFP report.

Andrabi said Islamabad was trying to return all parties to talks within the framework of the MOU. The report described Pakistan as a mediator in the effort involving the United States and Iran.

Pakistan is also encouraging the countries concerned to fully honor their commitment to organize discussions at the strategic level under the agreement, Andrabi said. His remarks indicated that Islamabad’s stated focus is on restoring the negotiating process and securing participation by all parties under the memorandum.

Eleven police officers were killed and 28 others injured in an armed attack on a security outpost in Hangu district, northwestern Pakistan, according to a provincial police headquarters statement issued Thursday. The attack took place Wednesday night in the district near the Afghan border. City police chief Tariq Habib told journalists that one of those killed was a deputy superintendent of police.

Police said members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, carried out the attack. The Pakistani government refers to the group as “Fitna al-Khawarij.” Police said 15 attackers were also killed during a counter-operation.

The TTP has long targeted security forces and government installations in northwestern and southwestern Pakistan, the report said. Attacks targeting security forces have increased notably in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in recent times. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep condolences to the families of the police personnel who were killed.

Nine police officers were killed and 28 others injured in a militant attack on the Khajina Banda police checkpoint in Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The report, published on July 30, said DSP Diyar Khan was among those killed during a prolonged and intense exchange of fire.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hamid said in a statement that members of the militant group Fitna Al Khawarij carried out the assault. He claimed that police counteraction killed 15 “Khawarij” and injured several others.

Separately, militants fired at another police checkpoint in the Adezai area under Mattani police station in Peshawar late Wednesday night. Police returned fire, after which the attackers fled; no police personnel were reported killed or injured there. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the Hangu attack and expressed deep condolences to the families of the officers killed.

Legislative elections are due to begin in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, or Azad Jammu and Kashmir, amid months of unrest, blockades and strikes. Since June, clashes between protesters and joint forces have killed at least 40 people, according to the report. Banking services were shut for two weeks, while mobile and internet links remain completely cut off in most areas.

The election for the 45-seat legislature has been divided into three phases. Voting in Muzaffarabad and for 12 seats reserved for refugees is scheduled for August 2, while polling in Poonch division, described as the movement’s main centre, is set for August 10. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, which leads the protest movement, has called on supporters to boycott the vote.

A central demand is abolition of the 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living in Pakistani cities. The Azad Kashmir Supreme Court said the constitutionally protected arrangement can only be changed through a constitutional amendment, but no parliament currently exists after its term expired. Pakistan’s government cited refugees’ historical rights, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif urged protesters to decide the issue through voting.

At least seven people, including two children, were killed and 20 injured in rain- and flood-related incidents across Pakistan’s Punjab province during the past 24 hours. The report, published on July 26, said continuous heavy rainfall damaged numerous homes and killed livestock. Around 400 square kilometres of Punjab were inundated after heavy rain and overflowing drains carrying water beyond their capacity.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said 14 rain-related incidents had been reported across the province by 2 p.m. Saturday. Four roof collapses in Lahore killed three people, while a roof collapse in Kasur killed two. A woman died in Faisalabad after a house roof collapsed, and a child drowned near Pathan Colony in Gujranwala. Further injuries were reported in Bahawalnagar, Narowal, Sialkot, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura and Okara.

PDMA Director General Umar Abbas said Punjab had not yet faced a major flood situation because water levels in major rivers, including the Ravi and Sutlej, remained normal. Authorities warned, however, that water in the Chenab and Ravi could reach moderate to high flood levels within 24 hours. The PDMA said rain-related incidents had killed 22 people and injured 183 across Punjab so far this monsoon season.

At least 37 people have died across Pakistan following flash floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall. The worst-affected areas include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. The disaster has caused extensive damage to homes, farmland, livestock, roads, and bridges. In Gujranwala and Sialkot, severe rainfall has worsened the situation, while water levels in border rivers rose rapidly after India reportedly released excess water without formal notice.

According to the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the Marala and Khanki headworks are facing moderate flood risks, while Qadirabad is under a low-level flood warning. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 20 deaths from rain-related incidents, and Punjab has recorded 17 fatalities. Landslides in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir have damaged roads, homes, and agricultural land.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department stated that the ongoing rainfall, which began on July 19, may continue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until July 23, raising concerns about further flooding and damage.

Iran and Pakistan have agreed to open a new border crossing to enhance trade cooperation between the two neighboring countries. The decision was announced following a meeting in Rawalpindi between Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Iran’s Interior Minister Iskandar Momeni. The discussions covered bilateral relations, mutual interests, regional and border security, and effective management of their shared frontier.

During the meeting, both sides pledged to strengthen collaboration in regional security and border management. Momeni stated that the new crossing aims to facilitate trade and that both countries have set an initial goal to increase bilateral trade from about three billion to ten billion dollars. He emphasized that achieving this target will require significant investment in border infrastructure.

Momeni also praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in easing regional tensions and promoting peace. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to closer coordination and operational cooperation to ensure regional stability and shared prosperity. During his Islamabad visit, Momeni also met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on an official visit amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included the governor general of Sistan and Baluchestan province, the deputy interior minister, deputy minister of urban development and transport, the head of the National Iranian Oil Company, and a special representative of the agriculture minister.

Momeni told the media that the main purpose of his visit was to strengthen mutual relations between the two neighboring countries and expand cooperation in key sectors. He also noted that Iran and Pakistan had previously agreed to more than triple their bilateral trade to 10 billion dollars annually.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister expressed eagerness to further expand bilateral relations with Iran and support efforts to ease regional tensions.

A Bangladesh-flagged vessel, MV Jahan Brothers-2, arrived at Pakistan’s Gwadar port on Saturday after sailing from Singapore. The ship is carrying more than 53,000 tons of prime steel billets, which will later be transported to the Al Hamriya port in the United Arab Emirates. The cargo will be temporarily unloaded and stored at Gwadar before being reloaded onto another vessel for onward shipment.

According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the operation is part of a transshipment process linking regional ports. Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Noor-ul-Haq Baloch stated that despite regional challenges, port and commercial activities continue uninterrupted, and Gwadar is positioning itself as a safe, reliable, and efficient regional trade hub.

The development highlights Gwadar’s growing role in regional logistics and its efforts to attract more transshipment traffic through improved operational reliability.