Day: March 5, 2026

KARACHI: Pakistan’s international airports are experiencing widespread flight cancellations for the fifth consecutive day due to ongoing regional tensions in the Gulf, with a total of 578 flights to Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, being cancelled since March 28, with 162 flights cancelled on Wednesday alone. Affected carriers include Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, PIA, Air Blue, Fly Dubai, and Qatar Airways. Sources report that 578 flights to Middle Eastern countries have been cancelled from Pakistan’s airports over the past five days. At Karachi Airport, 40 flights…

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Parliamentary leaders and representatives emphasised the need for national unity, consensus and solidarity amid the current situation facing the country and the wider region with tensions high, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. A high-level meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was held in Islamabad today to discuss current geopolitical tensions in the region, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. According to the statement, the prime minister briefed the leaders on the evolving situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as the recent regional tensions, particularly in the Middle East and the…

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UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has told a historic session of the UNSC that the most effective way to protect children and their right to education is to resolve festering conflicts in accordance with the UNSC resolutions, the UN Charter and international law. Speaking in the council’s debate on “Children, Technology and Education in Conflict” presided over by US First Lady Melania Trump, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said, “Across conflict zones around the world, including situations of foreign occupation, notably Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir,…

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is confident it can weather the gathering storm in the Middle East, as tensions surrounding Iran threaten to redraw regional fault lines, senior officials said, insisting that Islamabad’s foremost priority remains the protection of its core national interests. Officials familiar with the deliberations told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that Pakistan has been closely monitoring developments amid fears of a wider conflagration involving Iran and Gulf countries. “The situation is fluid, but we have so far managed it well,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity due to the…

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ISLAMABAD: Rejecting a review petition against the Registrar Office’s objections, the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has ruled that the Constitution does not envisage perpetual litigation, as judicial discipline demands that there must be a terminus to adjudication. A division bench of the FCC issued the seven-page judgment, authored by FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, on a review petition against a Supreme Court order that had upheld the Registrar Office’s objections to a plea filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution. The court held that the petition appears to be an…

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ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday told political and parliamentary leaders that Pakistan will avoid getting directly embroiled in the ongoing Iran and US-Israel conflict, while pursuing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation. The assurance came during a closed-door briefing organised for the heads of political parties and parliamentary leaders at the Prime Minister’s House. Chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the briefing was attended by representatives of the PPP, MQM-P, JUI-F, BAP, and others. Key attendees included PPP Chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Deputy Prime Minister and…

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ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday formally announced to introduce energy conservation measures to deal with disruption in import of fuels, as the government considers closing higher education institutions and weekly setting fuel prices to deal with the evolving situation. However, the finance minister said that the country has sufficient stocks of fuels for this month in addition to 10 days equal crude oil reserves, emphasizing there was no cause of immediate concern. “We are introducing energy conservation measures to curtail demand but there would not be any rationing…

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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday summoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over delays in holding local government elections in Islamabad, while issuing a contempt notice to the interior secretary for failing to appear before the commission. A five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case. Islamabad Chief Commissioner Ali Randhawa appeared before the commission, but the interior secretary did not attend the hearing. “Where is the interior secretary?” the CEC asked during the proceedings, directing that the interior minister be summoned in…

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ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday instructed the legal team of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to file a new miscellaneous application to resolve outstanding office objections in their appeals against the Toshakhana-II convictions. On December 20, a special court sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison each in the Toshakhana-II case, which states the couple unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewellery set gifted by the Saudi Crown Prince during an official visit to Saudi Arabia. During the hearing, Justice…

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