Pakistan news, in context

Politics, the economy, the courts, security and Pakistan’s place in the region. Every story is dated and linked to the reporting behind it.

Sections

Exterior view of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, showing its long colonnaded facade and broad forecourt.

Archival photograph · 22 July 2007 · Ankara

International — Region / International — Region

Türkiye sends Makkah defence pact to parliament for ratification

Türkiye submitted the 16-article Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament on 20 October, beginning a ratification process that could take weeks.

20 October 2026News analysis

How we work

Every story is a dated synthesis of linked reporting. Images are used only when their reuse terms have been checked, and archival context is labelled clearly.

More stories

Reporting across categories

A large steam turbine and connected pipework inside the turbine hall of a thermal power station, with red safety railings in the foreground.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan's 2027 power purchase price projected at Rs27.31 per unit

CPPA-G's base case puts the 2027 power purchase price at Rs27.31 per unit and procurement at Rs3.55 trillion; NEPRA will hear objections on 3 November.

A hazy view of a PSO petrol and CNG station near Hyderabad, with a fuel canopy, parked buses and trucks, and a motorcyclist crossing an open forecourt.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan cuts petrol to Rs381.14 and diesel to Rs389.27 for 20 October

Pakistan cut petrol by Rs5.16 a litre to Rs381.14 and high-speed diesel by Rs7.69 to Rs389.27 for 20 October, the latest revision under daily pricing.

A large golden bull statue with lowered head and horns stands on a low stone plinth in front of a red stone and glass office building, with a green construction net and metal fence behind it.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan trims FY26 GDP growth to 3.65% as fourth quarter slows to 2%

Pakistan revised FY26 GDP growth down to 3.65% and reported 2% growth in April–June, as industry contracted and import data was revised up by $14.8bn.

Pakistan's Parliament House in Islamabad at night, its facade covered in strings of red, green and white lights around a central illuminated Urdu sign.

Pakistan / Politics & Governance

Senate bill lets former lawmakers keep blue passports after partial terms

The Senate approved a bill allowing former MPs and senators to retain official blue passports even if they served only part of a term. The National Assembly must still approve it.

A sandstone court building with a central dome, columns and arched windows, seen across a paved courtyard with pigeons in the foreground.

Pakistan / Politics & Governance

Sindh cabinet to publish Mir Raza report that found murder and police failure

Sindh's cabinet decided to publish the Mir Raza Ali inquiry report after it found he was murdered and police mishandled the investigation, recommending a JIT and FIA inquiry.

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium during a Pakistan Super League match, seen from the grandstand above the players' dressing-room area with floodlights and tiers of seating around a green oval

Pakistan / Entertainment & Culture

McCullum warns England of Pakistan ODI challenge in Rawalpindi on 20 October

Brendon McCullum says Pakistan are a very strong side in their own conditions as England open the ODI tri-series against Pakistan at Rawalpindi on 20 October 2026.

A wide view of the Institute of Business Administration Karachi Main Campus, showing low-rise academic blocks behind a guarded entrance and a paved forecourt.

Pakistan / Technology & Telecom

IBA Karachi, AKU and Habib University sign MoU on AI-driven teaching and learning

IBA Karachi, Aga Khan University and Habib University signed an MoU at IBA's Annual Teaching and Learning Symposium 2026 in Karachi to advance AI in pedagogy.

A floodlit government building in Islamabad at night, with a wide paved forecourt, rows of windows and a low central entrance.

Pakistan / Business & Finance

Pakistan PM warns FBR officers against resisting tax reforms

PM Shehbaz Sharif warned FBR officers that resistance to tax reforms will not be tolerated, as the government restructures the tax body and expands faceless assessment.

A wide panoramic view of northern Tehran against snow-capped mountains under a clear sky, with low-rise city buildings stretching across the foreground.

International — Region / International — Region

Pakistan's CDF Munir visits Tehran to revive US-Iran mediation

Field Marshal Asim Munir is in Tehran on 20 October for talks on Pakistan's mediation between the US and Iran, following Mohsin Naqvi's Doha security forum speech.

A wide view of the Quaid-i-Azam University campus in Islamabad, with academic buildings set against green slopes and a partly cloudy sky.

Pakistan / Politics & Governance

PM Shehbaz inaugurates Daanish School Kuri in Islamabad

PM Shehbaz Sharif on 18 October 2026 opened Daanish School Kuri and said the network has more than 40,000 students and 28 schools under construction.

Arid, rocky terrain and a road running through the Balochistan landscape, with low hills on the horizon.

Pakistan / Politics & Governance

Major Wajahat Waheed martyred in Gwadar IED blast; four militants killed in Kalat IBO

ISPR says a Pakistan Army major was killed by an improvised device in Shadi Kaur, Pasni tehsil, while a day-earlier operation in Jattakabad, Kalat eliminated four militants.