Regional diplomacy
Pakistan, Iran & the US Mediation Track
Follow Pakistan's mediation between the US and Iran: Asim Munir's Tehran visits, DPM Dar's regional calls, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, and the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
The reporting trail
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International — Region / International — RegionThird vessel strikes a mine in the Strait of Hormuz as shipping attacks resume
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy says an oil supertanker hit a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, the third vessel in days, as attacks on shipping resume.
Pakistan / Politics & GovernanceVatican foreign minister to make first visit to Pakistan
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's foreign minister, begins the first visit of its kind to Pakistan on 8 October, with interfaith harmony and 75 years of ties in focus.
International — Region / International — RegionTrump backs Pakistan-Türkiye military support for Saudi Arabia as Houthis hit Riyadh and Abha airports
On 8 October 2026, Trump endorsed the Pakistan-Türkiye decision to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia under the Makkah pact, after Houthi attacks on Riyadh and Abha airports.
Pakistan / Entertainment & CulturePCB confirms HBL PSL 12 window for March 18 to May 2, 2027 with eight teams
Pakistan Cricket Board sets HBL PSL 12 for 18 March to 2 May 2027 with all eight franchises; PSL Governing Council confirmed the window in London on 1 September.
Pakistan / Politics & GovernancePakistan and Bahrain set $1bn trade target and joint working group at third JMC session
Pakistan and Bahrain agreed in Islamabad on 8 October to double bilateral trade to $1bn in three years and form a joint working group on trade and investment.
Pakistan / Business & FinancePakistan holds nearly half the MENAAP region's $3-a-day poor, World Bank finds
The World Bank's October 2026 MENAAP Economic Update puts 48% of the region's $3/day poor in Pakistan and says poverty rose 6.4 percentage points between 2018-19 and 2024-25.
Pakistan / Politics & GovernancePakistan tests extended-range Fatah-4 ground-launched cruise missile
Pakistan's military said it test-launched an extended version of the indigenously developed Fatah-4 ground-launched cruise missile on 6 October 2026.
Pakistan / Politics & GovernanceDar tells Vienna symposium any Indian bid to cut Pakistan's water share would have 'serious implications'
At the Vienna water symposium on 6 October 2026, Dar said any Indian move to curb Pakistan's IWT share would carry serious regional implications and cited the PCA award.
Pakistan / Politics & GovernanceBahrain FM arrives in Islamabad for third Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission
Bahrain's FM Al Zayani arrived in Islamabad on 7 October for a two-day visit and the third session of the Pakistan-Bahrain JMC with DPM/FM Ishaq Dar, the FO says.
Pakistan / Politics & GovernanceUN chief Guterres meets CDF Munir at GHQ, praises Pakistan's peace efforts
António Guterres met Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir at GHQ on 7 October, with Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty and Afghan terrorism on the agenda.
Pakistan / Entertainment & CulturePCB to take over Hyderabad's Niaz Stadium for 20 years in deal with HMC
On 6 October 2026 the PCB and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation signed a 20-year agreement giving the board administrative control of Niaz Stadium while HMC retains ownership.
International — Region / International — RegionMakkah Alliance agrees rapid force deployment in Saudi Arabia
The Makkah Alliance's committee decided on 5 October to implement collective defence and deploy agreed forces rapidly in Saudi Arabia, and named its first secretary-general.