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In Brief
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
JI postpones Islamabad march after PM’s request
On 22 September, Dawn reported that Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman postponed the party’s long march to Islamabad against the petroleum levy following a request from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The two leaders agreed to meet after Shehbaz returns from the United States and continue consultations on the issue. Rehman said JI would maintain its protests, camps and sit-ins while awaiting the meeting and could resume the march in early October if the government does not offer relief. JI has protested against fuel and electricity prices since 07 August, holding demonstrations at hundreds of locations and sit-ins at 42 sites, while five rounds of talks with the government have produced no agreement. (“JI puts off Islamabad long march after PM's appeal, but vows not to abandon protest against petrol levy,” Dawn, 22 September 2026)
Imran Khan again denied meeting with family, lawyers at Adiala jail
On 22 September, Dawn reported that Imran Khan’s cousin Qasim Zaman and several PTI lawyers were denied meetings with the former prime minister at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail despite waiting for hours. Imran has been imprisoned since 2023, while the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has permitted twice-weekly meetings with family, lawyers and associates. His sisters, who regularly sought meetings, are currently detained ahead of PTI’s 27 September protest. PTI lawyer Awais Younas Chaudhry said the party deliberately sent other family members and lawyers to demonstrate that court orders were not being implemented. The Supreme Court had also directed authorities in August to facilitate family meetings and ordered Imran’s medical examination. (“Jailed Imran again denied family meeting — this time with his cousin as sisters remain in detention,” Dawn, 22 September 2026)
AF-PAK
KP: Security forces repel infiltration bid in Kurram, retaliate after Afghan Taliban open fire on checkposts
On 22 September, Dawn reported that security forces foiled an attempt by Fitna al-Khawarij militants to cross into KP's Kurram district from Afghanistan's Nangarhar and Paktia, after which the Afghan Taliban opened fire on Pakistani checkposts along the border, prompting Pakistani troops to retaliate against multiple Taliban positions, forcing several operatives to flee; the incident came a day after the information ministry said "calibrated" Pakistani airstrikes on terrorist hideouts in the border region had killed more than 28 militants, following the Kohat Police Lines attack that killed 23 people. A UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report covering December 2025 to June 2026 found continued Afghan Taliban support for the TTP had fuelled more frequent and lethal attacks in Pakistan, alongside growing operational links between the TTP, Al Qaeda, ISIL-K and the Balochistan Liberation Army. ("Security forces thwart terrorists' attempt to infiltrate Pak-Afghan border in Kurram: security sources," Dawn, 22 September 2026)
Foreign Minister urges OIC action on terrorism from Afghanistan
On 23 September, Dawn reported that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to press Afghanistan’s Taliban government to prevent its territory from being used for terrorism, saying the issue had major implications for regional security. Addressing the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan at the UN General Assembly, Dar said Pakistan was concerned about more than two dozen terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan and called for concrete and verifiable action against them, particularly the TTP. “We can help Afghanistan and should help Afghanistan to integrate into the international community,” he added. He also urged the Taliban to protect human rights, form an inclusive government and facilitate Afghan returnees. Dar thanked Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia for mediation efforts and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a stable Afghanistan. (“Afghanistan's situation demands continued attention in view of implications for regional peace, Dar tells OIC moot,” Dawn, 23 September 2026)
ECONOMY
Finance ministry rejects claims petroleum levy is linked to IMF programme
On 22 September, Dawn reported that Pakistan’s finance ministry rejected claims that the petroleum development levy (PDL) was the “central point” of the country’s USD seven billion IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and USD 1.1 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) programmes. The ministry said the fiscal strategy instead covers FBR revenue mobilisation, tax-base expansion, provincial taxation and expenditure rationalisation, while describing PDL as one of several revenue instruments. “PDL is one of the revenue instruments and describing it as the centrepiece of the program materially overstates its role,” the ministry said. It acknowledged that petroleum pricing and levies form part of the IMF framework, including regular alignment with international prices and a carbon levy under the RSF. The ministry also argued that inflation and weak growth reflected multiple domestic and global factors rather than the PDL alone. (“Reports of petroleum levy being 'central point' in IMF programme are 'misleading': finance ministry,” Dawn, 22 September 2026)
Foreign loan inflows rise 24 per cent to USD 1.7 billion
On 23 September, Dawn reported that foreign economic loan inflows to Pakistan rose 24 per cent to USD 1.7 billion during July-August 2026-27, as the government resumed commercial borrowing. A USD 300 million commercial loan from United Bank Dubai and a 73 per cent rise in overseas Pakistanis’ investments in Naya Pakistan Certificates to USD 630 million drove the increase. However, inflows from multilateral and bilateral lenders fell 43 per cent to USD 626 million, including an 85 per cent decline in bilateral assistance. The government has set a USD 24 billion foreign assistance target for FY27, compared with USD 20 billion last year. (“Foreign loan inflows rise 24pc in July-August,” Dawn, 23 September 2026)
Pakistan approves PKR 32.9 billion digital connectivity budget
On 23 September, Dawn reported that the Policy Committee of the Universal Service Fund (USF) approved a PKR 32.90 billion budget for 2026-27 to expand digital connectivity across underserved and unserved areas of Pakistan. The budget includes PKR 24.89 billion for ongoing projects and PKR 6.56 billion for new initiatives, with PKR 5.57 billion released for the first quarter. The fund currently has 28 projects under implementation, including 17 mobile broadband and 11 optical fibre projects. The new programme includes nine mobile broadband and four optical fibre projects, alongside smaller allocations, as authorities seek to expand telecom infrastructure and reduce the digital divide in remote regions. (“Policy committee approves Rs33bn budget for Universal Service Fund,” Dawn, 23 September 2026)
Food exports rise 2.23 per cent as imports remain largely stable
On 23 September, Dawn reported that Pakistan’s food imports rose 2.23 per cent to USD 1.503 billion during July-August 2026-27, while raw food exports increased 7.68 per cent, reversing the decline recorded in the previous fiscal year. Rice exports led the recovery, rising 24.68 per cent, while meat exports increased 22.53 per cent and tobacco exports more than doubled. Vegetable and fruit exports, however, fell 27.28 per cent and 36.42 per cent respectively. Food imports were driven mainly by higher purchases of tea and milk products, while imports of pulses and soybean oil declined sharply. The government has also approved wheat imports to address expected domestic production shortfalls. (“Exports rebound as imports slow,” Dawn, 23 September 2026)
Cyber Crime Agency detains 212 people in international fraud crackdown
On 22 September, Dawn reported that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) detained 212 Pakistani and Chinese nationals during raids on three call centres in Islamabad suspected of involvement in international cyber fraud. Authorities recovered 306 mobile phones, 383 computers and 299 monitors and laptops during operations in E-11 and G-10. The NCCIA said the suspects were allegedly involved in Google scams and “low-dating” schemes linked to networks in India and Brazil. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. The crackdown follows recent operations in Karachi and Islamabad targeting international scam networks accused of financial fraud, cyber-romance and sextortion. (“NCCIA arrests 212 individuals over alleged involvement in international fraud schemes,” Dawn, 22 September 2026)
EXTERNAL
Pakistan and seven Muslim nations demand Israel fulfil Gaza plan commitments
On 22 September, Dawn reported that Pakistan joined Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in calling on Israel to "immediately fulfil its outstanding commitments" under the first phase of the Gaza plan, stressing the ceasefire must hold and that the road map, covering decommissioning alongside full Israeli withdrawal, deployment of the International Stabilisation Force, and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza assuming responsibilities, was integral to advancing the plan's second phase; the ministers, meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, rejected any forced displacement of Palestinians, criticised accelerating settlement expansion and settler violence, and reaffirmed a two-state solution based on East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state. Separately, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the OIC Committee of Six that the situation in Gaza and the West Bank demanded "urgent and immediate attention," outlined six priorities including safeguarding Jerusalem's holy sites and supporting Palestinian-led reconstruction, and also joined a Regional-4 ministerial with Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to the framework, while separately meeting Libya's and Japan's foreign ministers to discuss bilateral trade and stress a return to the Islamabad MoU. ("Pakistan, 7 other Muslim nations call upon Israel to fulfil its commitment under Gaza plan," Dawn, 22 September 2026)
CDF Munir meets senior French security official, reaffirms defence cooperation push
On 22 September, Dawn reported that Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir met Nicolas Roche, secretary general of France's General Secretariat for Defence and National Security, at GHQ Rawalpindi, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to strengthening bilateral defence and security ties, with Roche acknowledging Pakistan's role in promoting regional peace and expressing French interest in expanding cooperation; the meeting followed Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's talks with French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot at the UN General Assembly, where both sides stressed safeguarding maritime traffic and energy supplies amid Middle East-related shipping disruptions. ("CDF reaffirms Pakistan's commitment to bolster defence, security cooperation with France," Dawn, 22 September 2026)
Trump calls Shehbaz "terrific," reveals three-hour US-Iran meeting as Pakistan's UNGA mediation draws UN praise
On 23 September, Dawn reported that US President Donald Trump called PM Shehbaz Sharif a "terrific man" during his UN General Assembly speech, crediting him with saying Trump had saved "30 million lives," and later revealed his team had held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the session, calling it "very good" and "productive" with another meeting scheduled soon; UN Secretary-General António Guterres' spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was "very grateful" for Pakistan's "critical" mediation role, calling the Islamabad understanding "a great achievement." The diplomatic push came a day after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in Tehran, while Dar joined a Regional-4 ministerial meeting with Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, underscoring the need to uphold the Islamabad MoU, and PM Shehbaz separately met the leaders of Somalia, Austria, Kenya and Kuwait's crown prince on the sidelines. ("Pakistan stands out amid flurry of diplomacy at UNGA," Dawn, 23 September 2026)
Pakistan and US seize 463 kilograms of Afghan-origin meth worth USD 21 million in joint operation
On 22 September, The Express Tribune reported that Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force and the US DEA's Islamabad office, working with Sri Lankan police and DEA New Delhi, seized approximately 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine valued at USD 21 million on 30 August, after ANF's Karachi Port Control Unit flagged suspicious Colombo-bound containers between 14-29 August suspected of carrying Afghanistan-origin narcotics; the operation, coordinated across multiple countries, led to several arrests including Pakistani nationals, with the US Embassy crediting American-funded ANF training and calling counternarcotics a key part of the Trump administration's security agenda. ("Pakistan and US target Afghan-origin narcotics network, seize 463kg meth," The Express Tribune, 22 September 2026)
SECURITY
CDF Munir visits Peshawar Corps HQ, vows armed forces "remain resolute" against terrorism
On 22 September, Dawn reported that Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, visiting Peshawar Corps Headquarters days after the deadly Kohat Police Lines attack, was briefed on KP's security situation and ongoing counter-terrorism operations, praised troops' "high morale, readiness and professionalism," and directed them to maintain the highest operational preparedness, saying the armed forces "remain resolute in their determination to defeat terrorism and ensure lasting peace and stability"; he laid a wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada in tribute to fallen soldiers. The visit follows a wave of recent operations under the counter-terrorism campaign Ghazab lil Haq, launched in February after unprovoked Afghan Taliban border firing, including Monday's cross-border airstrikes that killed over 28 militants and Sunday's Kohat-Hangu operation. ("CDF Munir says armed forces remain resolute in defeating terrorism, ensuring lasting peace: ISPR," Dawn, 22 September 2026)
Balochistan: Two policemen killed guarding polio team in Noshki, vaccine drive suspended
On 22 September, Dawn reported that constables Muhammad Yasir and Abdul Rauf were killed when armed assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on police guarding a female polio vaccination team in Noshki, part of a week-long drive covering Balochistan's 32 districts that began the previous day; the team itself was unhurt, the attackers fled after seizing the officers' weapons, and the anti-polio campaign in the area has been suspended, with no group claiming responsibility. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the attack "heinous and unforgivable" and vowed exemplary punishment, while Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti sought a Home Department report and said an investigation was underway, as the province, one of just two in the world alongside Afghanistan where polio remains endemic, works to vaccinate 2.3 million children following two recent positive environmental samples. ("2 cops guarding polio team martyred in Balochistan's Noshki," Dawn, 22 September 2026)
Balochistan: Six militants killed, nine detained in Saran Tangi under "Operation Shaban-2"
On 22 September, Dawn reported that security forces killed six Fitna al Hindustan militants and arrested nine suspects in an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan's Saran Tangi area under Operation Shaban-2, recovering a large cache of weapons and ammunition, with authorities saying operations in the area would continue "until the last terrorist is eliminated"; President Asif Ali Zardari praised the forces' "bravery and professional skills," saying Fitna al Hindustan "and its facilitators will not succeed in harming Pakistan's peace and stability," while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi echoed the tribute. The operation follows a documented rise in provincial violence, with the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) recording attacks up 7 per cent to 89 in August from 83 in July, and comes days after separate operations killed four militants in Panjgur and, the week before, 11 more across Panjgur and Chagai. ("Security forces kill 6 terrorists in intelligence-based operation in Balochistan's Saran Tangi," Dawn, 22 September 2026)
CLIMATE CHANGE
EUR 54 million project launched to boost climate resilience in “Gilgit-Baltistan”
On 23 September, Dawn reported that the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the “Gilgit-Baltistan” government, the European Union (EU) and the Aga Khan Foundation (AFK) launched a EUR 54.24 million (PKR 17.2 billion) project to strengthen climate resilience and improve living conditions across the region. The initiative will cover all “GB” districts and include 216 water and sanitation schemes, renewable energy projects generating up to 1,300kW, vulnerability assessments across 110 union councils and climate-resilient upgrades for thousands of households. The project is expected to reach around 325,600 people, with women comprising at least 40 per cent of beneficiaries. It will also provide training in climate-smart planning and sustainable infrastructure management while strengthening institutional capacity for community-driven development. (“Rs17.2bn project launched to boost climate resilience in GB,” Dawn, 23 September 2026)
Editorials/Opinions
Civil service reform
Editorial, “Civil service reform,” Dawn, 22 September 2026
"Civil service reform is not about creating new cadres, changing examination rules or merging training institutions. It is about changing incentives and institutional behaviour. The state needs specialists who can understand increasingly complex problems. It needs managers who can deliver. It needs promotion based on performance rather than seniority alone. And it needs accountability that applies to failure as much as success. Most importantly, reform requires consistency. The 2021 blueprint already provided much of the framework needed for this. If it fell short of anything, it should have been fixed instead of being discarded."
https://www.dawn.com/news/2031765/civil-service-reform
Pakistan-Afghanistan
Kamran Yousaf, “The Pak-Afghan deadlock,” The Express Tribune, 21 September 2026
“A fresh diplomatic effort by Turkey and Qatar to ease tensions between Islamabad and Kabul is facing an immediate test after the deadly terrorist attack on a police mosque in Kohat, with Pakistani authorities linking one of the suicide bombers to Afghanistan. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin travelled to Kabul last week, where he held talks with senior Taliban officials. A senior Qatari security official also visited the Afghan capital. Kalin subsequently travelled to Islamabad, where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir and ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik."
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2630410/the-pak-afghan-deadlock
Child safety
Editorial, “Online predators,” The Express Tribune, 22 September 2026
“A recent Unicef report estimates that 1.5 million children in the country experienced online sexual abuse in a single year. More disturbing is the finding that 71% of victims never disclosed their ordeal, while none of the children surveyed who experienced abuse approached formal reporting channels. Children are being exploited in an environment where perpetrators can operate with relative impunity, while victims are silenced by the fear of social condemnation. Nearly three-quarters of children aged between 12 and 17 now use the internet, and methods employed by predators are becoming increasingly sophisticated. What begins as an innocent conversation or an interaction on a gaming platform can develop into months of calculated manipulation, culminating in sexual extortion and blackmail."
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2630637/online-predators
Climate change
Aisha Khan, “Climate neutral,” Dawn, 22 September 2026
“South Asia has long viewed peace through the familiar language of power: territory, armies, missiles, borders, alliances and economic weight. China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh sit at different points on this spectrum, and their relative capabilities are often measured in GDP, reserves, industrial capacity, defence budgets, troop strength, air power and nuclear weapons. Yet the recent climate- induced disaster in Nepal has introduced another measure of power, one that does not respect borders and cannot be deterred by military superiority. It is the capacity of a state to absorb shock, protect its people, maintain essential services and recover without falling into political or economic crisis."
https://www.dawn.com/news/2031766/climate-neutral
Politics & governance
Editorial, “Restraint needed,” Dawn, 22 September 2026
“Islamabad is bracing for two waves of protests. Not too long ago, for political parties to march towards the federal capital was nothing out of the ordinary. However, for some years now, Islamabad has increasingly come to be discussed in political circles as some kind of grand prize that is to be conquered or defended, depending on where one stands. In the days ahead, the Jamaat-i-Islami and the PTI are both expected to arrive at its gates, each with a very different list of demands in hand. The JI has set out to seek relief for the public from the harrowing prices of fuel these days, but there is no saying if that will be the limit of its ambition once the Margalla Hills are in sight. The PTI wants much more: it seeks to agitate for constitutional and democratic rights, elections and a fairer judiciary, as well as the release of, or at least some relief for, its jailed founder Imran Khan. Though both the JI and PTI sit on the opposition benches, it appears so far that their marches are taking place independently, and they would rather keep things that way."
https://www.dawn.com/news/2031764/restraint-needed
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