At least 12 people, mostly lawyers, were killed and over 25 injured in a suspected suicide blast outside Islamabad’s district court on Tuesday. The attack has raised fresh concerns about Pakistan’s deteriorating security situation amid rising tensions with Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has declared that peace talks with Afghanistan have collapsed after days of negotiations in Istanbul. Asif warned that the ceasefire will hold only if no attacks are launched from Afghan soil, as both nations accuse each other of cross-border aggression.
Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a deadlock as Islamabad accuses the Taliban of an “illogical” stance on counterterrorism. With Turkey and Qatar mediating, tensions rise amid warnings of “open war” if negotiations fail.
Pakistan carried out fresh airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province just hours after extending a ceasefire. At least 10 civilians, including local cricketers, were killed. Kabul accused Islamabad of violating the truce, vowing retaliation, as delegations prepared for crisis talks in Doha.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was caught in contradictions during an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan. From alleging that Imran Khan runs his X account from jail to earlier blaming India, to defending Pakistan’s “hybrid model” and ties with China, Asif’s fumbling remarks have fueled a political storm.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, marking the first time Islamabad openly acknowledged extending its nuclear umbrella to Riyadh. The pact formalizes decades of military cooperation and has significant implications for regional security, India’s strategic calculus, and Gulf geopolitics.
At the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, Rajnath Singh called out Pakistan over cross-border terrorism, urged united global action, and reiterated India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s development and regional peace.