2 martyred in terrorist attack on security forces camp in K-P's Lakki Marwat

In a brazen overnight attack, terrorists belonging to the outlawed Fitna Al-Khawarij group targeted a security forces camp in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat district on Thursday, martyring a police and a security official. According to security sources, the assailants launched a sudden assault late at night in the Shadi Khel area of the Bettani sub-division, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire that lasted approximately two hours. During the clash, Constable Irfanullah and security official Waseem were martyred. The funeral prayer of Constable Irfanullah was offered with full state honours at the Police Lines in Lakki Marwat. A police contingent presented a salute to the martyr, while senior officials laid floral wreaths on his coffin and offered prayers. Read More: Five injured in Afghan cross-border shelling A large number of mourners attended the funeral, including Lakki Marwat District Police Officer (DPO) Nazir Khan, Deputy Commissioner Hamidullah Khan, Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Murad Khan, along with other police officers, civil administration officials, and personnel from various departments. Paying tribute to the martyr’s sacrifice, DPO Khan stated that such timeless sacrifices by the police force were a guarantee for the establishment of lasting peace. He vowed that the sacrifices of the martyrs would never go in vain, and the war against terrorists would continue until the elimination of the last terrorist.

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Why Pakistan has emerged as the pivotal mediator in the Iran conflict

Ever since the US-Israeli war on Iran broke out on February 28, Pakistan's efforts to advance mediation have been difficult to ignore. The federal government has shuttled multiple peace proposals between both capitals, stretched its diplomatic bandwidth to get conflicting parties to the negotiating table, and, despite limited success in early April talks in Islamabad, it continues to acquire considerable support from both Iran and the United States in brokering a consensus on the path to de-escalation. The value of having no skin in the game These dynamics merit a deeper understanding of what constitutes Pakistan's role as a pivotal mediator in the conflict and the drivers that propel it to that status. First, Islamabad does not carry some of the constraints associated with Gulf countries and traditional US-focused mediators. For instance, Islamabad does not host any US military bases, making it a critical player in earning the trust of Tehran, which has attacked Middle Eastern countries, including mediators Oman and Qatar, for their perceived role in facilitating US attacks on the country. Islamabad preserves this trust by avoiding any appearance of military complicity — even tacit support for the US — which could bring it into the line of fire in the current war. Read More: Mojtaba Khamenei signals new Gulf chapter, calls for US exit from Hormuz On the other hand, Islamabad, as the destination of choice, provides ample geographical safety from core conflict flashpoints. For instance, Pakistan is not in close proximity to areas in the immediate periphery of the Strait of Hormuz, where fluctuating US-Iran tensions on opening up the waterway have sent substantial alarm across Middle Eastern economies. This matters to US negotiators, who have shown sensitivity to regions that could invite Iranian attacks, and similar threat perceptions for Tehran — which has seen much of its top leadership become the target of unwarranted Israeli-US attacks — make Islamabad a destination offering greater security and a stronger basis for negotiating in earnest. Gulf countries view Pakistan's role with a high degree of trust as well. This was apparent in the lead-up to the first round of "Islamabad Talks" when regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia partnered with Türkiye and Egypt to assess the contours of regional security in four-way talks in Islamabad. Pakistan also maintains very close ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the leadership has made the most of its multivector foreign policy by making time-sensitive visits to countries such as Qatar to gauge prospects for de-escalation. Pakistan is also among the few countries to have the ear of US President Donald Trump, who has voiced his support for the top leadership brass. Energy dependency as a driver of diplomacy This proximity enables Islamabad to credibly facilitate the vital exchange of competing peace plans to the benefit of US-Iran talks, as well as account for expectations regarding an enduring de-escalation scenario, as seen through the lens of major Gulf partners, including Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. At the same time, Pakistan's geographical proximity to Iran — a close neighbour with a history of shared counterterrorism cooperation and energy ties — makes mediation a matter of strategic value when the economy is already on the margins. This reality, reinforced by growth risks and limited borrowing potential, makes it clear that Pakistan cannot afford to look the other way when drastic energy shocks from the Strait of Hormuz tensions affect global energy outlooks, as well as domestic energy supplies. Pakistan imports the lion's share of its gas from key Gulf countries. The energy factor lends Islamabad's mediation the additional immediacy that is central to seeing the conflict through for its domestic constituency as well. Pakistan's iron-clad relationship with China is also a positive reinforcer. This alignment is reflected in both countries' "five-point" peace plan, which calls for de-escalation and a resumption of peace talks. The federal government's history of opposing unilateral sanctions, firm regard for international law and refusal to take sides in the Iran-US conflict lends its mediating potential the promise of permanence, alignment with UN-backed dialogue principles, and rare credibility in brokering consensus. It is this practical reading of gradual but enduring peace talks momentum, geographical constraints, energy drivers, and close diplomatic proximity to both Tehran and Washington that gives Islamabad the leverage and endurance to emerge as a major mediator in the US-Iran war.

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Bajaur woman makes history with PAS allocation in CSS 2025

In a major milestone for the tribal districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Muneeba Hussain became the first woman from Bajaur to be allocated to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) after successfully clearing the Central Superior Services (CSS 2025) examination. The 24-year-old candidate passed the competitive exam in her first attempt, securing a position in the top occupational group and bringing pride to the tribal district. Daughter of Dr Muhammad Arshad Hussain, Muneeba belongs to Wara Mamond in Bajaur. She holds a BS degree in English Linguistics from the National University of Modern Languages. Speaking to The Express Tribune, her father said that Muneeba had set her sights on CSS at an early stage. “She completed her FSc from Islamia College Peshawar and from the very first day of her higher education, she was determined to pursue CSS. She worked day and night to achieve this goal,” he said. Read More: FPSC notifies 327 posts for CSS 2025 He added that consistent hard work, coupled with family support and prayers — particularly from her grandfather — played a key role in her success. “Hard work never goes to waste. Even in today’s fast-changing, technology-driven world, students who remain focused on their education can achieve their goals,” he remarked. Muneeba termed her achievement a moment of pride for her family and province. She said her ambition had always been to accomplish something meaningful and make her family proud. Driven by a deep love for books and learning, she pursued CSS as a mission and achieved her goal. Her success is being widely seen as an inspiration for young women, particularly in the tribal districts, where access to higher education and competitive opportunities remains limited.

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Bars reject IHC judges' transfers

The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) and the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) strongly criticised the transfer of three Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges to provincial high courts and the constitutional amendments, terming them a threat to judicial independence. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, LHCBA Secretary Qasim Ijaz Sammra condemned the transfers carried out without the consent of the judges and alleged that the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments had undermined the independence of the judiciary. "Lawyers will raise a strong voice against these measures and continue their struggle to safeguard judicial autonomy," he said. LHCBA President Babar Murtaza said the legal community had been resisting such amendments for the past two years, alleging that the basic structure of the Constitution had been altered. He criticized the process of judicial transfers and warned that arbitrary decisions regarding seniority could undermine institutional integrity. He also announced that lawyers would hold a protest rally against the decisions. LBA President Irfan Hayat Bajwa described the recent developments as "the darkest day in Pakistan's judicial history," rejecting the constitutional amendments outright. He claimed that petitions filed against the amendments had yet to be heard and asserted that even the Chief Justice of Pakistan had now realised a loss of authority.

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Cabinet approves Pakistan’s first National Vaccine Policy

Federal Minister for National Health Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday announced that the federal cabinet approved Pakistan’s first-ever National Vaccine Policy, paving the way for local vaccine production in the country. The approval was granted during a meeting of the federal cabinet held in Islamabad, with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in the chair. Speaking on the occasion, the minister termed the development a major milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s healthcare system. He noted that the country had, until now, lacked a comprehensive national policy on vaccines, adding that the newly approved framework was developed through extensive consultations with key stakeholders to ensure a robust and sustainable approach. Kamal highlighted the role of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) in shaping the policy. He emphasised that establishing local vaccine production capacity had become essential for the country, describing the initiative as a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in the health sector. The federal cabinet also approved the formation of a special committee under the supervision of DRAP to determine vaccine prices and ensure quality standards. The policy aims to reduce reliance on imported vaccines, conserve foreign exchange, and make Pakistan self-sufficient in vaccine production. Pakistan, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, has, over the past five decades, provided life-saving vaccines to 160 million children and 130 million mothers. Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation’s vaccines chief, Kate O’Brien, said that vaccines have saved 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, noting that more than 30 diseases can be prevented through immunisation.

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K-P jirga rejects drone strikes, announces emergency assembly session

In a rare display of political unity, a joint jirga led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday unanimously condemned ongoing drone strikes in tribal districts, deciding to convene a series of gatherings on the issue. The jirga, which included lawmakers from both government and opposition benches representing tribal districts, was told that relentless drone attacks continued to result in repeated civilian casualties and damage to local property. Participants agreed that the current situation was no longer tolerable, with innocent lives being lost to both terrorism and drone strikes. They agreed to hold a special provincial assembly session on Thursday, a cabinet meeting on Friday, and a grand tribal jirga at the Chief Minister’s House on Saturday. وزیر اعلی خیبر پختونخوا کی سربراہی میں حکومت اور اپوزیشن کا مشترکہ جرگہ، ڈرون حملوں کی مشترکہ مخالفت#CMKP #tribalaffairs #peaceinkp pic.twitter.com/uWjqVFkL05 — Information Department KP (@infokpgovt) April 29, 2026 Addressing the gathering, CM Afridi declared that civilian deaths from both terrorism and drone attacks were unacceptable. “The people of tribal areas cannot be forced to pay the double price in the shape of their lives,” he said. “Neither terrorism nor civilian deaths in drone strikes can be justified.” The jirga rejected the recurring pattern of civilian deaths being dismissed as mistakes. Members asserted that targeting innocent citizens under the pretext of errors must stop immediately. “Despite modern technology, the continuous loss of innocent lives due to so-called mistakes is unacceptable under any circumstances,” Afridi added. “Apologies cannot compensate for lost lives. The damage is irreparable.” Read: Jirga demands end to border hostilities The chief minister announced the postponement of his Lahore visit in light of the situation. He warned that the province cannot afford further instability, stressing that “decision-makers must understand that the blood of our people is not cheap.” It was revealed during the jirga that Rs26 billion has been allocated this year to the Counter-Terrorism Department and Special Branch to further strengthen the province’s capacity against terrorism. The jirga concluded with a consensus to adopt a joint strategy transcending political affiliations, pledging unified action against both terrorism and extrajudicial drone strikes.

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Families relive distressing phone calls

The oil tanker, sailing under the Somali flag, was transporting oil from Oman to Somalia when pirates seized it on April 21. Among the ten abducted Pakistanis, eight are from Karachi. Mehwish becomes emotional recalling the moment on April 21 when she was speaking to her husband, Yasir Khan, on the phone around 4:30pm; pirates then took control of the vessel. She says her husband abruptly ended the call, stating that pirates had taken over their ship. The next call came on April 24, made from the captain's phone, during which Yasir informed her that each hostage was guarded by an armed pirate equipped with heavy and dangerous weapons. Yasir has been working as a boiler operator in the shipping industry since 2009. Mehwish says he had left the profession after their 2010 marriage because he could not bear to stay away from his children. After a 16-year gap, he rejoined and boarded the ship on the 17th of this month. Yasir's elder son, seven-year-old Bashar, is pleading for his father to be brought back to Pakistan as soon as possible. His younger son, Umar, does not fully understand the situation but knows that "pirates are robbers" who have taken his father. Each Pakistani held by the pirates has a heartbreaking story. In an audio message circulating on social media, a man named Amin can be heard crying and telling his father that pirates are about to kill him, asking him to take care of his wife and two children. Amin's wife, Ayesha, told The Express Tribune that the message was received on April 21 and that he sounded extremely distressed. Amin had recently joined the merchant navy as a fitter. He travelled from Pakistan to Oman in early December, and his son was born in the last week of December. He has not yet seen his only child. Among the captives is Rafiullah, a resident of Manora Cantt in Karachi. His brother Sanaullah said that on April 24, the pirates allowed each hostage to make a five-minute call to their families. During that call, Rafiullah revealed that the ship, its cargo, and the pirates themselves all belong to Somalia. Sanaullah added that their parents are ill, so they have not yet been informed of Rafiullah's abduction. Kashif Umar, a resident of Buffer Zone in Karachi, has been associated with the merchant navy for the past 25 years. His son Izhar Umar said their last contact was on April 23, when his father reported that food supplies on the ship had run out. Social worker and human rights lawyer Ansar Burney told The Express Tribune that rumours are circulating about ransom demands, but no such demand has been made so far. He said no formal action has yet been initiated at the government level for the release of the Pakistani captives. Out of the ten Pakistani hostages on the oil tanker "Honour 25," one belongs to Sahiwal in Punjab and another to Swabi in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The remaining crew includes four Indonesians and three individuals from India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.

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