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A new attendance review of the National Assembly’s 26th session found that only 66 of 333 MNAs attended all sittings, while 51 did not attend even once. The report has reignited concerns about weak parliamentary participation, limited ministerial accountability and the broader credibility of legislative oversight in Pakistan.
Islamabad’s Red Zone was sealed and Rawalpindi faced major transport, road and market restrictions as Pakistan prepared for a possible second round of US-Iran talks. The heavy security deployment underscored Islamabad’s rising diplomatic role, but it also disrupted daily life for residents, students and businesses across the twin cities.
Pakistan has placed Rawalpindi and Islamabad under an extraordinary security umbrella as authorities prepare for the possible return of US-Iran delegations for another round of diplomacy. With no official date confirmed, the deployment underscores both the sensitivity of the talks and Islamabad’s growing role as a regional mediator.
Bushra Bibi has asked the Islamabad High Court to suspend her seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, arguing that recent eye surgery and her medical condition require urgent relief. The petition has opened a new legal and political front in one of Pakistan’s most closely watched accountability cases.
Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court has upheld the government’s ban on importing books from certain countries while ruling that the right to read is a fundamental part of the constitutional right to life. The judgment preserves executive control over trade policy but gives strong legal recognition to public access to knowledge.
Bushra Bibi has been moved to a hospital after PTI said her health required urgent attention, turning the development into a major political story. The party is demanding family access, medical transparency and clearer official information on her condition and treatment.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Doha on the second leg of his three-nation tour, where he held talks with Qatar’s emir and stressed dialogue, de-escalation and closer bilateral coordination. The visit highlighted Pakistan’s effort to stay diplomatically active in the Gulf while strengthening ties with a key regional partner.
Pakistan has launched a coordinated diplomatic push involving Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s regional tour and Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran as signs grow that Islamabad may again host US-Iran talks. The effort has raised Pakistan’s profile as a mediator while tying its foreign policy closely to regional stability, energy security and domestic economic risk.
The ECP has formally started the delimitation process for Punjab’s long-delayed local government elections, setting Aug. 10 as the deadline for final constituencies and freezing boundary changes in the meantime. The move revives a stalled constitutional process and could finally clear the way for grassroots polls in Pakistan’s largest province.
Pakistan has called for the abolition or strict curbs on UN Security Council veto power and rejected any plan to add new permanent members, arguing that real reform must expand representation rather than privilege. Islamabad says elected seats, not new permanent ones, offer a fairer route to a more accountable and effective council.
Gilgit-Baltistan’s election authority has released the full schedule for the 2026 Assembly polls, setting June 7 as voting day and opening nominations from April 16 to 20. The timetable marks a major political step for the region after months of uncertainty and shifts attention to candidate filings, appeals and campaign preparations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is undertaking a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye for bilateral talks and participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Pakistan is presenting the trip as part of a wider push for regional engagement, multilateral diplomacy and stronger coordination with key partner states.
