2026 in Pakistan
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The events listed below are both anticipated and scheduled for the year 2026 in Pakistan.
The year 2026 will be the 79th year of the independence of Pakistan.
Incumbents
Federal government
Provincial government
| Province | Governor | Chief Minister | Government Type | Chief Justice | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balochistan | Jaffar Khan Mandokhail (from 6 May 2024) | Sarfraz Bugti (from 2 March 2024) | PPP | Coalition | Rozi Khan Barrech (BHC) | |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Faisal Karim Kundi (from 4 May 2024) | Sohail Afridi (from 15 October 2025) | PTI | Coalition[a] | Syed Muhammad Attique Shah (PHC) | |
| Punjab | Saleem Haider Khan (from 10 May 2024) | Maryam Nawaz (from 26 February 2024) | PML-N | Coalition | Aalia Neelum (LHC) | |
| Sindh | Kamran Khan Tessori (from 10 October 2022) | Murad Ali Shah (from 27 February 2024) | PPP | Majority | Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar (SHC) | |
State government
| Province | President | Prime minister | Government Type | Chief Justice | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilgit-Baltistan | Mehdi Shah | Gulbar Khan (from 13 July 2023) | PTI | Coalition | Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan (SACGB) | |
| Azad Kashmir | Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry | Chaudhry Anwarul Haq (from 20 April 2023) | PTI | Coalition | Raja Saeed Akram Khan (SCAJK) | |
Events
January
- 2 January – An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad sentences multiple journalists and social media personalities to life imprisonment on charges of inciting violence during the 2023 Pakistani protests.[5]
- 5 January – Three people are arrested in Karachi on suspicion of plotting attacks for the Balochistan Liberation Army.[6]
- 11 January – Eight people are killed in a gas cylinder explosion at a wedding in Islamabad.[7]
- 12 January – Six police officers are killed in a bomb attack on their vehicle in Tank District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[8]
- 15 January – Twelve BLA militants are killed in an attack on a police station and two banks in Kharan District, Balochistan.[9]
- 17 January –
- A truck falls into a canal amid heavy fog in Sargodha, killing 14 people and injuring nine others.[10]
- A bus overturns along the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan, killing 10 people and injuring 36 others.[10]
- A fire erupts at the Gul Plaza mall in Karachi, killing at least 79 people.[11]
- 19 January – A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hits Gilgit-Baltistan, killing one person and damaging 20 homes in Ghizer District.[12][13]
- 23 January –
- Nine people are killed in an avalanche in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[14]
- Seven people are killed in a suicide bombing at a wedding held at the residence of a community leader in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[15]
- 24 January –
- A fire erupts at a hotel in Lahore, killing at least three people.[16]
- A court in Islamabad sentences human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 17 years' imprisonment on charges of using social media to malign the state and its security institutions.[17]
- 29 January –
- A woman and her child are found dead in a manhole in Lahore.[18]
- Forty-one militants are killed in military raids in Panjgur and Harnai Districts in Balochistan.[19]
- A series of attacks are carried out by militants affiliated with the BLA on multiple locations across Balochistan from 29 January to 5 February, leaving 36 civilians, 2 members of the security forces, and 216 of the militants/insurgents dead.[20]
February
- 6 February –
- 11 February – Four police officers are killed in an ambush by militants on their vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[23]
- 12 February – One person is killed in a bomb attack on a vehicle belonging to the Frontier Works Organization in Chilas.[24]
- 13 February – A multi-vehicle collision on the M9 motorway in Gadap, Karachi, kills 13 people.[25]
- 15 February – A bus crashes into a trailer in Khairpur District, Sindh, killing 11 people and injuring 10 others.[26]
- 16 February –
- Two people are killed in a motorcycle bombing near a police station in Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[27]
- 2026 Bajaur attack: Twelve people are killed in a vehicle bombing near a checkpoint in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[28]
- Three police officers and several militants are killed in clashes in Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[28]
- 17 February – Three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghanistan during the 2025 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict are released following mediation by Saudi Arabia.[29]
- 18 February – Two officials are killed in a militant attack on a police station and a customs office in Dera Ismail Khan.[30]
- 19 February – A three-story building collapses following a suspected gas explosion in Soldier Bazaar, Karachi, killing 16 people.[31]
- 21 February – Two soldiers and five militants are killed in a motorcycle bombing on a military convoy in Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[32]
- 22 February – Pakistan carries out airstrikes on suspected militant camps in Afghanistan, killing 18 people.[33]
- 23 February – Three people are killed in a drone attack and ambush on a paramilitary Frontier Corps outpost in Karak District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[34]
- 24 February –
- Five police officers are killed in an ambush in Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[35]
- Two police officers are killed in a suicide bombing near a checkpoint in Bhakkar District, Punjab.[36]
- 25 February –
- Three security personnel are killed in an attack on their vehicle by militants near Chaman.[37]
- Four police officers are killed in an attack on a patrol in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[38]
- 26 February – Afghanistan carries out attacks on Pakistani army posts and claims 40 Pakistani soldiers were killed, while Pakistani security sources claim 22 Taliban personnel dead and several quadcopters shot down.[39]
- 27 February – Defense minister Khawaja Asif declares an "open war" against Afghanistan.[40]
March
- 1 March –
- At least 20 people are killed in nationwide protests against the assassination of Ali Khamenei.[41]
- Hundreds of protestors attempt to storm the consulate of the United States in Karachi, leading to clashes with security forces that leave at least nine people dead and multiple others wounded.[42]
- 3 March – Pakistan says 67 Afghans and one Pakistani soldier had been killed in clashes along their border.[43]
- 6 March – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports at least 100,000 civilians have been displaced from their homes due to the fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Afghan forces say they have destroyed 14 more Pakistani military outposts along the border and downed a drone.[44]
- 7 March –
- At least 10 people are killed and several others are critically injured in a suspected bombing at a filling station in Wana, South Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[45]
- At least four people are killed, including two policemen, and more than 35 others are injured, including three seriously, in two separate bombings targeting a police patrol van and a market in Wana and Lakki Marwat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[46]
- 10 March – Pakistan holds its 5G spectrum auction, organised by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, raising about US$507 million after selling spectrum to telecom operators Jazz, Zong, and Ufone to support the rollout of 5G services in Pakistan.[47]
- 15 March – Four people are killed in a suspected Afghan mortar attack in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[48]
- 16 March –
- Eight people are killed in a roof collapse at a shop hosting payouts for government welfare schemes in Rahim Yar Khan District, Punjab.[49]
- Five soldiers are killed and several others are injured in a roadside bombing in Duki District, Balochistan. [50]
- At least 100 people are killed in a suspected Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation clinic in Kabul.[51]
- 18 March –
- At least 18 people are killed due to a thunderstorm in Karachi.[52]
- 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict: Afghanistan and Pakistan declare a ceasefire lasting until 23 March.[53]
- 26 March – Start of Pakistan Super League's eleventh season.[54]
Holidays
Source:[55]
- 5 February – Kashmir Solidarity Day
- 23 March – Pakistan Day
- 21–23 March – Eid al-Fitr[b]
- 1 May – Labour Day
- 27–29 May – Eid al-Azha[b]
- 25–26 June – Ashura[b]
- 14 August – Independence Day
- 25 August – Mawlid[b]
- 9 November – Iqbal Day
- 25 December – Quaid-e-Azam Day
Deaths
- 5 January – Maulana Fazl-ur-Raheem Ashrafi, 81, Islamic scholar, patron of Wifaq-ul-Madaris al-Arabia.[56]
- 22 January – Jamshed Khan, politician.
- 31 January – Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, 71, president (since 2021) and prime minister (1996–2001) of Azad Kashmir.[57]
- 11 March – Niaz Ahmed Jhakkar, politician.[58]
See also
Country overviews
- Pakistan
- Economy of Pakistan
- Government of Pakistan
- History of Pakistan
- History of modern Pakistan
- Outline of Pakistan
- Politics of Pakistan
- Years in Pakistan
- Media of Pakistan
Related timelines for current period
Notes
References
- ^ "Newly elected representatives sworn in as ruckus mars maiden session of 16th National Assembly". Dawn. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "House Composition". Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Never won a war, never lost an election: Did Imran Khan spoil Pakistan military's record?". The Times of India. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Asrar, Nadim; Lodhi, Areesha. "Pakistan police threaten crackdown after Khan's PTI protests vote 'rigging'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan court sentences journalists to life over 2023 pro-Khan protests". Al Jazeera. 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ "Pakistani counterterrorism police seize 2 tons of explosives and arrest 3 in Karachi". AP News. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Bride and groom among 8 killed in gas cylinder blast at wedding in Pakistan's capital". AP News. 11 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ "Roadside bomb targeting police vehicle kills 6 officers in northwest Pakistan". AP News. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan security forces kill 12 militants, thwarting attempted hostage-taking in southwest". AP News. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Pakistan road crashes kill at least 24 people and injure 45 others". AP News. 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ Suleman Saadat (28 January 2026). "Gul Plaza blaze took 79 lives, most in mezzanine floor: report". Geo News. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "سپین میں ٹرین حادثے میں ہلاک ہونے والوں کی تعداد 39 ہو گئی" (in Urdu). BBC News Urdu. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ "Magnitude 6 quake kills one person, brings down houses in northern Pakistan". Reuters. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ Ahmed, Munir (23 January 2026). "An avalanche in Pakistan and snowstorms in neighboring Afghanistan kill at least 20 people". Associated Press. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "A suicide bomber strikes a wedding in northwestern Pakistan and kills 7 people". Associated Press. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ Imran Gabol (24 January 2026). "At least 3 killed in fire at hotel in Lahore's Gulberg". Dawn. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "Pakistani human rights lawyers jailed for 17 years over social media posts". Associated Press. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ Asif Chaudhry (29 January 2026). "3 arrested after woman, daughter die from falling into open sewer line in Lahore". Dawn. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "41 militants killed in Pakistan military raids in the country's southwest". AP News. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "Deadly gun and bomb attacks hit Pakistan's Balochistan province". BBC. 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "Bombing at mosque in Islamabad kills at least 31 during Friday prayers". BBC. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Dogar, Babar (6 February 2026). "Pakistan's cultural capital erupts in color as kite-flying Basant festival ends 20-year hiatus". Associated Press. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ "Militants ambush police in restive northwest Pakistan, killing 4 officers". Associated Press. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "1 killed, 3 injured in explosion in northern Pakistan". Anadolu Agency. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ Ali, Imtiaz (14 February 2026). "Case registered as death toll of multi-vehicle crash on M9 motorway rises to 13". Dawn. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ^ Shamsi, Waseem (16 February 2026). "11 killed as bus crashes into trailer near Khairpur". Dawn. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ^ "Motorcycle bomb at police station kills at least 2 and wounds several in northwestern Pakistan". Associated Press. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ a b "More than a dozen killed in bomb blasts, gunfire in Pakistan's northwest". Al Jazeera. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Afghanistan says it has released 3 Pakistani soldiers captured during October cross-border fighting". AP News. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ^ "Two officials martyred in militant attack on police station, customs office in Dera Ismail Khan". Dawn. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "At least 16 killed after building collapses in Pakistan following blast". France 24. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ^ "Two soldiers killed during military operation in Pakistan's northwest: Army". Al Jazeera. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan launches airstrikes against Afghan-based 'militants' it blames for cross-border attacks". CNN. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Attacks on a security post and ambulances in northwest Pakistan leave 3 dead". AP News. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Suspected militants kill 5 officers in ambushes on police vehicles in northwest Pakistan". AP News. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "2 policemen martyred as suicide bomber targets checkpost in Bhakkar". Dawn. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "Three security personnel martyred in attack on vehicle near Chaman". The Express Tribune. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan kills 34 militants in multiple raids near Afghanistan. An ambush kills 4 police officers". AP News. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Afghanistan carried attacks on Pakistan". Reuters.
- ^ "Pakistan bombs Kabul after Afghanistan attacks border". France 24. Agence France Presse.
- ^ "Anger on Pakistan streets, 20 dead, after US-Israel strike kills Khamenei". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "At least 9 killed in pro-Iran protest at US consulate in Pakistan's Karachi". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan says its forces killed 67 Afghan troops in cross-border clashes. Kabul rejects the claim". AP News. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict displaces more than 100,000 people, UN says". Sky News. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ "Deadly Blast Rocks South Waziristan Fuel Station In Pakistan: 10 Killed, Many Injured".
- ^ "Four people, including two policemen, killed in twin blasts in northwest Pakistan". Arab News PK. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan auctions 5G spectrum for $507m to boost internet speeds". The Express Tribune. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "Afghanistan says Pakistani mortars killed 2 children as fighting stretches into third week". AP News. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Roof collapse at Pakistan welfare payment site kills at least 8 women". AP News. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Five Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Roadside Blast After Remote-Controlled Bomb Goes Off In Balochistan". news18. 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan blamed after air strike on Kabul rehab centre kills at least 100". BBC. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ Aftab Khan; Muhammad Shahmir Khan; Saleem Jhandir; Amir Farooq; Munawwar Khan (17 March 2026). "Karachi hit by heavy rain, strong winds as PMD warns of more downpours". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Pakistan and Afghanistan announce temporary pause in fighting, 2 days after deadly Kabul strike". AP News. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "PSL 2026 to be played from March 26 to May 3 in clash with IPL". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "Pakistan Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ "Jamia Ashrafia head Maulana Ashrafi passes away". SAMAA TV. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "AJK President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry passes away at 71". Dawn. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
- ^ "PTI leader Malik Niaz Ahmad Jakhar passes away". GTV News. 11 March 2026.
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