2026 in Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
.jpg)
.jpg)
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 –
- Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff confirms that the United States has shared a 15-point peace plan to Iran through the Pakistani government.[54] Pakistani foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirms that indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran are taking place.[55]
- Start of the 2026 Pakistan Super League[56]
- 31 March – Ali Zafar vs. Meesha Shafi: A Lahore court rules in favour of Zafar and orders Shafi to pay damages, in a defamation suit filed in 2018.[57]
April
- 2 April – At least five people are killed due to a thunderstorm in Karachi.[58][59]
- 3 April –
- The government introduces free public transport in Islamabad and Punjab for one month and provides targeted subsidies in other regions to offset the impact of recent fuel price increases.[60]
- Five people are killed while 13 others are injured in a suicide bombing in Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[61]
- 6 April – Pakistan proposes a ceasefire plan received by Iran and the United States, reportedly dubbed the Islamabad Accord, which calls for an immediate halt to hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 15–20 day period of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. This comes following reported talks between Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, U.S. vice president JD Vance, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. The Pakistani foreign ministry says that talks between Iran and the U.S. are ongoing.[62]
- 12 April – JD Vance announces that the talks between the US and Iran had failed, as he was unable to reach an agreement after a day of negotiations.[63]
May
- 3 May – 2026 Pakistan Super League final: The team Peshawar Zalmi wins the tournament.[64]
Holidays
Source:[65]
- 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.[66]
- 22 January – Jamshed Khan, politician.
- 31 January – Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, 71, president (since 2021) and prime minister (1996–2001) of Azad Kashmir.[67]
- 11 March – Niaz Ahmed Jhakkar, politician.[68]
- 8 April – Ali Hussain Khan, 70, Punjab MPA (since 2024).[69]
- 9 April – Zulfiqar Ali Khosa, 90, governor of Punjab (1999) and senator (2012–2018).[70]
- 5 May – Shaikh Idrees, 64, Islamic scholar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MPA (2002–2007).[71]
