Overview
- Pakistan’s senior security official said operations in Afghanistan will continue until the Taliban provide verifiable assurances, reporting 180+ outposts destroyed and control of 30+ locations.
- Authorities ordered a nationwide high alert with stricter protection for sensitive sites, a ban on outdoor drone flights, and tougher checks, while Punjab moves to e‑tag all vehicles, expand drone surveillance, and launch new cyber units.
- Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif spoke with leaders of Oman, Kuwait and Syria, urging a swift return to diplomacy to curb escalating regional tensions.
- The IMF review shifted to virtual talks after the team left Islamabad early, as a finance-led committee began daily monitoring of oil markets, noting no immediate supply strain but reviewing risks at key maritime chokepoints.
- The death toll from unrest at the U.S. consulate in Karachi rose to 11, and two U.S. officials said Marines fired during the clashes, though it remains unclear whether those rounds caused the fatalities.