DOMESTIC

BALOCHISTAN

1. The Balochistan government merged the provincial and federal levies with the police in six of seven divisions — Quetta, Kalat, Makran, Zhob, Rakhshan, Nasirabad, and its CPEC Wing — declaring them A-Areas under police jurisdiction. The Sibi Division, including Dera Bugti, Sibi, Kohlu, Harnai, and Ziarat, was excluded from this merger (16.10.25).
2. The Pakistan Coast Guards and Balochistan Fisheries Department seized six illegal fishing trawlers and 245 banned nets during joint operations in the Arabian Sea near Ormara, Pasni, and Jiwani (16.10.25).
3. Mstansar Bilal, the son of Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ziarat, Afzal Bali — who was kidnapped two months ago along with his father — has been safely recovered, police confirmed. However, the AC remains missing, and efforts for his recovery are ongoing (17.10.25).
4. Armed gunmen martyred SHO Muhammad Qasim Baloch after he resisted an abduction attempt at Bisma Chowk in Kharan (17.10.25).
5. Armed assailants shot dead Waleed Saleh Baloch, brother of National Party leader and MPA Rehmat Saleh Baloch, in Panjgur district (19.10.25).
6. Three people, including two children, were injured in a grenade attack by unknown persons on their house in Qila Abdullah (19.10.25).
7. Security forces reportedly killed six terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Dalbandin area of Chagai district (22.10.25).
8. CTD police killed five suspected terrorists during an exchange of fire in Sibi district (22.10.25).
9. Unidentified motorcyclists martyred two policemen, Abdul Razaq and Ubaidullah, in a targeted attack in Garibabad, Noshki district (22.10.25).
10. Unknown gunmen abducted nine labourers and hijacked their pickup truck at gunpoint in the Dasht area of Mastung district (23.10.25).
11. The body of missing DSP Muhammad Yousaf Reki of Noshki police was recovered from the Kirdgab area in Mastung district a week after his disappearance (23.10.25).
12. Police claimed to have killed three suspected members of a kidnapping and robbery gang, including Ramzan and Ahmed Sultan, during an exchange of fire in Killi Khali, Quetta (25.10.25).
13. Two alleged terrorists were killed and a third injured in a landmine blast while attempting to plant the device along a roadside in Lanjoo-Saghari, Sui, Dera Bugti district (25.10.25).
14. The mutilated bodies of Zia Rahman and Shahid Gul were found on the rooftop of a godown on Shahwani Link Road, on the outskirts of Quetta (25.10.25).
15. Pakistan Customs recovered 300 kg of narcotics worth billions of rupees from a truck travelling from Taftan to Quetta in Noshki (25.10.25).
16. Terrorists attacked a police station in Noshki with a hand grenade and gunfire, causing an explosion near the building but no casualties (26.10.25).
17. A bomb blast targeting the convoy of Kech Deputy Commissioner Major (Retd) Bashir Barech in Turbat injured six people, including five Levies Force personnel, and caused severe vehicle damage (27.10.25).
18. One security official was killed and three others injured when armed motorcyclists attacked a check post in Buleda, Kech district (28.10.25).
19. Security forces killed 18 terrorists in two IBOs — 14 in Quetta’s Chiltan Mountains and 4 in Buleda, Kech district. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered from their possession (28–29.10.25).
20. A grenade attack on a police mobile along the national highway in Dera Murad Jamali injured 13 people, including two police officials (29.10.25).
21. Unidentified suspects fired four rockets targeting the Jaffar Express near Altafabad, Nutal, but the train safely reached Dera Murad Jamali without casualties (29.10.25).

GILGIT–BALTISTAN (GB)

1. The KP and GB police, along with CTD, launched a joint operation at Babusar Top to clear terrorist elements from the Kaghan Valley to ensure tourist and passenger safety. The operation involved extensive searches of hideouts, hotels, and routes following recent attacks on passenger coaches and a police patrol (17.10.25).

ISLAMABAD

1. Police arrested a man for using a UAV/drone to film a sensitive area near Faisal Mosque, violating the drone ban imposed on 18 July in Islamabad (18.10.25).
2. A gang of unidentified robbers looted Rs 4.5 million at gunpoint from the accountant of Punjab Cash and Carry near Bhara Kahu police station (20.10.25).
3. Superintendent of Police (Industrial Zone) Adeel Akbar allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself near Serena Chowk. A fact-finding committee has been formed to investigate (23.10.25).
4. The federal cabinet banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Punjab government’s request, citing its involvement in violent activities following TLP’s “Gaza Solidarity” march and its history of inciting unrest since 2016 (23.10.25).

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA (KP)

1. A bomb explosion damaged Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed’s private clinic near DHQ Hospital in Khar, Bajaur, following a grenade attack a day earlier on the house of MNA Mubarak Zeb Khan (15.10.25).
2. CTD police killed a terrorist during an IBO in the Chuharkhel area of Lakki Marwat district (15.10.25).
3. Policeman Maqsood Ali was martyred in an attack in Nizampur, Nowshera (15.10.25).
4. Unidentified gunmen martyred CTD policeman Omar Niaz outside his house in Palangzai, Miramshah. In another incident, armed men fired at a Red Crescent truck near Isha check post on the Miramshah Highway (15.10.25).
5. Armed motorcyclists killed Barkat Jan and injured his brother in Bargantu, Bannu (16.10.25).
6. Police constable Anwar Kamal was martyred when attackers hurled a grenade at a police post in Topi tehsil, Swabi district (16.10.25).
7. Four terrorists were killed as security forces foiled a suicide attack on a military camp in Mir Ali, North Waziristan (17.10.25).
8. Eight alleged terrorists were gunned down in an IBO in Sultankhel, Lakki Marwat (17.10.25).
9. A TTP commander, Tariq Kochi, was reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in South Waziristan (17.10.25).
10. Security forces foiled a terror bid by destroying an explosive-laden vehicle in Thangai, Bajaur (17.10.25).
11. Notorious Afghan outlaw Yousaf Chichi, wanted in multiple murder and robbery cases, was killed in a police shootout in Mansehra district (17.10.25).
12. Police killed three terrorists of a banned outfit while foiling an attempt to attack the Mazanga check post with an explosives-laden rickshaw in Bannu (17.10.25).
13. A police constable was martyred in a grenade blast on the Kalabat police post in Swabi (18.10.25).
14. Security forces foiled a suicide attack in Mir Ali, killing six TTP terrorists, while 14 more were eliminated in separate IBOs in Datta Khel and Lakki Marwat, including TTP commander Mehbub. A total of 102 militants linked to cross-border infiltration were killed over four days under the National Action Plan (18.10.25).
15. Four security personnel were martyred and 11 others injured when terrorists attacked an SNGPL and Protection FCPNI team near Kot Lalu in Dera Ismail Khan (20.10.25).
16. CTD and local police killed two terrorists while two others escaped during an encounter near Mirani village, Swabi district (20.10.25).
17. Police thwarted a terrorist attack on Bakkakhel police station and rescued two abducted officers in Bannu (20.10.25).
18. Security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by terrorists from Afghanistan into Kurram district, killing several in an IBO. PDMA reported displacement of 2,400 families, while tribal elders urged peaceful resolution (20.10.25).
19. KP police transferred four senior officers, including CTD head Shaukat Abbas (posted as Commandant SSU for CPEC). Jawad Qamar was appointed AIG CTD, Muhammad Suleman as DIG Special Branch, and Rabnawaz Khan as RPO Mardan (21.10.25).
20. The Kohat administration banned sale and rental of Afghan refugee camp properties after eviction deadlines expired. Over 2,300 refugees were repatriated voluntarily, with transport aid provided (21.10.25).
21. Six people were killed in an ambush by gunmen in Mirali, North Waziristan (22.10.25).
22. Security forces killed a suspected terrorist, destroyed a tunnel, and recovered arms and explosives in Mamund, Bajaur (22.10.25).
23. Police constable Khurshid Khan, abducted in Bajaur, was freed following jirga intervention (22–23.10.25).
24. Three police officers, including SP Asif Zubair, were martyred in an IED blast in Hangu (24.10.25).
25. Four people, including three children, were injured when a mortar shell hit a house in Damadola, Bajaur (24.10.25).
26. JUI-F leader Maulana Sakhi Wazir narrowly survived a blast inside a mosque in Azam Warsak Bazaar, South Waziristan (24.10.25).
27. Security forces foiled a major terrorist attack by destroying a vehicle-borne suicide bomber and eliminating three terrorists in Jhallar, North Waziristan (24.10.25).
28. Authorities seized two trucks carrying manganese in Bajaur, foiling an attempt at illegal mineral transport (24.10.25).
29. Security forces killed eight terrorists in Tank district (24.10.25).
30. Security forces killed 25 terrorists, including four suicide bombers, in North Waziristan and Kurram. Five soldiers — Havildar Manzoor, Sepoy Nauman Ilyas Kiyani, Sepoy Muhammad Adil, Sepoy Shah Jehan, and Sepoy Ali Asghar — embraced martyrdom (24–25.10.25).
31. The Bomb Disposal Unit defused an artillery shell found at Rustam Bazaar in Wana, South Waziristan (25.10.25).
32. Unidentified gunmen killed Malik Habib, a tribal elder and former Aman Committee chairman, in Bajaur (27.10.25).
33. School teacher Inyatullah was shot dead by motorcyclists in Gadoon Amazai, Swabi (27.10.25).
34. Constable Javed Khan was martyred in a targeted attack at Khurki post, Bannu (28.10.25).
35. Former peace committee member Haji Azam Khan was shot dead in Upper Dir (29.10.25).
36. Security forces conducted an operation in Dogar, Kurram District, killing seven terrorists. Captain Noman Saleem and five soldiers — Havildar Amjad Ali, Naik Waqas Ahmad, Sepoy Aijaz Ali, Sepoy Muhammad Waleed, and Sepoy Muhammad Shahbaz — embraced martyrdom (29.10.25).
37. Security forces killed four TTP terrorists, including commander Amjad alias Mazhim (Rs 5 million bounty), while foiling infiltration along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in Bajaur. Amjad was reportedly deputy to TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud (30.10.25).

PUNJAB

1. Punjab Crimes Control Department killed nine criminals in separate encounters across Bahawalpur, Lahore, and other areas (18–29.10.25).
2. Muzaffargarh police rescued kidnapped trader Shahid, abducted by the Jhabail gang on 3 October; three other victims remain missing (16.10.25).
3. A fire at the 10-storey LDA Judicial Complex destroyed case records and furniture, prompting relocation of 69 courts and a formal inquiry (16–17.10.25).
4. Punjab Counter Narcotics Force dismantled a drone-based drug smuggling network in Lahore; heroin, drones, and weapons were seized (17.10.25).
5. Three policemen, including ASI Ghulam Akbar Mirani, were charged with killing a labourer in an extrajudicial encounter in D.G. Khan (18.10.25).
6. A man in Gujranwala murdered his aunt, accusing her of blasphemy. Police registered a case (21.10.25).
7. Punjab government extended Section 144 until 1 November, banning public gatherings, weapons, and provocative materials (24.10.25).
8. A Gujranwala court sentenced two human traffickers to 20 years imprisonment for illegally sending a youth to Libya, who later perished in a 2023 boat tragedy (27.10.25).
9. FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore registered a case against nine NCCIA officers for bribery and misuse of authority, arresting senior officials (28.10.25).
10. Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz ordered FIRs against landlords renting to illegal foreign nationals, including Afghans, and began scrutiny of one million existing arms licences (29.10.25).

SINDH

1. Repatriated Pakistani fishermen were reunited with families after detention in India. Sixty-four Pakistanis remain imprisoned there (15.10.25).
2. Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon called for coordinated police operations in riverine areas shared with Punjab (16.10.25).
3. DIG West Karachi urged formation of a committee to prevent illegal occupation in vacated Afghan Camp, Sohrab Goth; over 1,000 houses demolished (16–19.10.25).
4. An anti-terrorism court sentenced three TTP-Swat terrorists to life imprisonment (19.10.25).
5. Karachi police made their first-ever arrest using facial recognition technology (20.10.25).
6. Two ASWJ activists were killed in a targeted attack in Karachi (21.10.25).
7. CTD arrested two alleged Zainabiyoun Brigade members linked to sectarian killings (23.10.25).
8. Three robbers were killed in police encounters; another was lynched by a mob during a failed robbery (22–24.10.25).
9. Seven policemen were suspended following the custodial death of a teenage boy, allegedly due to torture (24.10.25).
10. Sindh Home Minister announced the arrest of four Zainabiyoun Brigade militants for the murder of journalist Imtiaz Mir, allegedly on foreign handlers’ instructions (27.10.25).

DEFENCE AND SECURITY

1. A PAF contingent featuring JF-17 Block-III jets arrived in Azerbaijan for Exercise Indus Shield Alpha (19.10.25).
2. PNS Yarmook seized narcotics worth $972 million from two dhows in the Arabian Sea (22.10.25).
3. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu visited Romania for defence cooperation talks (22–23.10.25).
4. Pakistan-Kazakhstan Joint Exercise Dostarym-V concluded at Cherat (25.10.25).
5. CJCSC Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza visited Bangladesh and Maldives for regional cooperation (24–28.10.25).
6. Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf visited the USA to strengthen maritime collaboration (16.10.25).
7. He later reviewed forward posts in the Creeks Area, inducting new hovercraft into Pakistan Marines (25.10.25).
8. Pakistan Navy’s Command & Staff Conference reviewed strategic readiness (29.10.25).
9. COAS Gen Asim Munir reviewed the 152nd PMA passing-out parade (18.10.25).
10. COAS visited Egypt and Jordan to strengthen defence ties (23–27.10.25).
11. COAS also visited Peshawar, meeting tribal elders and warning the Afghan Taliban against aiding India-backed proxies (30.10.25).

PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT / DIALOGUES

1. Security forces repulsed an Afghan Taliban attack along the Balochistan border in Spin Boldak, killing 15–20 terrorists and destroying several positions. Pakistan conducted precision strikes on militant camps in North and South Waziristan and reportedly in Paktika, killing 60–70 terrorists including key commanders, reaffirming readiness to defend its sovereignty (16.10.25).
2. During the first round of peace talks in Doha on 18 October, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey, followed by a second round in Istanbul on 26 October focusing on counterterrorism measures. However, the Istanbul talks ended inconclusively amid tensions over the Taliban’s inconsistent stance and lack of verifiable guarantees against the banned TTP. Afghan media blamed Pakistan for the failure. According to Al Jazeera, both sides agreed to resume peace talks in Istanbul at Turkiye’s request after earlier deadlock, with Islamabad reiterating that Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism (18, 26, 30.10.25).

Comments and Analysis: Analysts and diplomats observed that the collapse of talks underscores deep mistrust and heightens regional instability, though mediators Qatar and Turkey remain hopeful. Two analytical pieces — “Canons to Right of Them, Canons to Left of Them” by Lt Gen (R) Asad Durrani and “Pakistan–Afghanistan: Uneasy Regional Partners” by Muhammad Atta Ullah Khan — published on StrategicBrief.com (18 & 24 October 2025), examined these dynamics in depth.

DIPLOMATIC DEVELOPMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

1. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong assured Pakistani lawmakers that the “All-Weather Strategic Partnership” will expand further, announcing 100 new hospitals, economic zones, and education and job initiatives (Dawn News, 29.10.25).
2. Pakistan received its first-ever US crude oil shipment at Cnergyico’s offshore SPM terminal in Balochistan, marking a milestone in energy diversification (29.10.25).
3. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded his Saudi visit after meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to launch an Economic Cooperation Framework and attending the 9th Future Investment Initiative Conference (29.10.25).
4. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that India is waging a “low-intensity” proxy war from Afghanistan to “settle the score” following its defeat in the May conflict, in an interview with Al Arabiya English. He criticised Kabul over cross-border terrorism and failure to control TTP activity (29.10.25).

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

AFGHANISTAN

1. An explosion during evening prayers injured nine people when a hand grenade detonated inside a mosque in Shinwari district, Parwan province (19.10.25).

Afghanistan–India Relations
2.  During his visit to India, Afghan Foreign Minister Mir Khan Muttaqi met Dr S. Jaishankar, stating the Taliban government seeks balanced, non-hostile relations and claiming Daesh no longer holds territory. On 21 October, India reopened its Kabul embassy and appointed Karan Yadav as ambassador, signalling renewed diplomatic engagement.
Later, Indian authorities detained six Afghan nationals in Mumbai for overstaying visas and using forged IDs. Deportations are being arranged amid a regional rise in forced returns, sparking humanitarian concern (16–23.10.25).

Pakistan–Afghanistan Relations
 3.  Afghan media alleged Pakistani airstrikes in Spin Boldak killed 40 civilians and injured 170, while TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud denied operating from Afghanistan. Amid escalating border clashes, Donald Trump offered mediation; China urged restraint. Pakistan warned of retaliation while Kabul condemned alleged forced deportations of refugees. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani threatened a “decisive response” after the failed Istanbul talks (Tolo, Ariana News, 16–30.10.25).

Iran–Afghanistan Relations
    4.           Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni met Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Sadr in Tehran during the 4th ECO Interior Ministers’ Meeting. Both sides vowed to strengthen cooperation rooted in shared history and culture. Sistan and Baluchestan Governor Mansour Bijar announced the Chabahar–Zahedan railway will be operational by year-end, boosting regional trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan (Tolo, Ariana News, 30.10.25).

CHINA

1. China’s Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) rocket successfully launched three satellites — including Pakistan’s HS-1 hyperspectral remote sensing satellite — from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, marking a key milestone in Pakistan’s space programme. Two Chinese X-band SAR satellites were also deployed. China further announced plans to send a Pakistani astronaut for experiments aboard its space station (Xinhua, China Daily, Global Times, 19 & 30.10.25).
2. China and India held the 23rd round of military-level talks at Moldo-Chushul, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, to manage border tensions and reaffirm peace through dialogue. This coincided with the resumption of direct flights between both countries after five years, reflecting gradual restoration of political trust (Global Times, CNN, 25–26.10.25).

INDIA

 

ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED JAMMU & KASHMIR (IIOJK) / LOC

1. The ruling National Conference (NC) won three of four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, while the BJP secured one — the first such election since the abrogation of Article 370. PDP President Mehbooba Mufti congratulated the NC, while Sajad Lone accused it of collusion with BJP.
   India observed Infantry Day on 27 October to commemorate its 1947 operation in Srinagar and Baramulla. Pakistan and Kashmiri groups marked it as Black Day, condemning India’s illegal occupation of a Muslim-majority region desiring accession to Pakistan (24, 27.10.25).

Defence and Security

1. The Indian Army’s Northern Command conducted a tri-service Multi-Domain Operations exercise integrating Space, Electromagnetic, Cyber, and Cognitive warfare, while inaugurating a logistics hub in Leh with satellite extensions at Kargil and Nyoma (15.10.25).
2. NSA Ajit Doval attended the 3rd India–Central Asia NSA meeting in Bishkek, discussing regional stability, Afghanistan, counterterrorism, AI, and space cooperation (16–17.10.25).
3. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UP CM Yogi Adityanath flagged off the first batch of BrahMos missiles from Lucknow, highlighting India’s indigenous defence production drive (17.10.25).
4. Lt Gen RC Tiwari, GOC-in-C Eastern Command, reviewed drone and FPV fabrication under DRDO for border surveillance (19.10.25).
5. Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, GOC-in-C Southern Command, reviewed autonomous systems training at Ahilyanagar (19.10.25).
6. India’s Defence Ministry signed Rs 27,770 crore contracts to procure 425,000 Close Quarter Battle carbines from Indian manufacturers, replacing outdated SMGs (22.10.25).
7. Lt Gen PK Mishra inspected forward posts in Krishna Ghati and Nowshera sectors, assessing readiness along the LoC (23.10.25).
8. India launched Exercise Trishul (30 Oct–10 Nov) along the western border with Pakistan, involving 20,000 troops in integrated land-air operations following tensions near Sir Creek (26.10.25).
9. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and CDS Gen Anil Chauhan chaired the Army Commanders’ Conference in Jaisalmer, focusing on war-readiness and emerging technologies (25–27.10.25).
10. Israel Aircraft Industries finalised a Rs 8,000 crore deal to supply six Boeing 767 mid-air refuelling aircraft to the IAF, enhancing its range (SSB Crack, 27.10.25).
11. India is developing new maritime facilities at Galathea Bay, Great Nicobar, and modernising Machilipatnam Port to strengthen its Indo-Pacific presence (28.10.25).
12. Reports indicate India began withdrawing from the Ayni Air Base in Tajikistan after non-renewal of the lease, attributed to Chinese and Russian pressure, reducing its Central Asian military footprint (29.10.25).

IRAN

1. Iran declared it is no longer bound by restrictions of the 2015 nuclear deal as it formally expired, though Tehran reaffirmed diplomatic engagement. The JCPOA, already weakened after the US withdrawal, is now effectively defunct (18.10.25).
2. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi attended the ECO Conference in Tehran, meeting President Masoud Pezeshkian. Both sides reaffirmed cooperation in counterterrorism, narcotics control, and border management (29.10.25).
3. Iranian security forces claimed to have captured a Jaish al-Adl terrorist cell in eastern Iran following 2024’s attacks on law enforcement (29.10.25).

MIDDLE EAST

1. US President Donald Trump, during a press conference with Australia’s PM on 20 October, stated Hamas would be given “a chance to honour the Gaza truce deal” before being “eradicated.” Later, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would determine which foreign forces could join the proposed international Gaza mission under Trump’s plan.
   While the US ruled out sending its own troops, it has reportedly approached Indonesia, UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and Azerbaijan to contribute. However, uncertainty persists due to Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israeli reservations (AFP, Dawn News, 20 & 27.10.25).