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The government on Saturday raised the price of petrol by Rs8 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs5.16 per litre for the next fortnight, according to a press release issued by the Petroleum Division.

Following the increase, the price of petrol has jumped from Rs258.17 to Rs266.17 while the HSD price now stands at 280.86.

According to the press release, the government has revised the petroleum products’ prices based on the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s recommendations.

The new prices are effective from March 1, the press release said.

Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class.

While the heavy transport sector runs on HSD, its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed all relevant institutions at the federal and provincial levels to immediately ensure comprehensive and effective security measures in view of the prevailing situation.

The premier chaired a high-level review meeting in Lahore on the overall security situation in the country, according to the report.

The development comes in the wake of Pakistan launching Operation Ghazab lil-Haq after the Afghan Taliban opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

PM Shehbaz emphasised that all institutions must discharge their responsibilities with mutual coordination and complete harmony.

The participants of the meeting informed the prime minister that all security agencies were on alert in light of the current situation and that all necessary measures were being taken to safeguard national security.

In view of the evolving situation in Iran, which was struck by US and Israel earlier in the day, the premier directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take all necessary steps to ensure the safe repatriation of Pakistanis in the country.

He directed that they be brought back safely to Pakistan via Azerbaijan.

In this regard, the prime minister further directed the ministry to immediately contact the government of Azerbaijan.

PM Shehbaz stated that the people of Pakistan and the armed forces were fully prepared at all times to safeguard the country’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Under the leadership of Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, the armed forces of Pakistan are performing their duties in the best possible manner with national spirit and dedication,” he said.

The prime minister further said, “The entire nation salutes the sacrifices being rendered by the security forces in the war against terrorism.”

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• Israel’s Supreme Court freezes ban on foreign aid organisations in enclave
• US public sympathy shifts to Palestinians over Israel, new Gallup poll reveals

CAIRO: Relentless Israeli attacks killed at least seven Palestinians in Gaza on Friday, medics said, adding to a death toll of at least 600 people killed by Israeli fire since a US-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect last October.

Gaza’s health officials reported that in southern Gaza, five people were killed and several others were injured, some critically, in Israeli drone strikes. The strikes targeted two police checkpoints in Khan Yunis and in the Abu Hujair area northwest of the Bureij refugee camp later in the day, medics said.

Separately, an Israeli airstrike against a group of Palestinians in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood in northern Gaza killed two people and wounded several others.

Ban on NGOs frozen

Meanwhile, Israel’s Supreme Court decided in a ruling published on Friday to freeze a government ban on 37 foreign NGOs working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank pending a final decision.

“Without taking any position, a temporary interim order is hereby issued,” the court said in a ruling responding to a petition from more than a dozen NGOs, seeking to reverse the ban after Israel’s government revoked their status in Israel.

The decision theoretically allows the NGOs to work in Gaza and the West Bank until a final ruling, but aid groups are unsure about the freeze’s implementation.

Organisations like MSF, Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE were informed on Dec 30, 2025, that their Israeli registrations expired and they had 60 days to renew them by providing Palestinian staff lists.

If they failed to do so, they would have to cease operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, from March 1.

The NGOs, through AIDA, petitioned the Supreme Court after losing their charity registration in Israel, following a year-long refusal to disclose their Palestinian employees to Israeli authorities.

The court said in its ruling that there existed a “genuine legal dispute” due to the foreign NGOs’ responsibilities to their employees’ privacy under European law.

“We are still waiting to see how the injunction will be interpreted by the state and whether or not this will mean an increase in our ability to operate”, Athena Rayburn, AIDA director, told AFP, calling it “a step in the right direction”.

Sympathy shifts to Palestinians

Separately, a fresh Gallup poll shows that for the first time, Americans sympathise more with Palestinians than with Israelis in their decades-long conflict.

The poll, released on Friday, found that 41 per cent of Americans sympathise more with the Palestinians and 36pc sided with Israel, a sharp reversal from just a year ago when Israel led in sympathies 46 to 33pc.

For the first time in over two decades, Israel is not leading in Gallup’s poll, though the gap is not significant.

Partisan views on the Middle East show more independents shifting towards Palestinians, with an 11-point preference over Israel in the past year.

Democrats overwhelmingly support Palestinians, with 65pc sympathising with them versus 17pc for Israel.

Democrats blame ex-president Joe Biden for insufficient action to curb Israel’s offensive in Gaza after October 7,2023, escalation.

Gallup surveyed 1,001 US adults by telephone from February 2 to 16.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2026

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ISLAMABAD: The upper House of Parliament on Friday passed a bill for regulating virtual assets as well as the ‘establishment’ of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) — a body already set up under an ordinance approved by the president in July last year.

The development comes as the ordinance was set to lapse in early March.

The rules were suspended in the Senate to take up the bill, which was moved by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, for immediate consideration.

The preamble of the bill, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that it was expedient to establish a dedicated virtual assets regulatory authority to licence, regulate and supervise virtual assets and virtual asset service providers to “ensure investor protection, transparency and market integrity in Pakistan”.

It further stated that it was necessary to provide a comprehensive legal framework to empower the said authority to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing and other illicit activities involving virtual assets, in accordance with international standards.

Regulatory authority

The bill provides for the establishment of the Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, envisioning it as an autonomous corporate body empowered to licence, regulate and supervise virtual asset service providers and issuers in the country.

Elaborating on the body’s functions, the legislation says it will “protect customers and investors and the integrity of Pakistan’s virtual asset markets by establishing and enforcing appropriate safeguards and conduct of business requirements, prudential and operational-resilience, risk-management standards, and measures to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other illicit use of virtual assets”.

It shall also attract investment and encourage companies operating in the field of virtual assets to base their businesses in Pakistan.

Moreover, PVARA shall “promote responsible innovation, digital financial inclusion and the development of compliant virtual asset markets within a framework that manages risks and supports financial stability and market integrity”.

The body shall promote, develop, govern, and regulate the adoption, deployment, and scalable use of blockchain technology and distributed ledger technology across Pakistan, the bill further states.

The legislation also states that PVARA will coordinate with the Financial Monitoring Unit, National Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism Authority and other relevant authorities, as well as law enforcement agencies, to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other illicit activities associated with virtual assets, in accordance with the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, other applicable laws and international standards.

The regulatory body will also advise the government on “regulatory, supervisory, technical or emerging-risk matters relating to virtual assets, digital asset markets, tokenisation, stablecoin structures, blockchain, distributed ledger technology, cyber-risks or any matter connected with its mandate”.

The bill also authorises PVARA to devise “regulations, standards, directives, guidelines, handbooks and circulars, or any other instrument”, consistent with the objectives of the legislation and other applicable laws.

It will also be authorised to set risk-management, cybersecurity, data protection and technical standards and “issue, vary, suspend or revoke licences, approvals or directives under this Act and prescribe conditions for such actions”.

The bill further states that it may prescribe licencing conditions, eligibility criteria, renewal requirements and any additional obligations for those issued licences under the yet to be formalised PVARA law.

It will also be authorised to conduct on-site inspections and off-site monitoring of licencees and other entities to ensure compliance with this PVARA law and other relevant rules and regulations.

Moreover, the bill states, the body may also ensure compliance with “data protection, data governance and cyber security obligations by virtual asset service providers subject to supervisory follow-up”.

It will also be empowered to impose administrative sanctions in accordance with the provisions of the PVARA law and “levy such fees, charges and penalties as may be prescribed by rules” devised under this law.

PVARA will also operate regulatory sandboxes in a “transparent and accountable manner” and “enter into cooperation or mutual assistance arrangements with domestic and foreign regulators and law enforcement agencies to facilitate information sharing and coordinated action, including mutual recognition of regulations and licences”, the bill states.

It further details that the body will comprise a chairperson — who will be appointed by the federal government — two secretaries, from the law and finance ministries each, State Bank of Pakistan’s governor, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan chairperson, National Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism Authority chairman, Pakistan Digital Authority chairperson and two independent directors “with proven expertise and a strong track record possessing expertise relevant to virtual asset markets, digital technology and digital finance”.

The directors will also be appointed by the federal government.

“The members of the authority, other than ex-officio members, shall hold office for a term of three years and shall be eligible for one further term of three years,” the bill states.

Penalties

The bill states that “whoever, willfully, provides an unlicenced virtual asset service shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term up to five years, or with fine up to Rs50 million, or both”.

It adds that whoever conducts an initial virtual asset offering in contravention” of the rules and regulations established under the PVARA law shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term up to three years or with fine up to Rs25m or with both.

The bill also penalises market manipulation and insider trading.

It further states that “a virtual assets appellate tribunal shall be established and no court shall take cognisance of a legal dispute under this Act or the rules or regulations made thereunder to which the jurisdiction of the Virtual Assets Appellate Tribunal extends”.

The tribunal’s jurisdiction has been described as: “Any virtual asset service provider, licencee, or any other person aggrieved by an order of the PVARA may prefer an appeal before the Virtual Assets Appellate Tribunal within 30 days of the date on which the order was communicated.”

In July last year, the government had announced that President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the ‘Virtual Assets Ordinance, 2025’ to establish an independent regulator for virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.

However, an official statement from the office of the state minister referred to it as the ‘Virtual Assets Act, 2025’, leading to confusion and concerns about why the draft law had not been moved to the National Assembly or Senate, as required for a bill to become an act of parliament.

The confusion was clarified later when the authorities confirmed to Dawn that the regulation was not an act of parliament but rather an ordinance, issued under Article 89 of the Constitution. The provision allows the president to issue an ordinance in urgent matters when both houses are not in session; such ordinances remain in effect for 120 days and do not require passage through the National Assembly and Senate.

In November last year, the Senate extended the Virtual Assets Ordinance, 2025, for another 120 days.

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ISLAMABAD: After Afghan Taliban forces used “rudimentary drones” to target various parts of the country, a ban has been imposed on flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of any kind across the country.

The development comes as several ‘drone attacks’ were reported from across part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Subsequently, during his press briefing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that Afghan forces attempted to use “rudimentary drones” to attack areas like Swabi and Abbottabad.

“However, the anti-drone system over there and the effective deployment took them out,” he said.

According to local reports, at least six people were injured in three drone attacks in Bannu, Swabi and Abbotabad.

In Bannu, a mosque in the Mirbaz Barkazai area was targeted by a quadcopter around Iftar, leaving five worshippers injured. The attack occurred in the evening, while people were inside the mosque breaking their fast.

The incident in Swabi, which occurred near a girls’ school, was one of the first reported incidents of a drone attack in the area. According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Muhammad (ASP) Numan, at least one schoolgirl was injured, while other children narrowly escaped.

The incident occurred in Pabbini, a village located in the mountainous region of Gadoon Amazai, when children were playing near the school. The school had closed early on account of Friday, and the injured girl, identified as Amna, had just stepped out when the drone struck.

ASP Numan said that the injured girl was taken to the hospital for treatment, while residents of the village gathered in large numbers at the site of the attack.

“It was a self-made drone that also contained explosives,” he told Dawn.

Meanwhile, in Abbotabad, no loss of life or property was reported when a drone flying over the cantonment area was brought down by forces around 1pm, the local DPO confirmed.

Ban on drone flying

In view of drones being used, ostensibly by Afghan Taliban forces, to stage attacks inside Pakistani territory, drone-flying has been banned across the country.

In a letter addressed to the chief secretaries of Punjab, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan as well as the Islamabad chief commissioner, the interior ministry said, “It has been decided to impose an immediate ban on outdoor flying of quadcopters/ UAVs with immediate effect and until further orders.”

It added: “In this regard, the provincial governments are requested to ensure strict enforcement of said ban.”

Subsequently, the administrations of Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh and Balochistan notified a comprehensive ban on flying UAVs of any sort, for different periods of time.

Punjab had already banned the flying of drones and UAVs in its jurisdiction for 30 days, starting on Wednesday.

The Islamabad administration banned the use of drones, phantoms and camcopters in the federal capital for a period of two months under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which can be extended for another two months.

The ban applies to everyone, except law enforcement agencies and the Islamabad administration.

A spokesperson for Gilgit-Baltistan police told Dawn that flying drones had been banned in all districts with immediate effect, on the orders of the interior ministry.

The region witnessed demonstrations in favour of the Pakistan Army, and security checking was also heightened following the skirmishes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Home and Tribal Affairs Department issued a notification banning the use of drones, quadcopters and UAVs for one month, classifying it as a “direct or indirect threat and … potential risk to the lives and properties of citizens as well as infrastructure of the government”.

In a separate notification, the additional chief secretary of Sindh also imposed a similar restriction on the use of helicams, drones, UAVs and quadcopters for two months.

The ban, however, would not apply to law enforcement or intelligence agencies and would be enforced by local police.

The Balochistan home department also imposed an immediate and complete ban on the use, possession, and operation of drones, UAVs, quadcopters, camcopters, and other remote-controlled aerial devices across the province.

According to an official notification, the decision was taken in view of security concerns, including the potential use of such devices for surveillance, espionage, transportation of prohibited items and explosives, spreading fear and panic, and disrupting law and order.

The measure was described as necessary to safeguard public safety and protect sensitive installations, public gatherings, key personalities, and official convoys.

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Syed Irfan Raza and Iftikhar A. Khan in Islamabad, Jamil Nagri in Gilgit, Manzoor Ali in Peshawar, Rashid Javed in Abbottabad, Muqaddam Ali Khan in Swabi and Muhammad Waseem Khan in Bannu contributed to this report.

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Additional input from APP

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• Explosion occurs in Killi Mahmoodabad on outskirts of border town
• Children gathered at a tribal elder’s house to receive yoghurt after breaking their fast
• President Zardari extends condolences to victims’ families

QUETTA: Seven children aged between 8 and 14 years were killed and 22 others, including women and children, were injured when a gas cylinder exploded in a house in Chaman, a town on the Pak-Afghan border, on Thursday.

Officials said the tragic incident occurred in Killi Mahmoodabad, a locality on the outskirts of the district headquarters, Chaman.

According to police officials, children from neighbouring houses had gathered at the house of one of a tribal elder to receive yoghurt to eat after breaking their fast. Meanwhile, a powerful explosion occurred in the kitchen, rocking the border town. The blast blew off the roof of the kitchen and damaged other rooms of the house. The children waiting for yoghurt were buried under the debris.

Rescue teams, along with police, rushed to the site and launched a rescue operation. “Seven children were found dead when the debris was removed,” police said, adding that 22 injured persons, including four women and 18 children, were shifted to the Civil Hospital Chaman.

“We had received seven bodies of children and 22 injured at the Civil Hospital Chaman,” Dr Owais, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, confirmed. He added that the injured included four women and 18 children.

Police said the intensity of the blast completely destroyed the kitchen and badly damaged other rooms of the house. “The children lost their lives after being buried under the debris, while the injured were also trapped beneath the rubble,” officials said, adding that the women injured in the blast were cooking food when the gas cylinder exploded.

Four women and six children who sustained serious injuries were later shifted to the Civil Hosp­ital Quetta for further treatment.

The district administration expressed deep sorrow and grief over the incident, extended condolences to the families of the deceased children, and ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion.

Authorities have urged citizens to take precautionary measures while using domestic gas cylinders to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Pre­sident Asif Ali Zardari extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, particularly those who lost their children in the blast. “I share the grief of the families who have lost their loved ones, and my thoughts are with them during this difficult time,” he said.

“May the departed souls rest in peace, and may the bereaved families be granted patience and strength,” he added. The president also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2026

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Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban, after the neighbouring country opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

In response, leaders across the political spectrum were united in their stance, lauding the country’s armed forces and asserting that any aggression from Kabul would be responded to firmly.

President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan will not compromise on peace and territorial integrity.

“Our armed forces’ response is comprehensive and decisive. Those who mistake our peace for weakness will face a strong response — and no one will be beyond reach,” he warned.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the people and armed forces of Pakistan were always ready to protect the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

“There will be no compromise on the defence of the beloved homeland and every aggression will be met with a befitting reply,” he said.

“The Pakistani armed forces are equipped with professional capabilities, high training and effective defence strategies and are fully capable of dealing with any internal or external challenge,” PM Shehbaz said.

He said that while Pakistan has always promoted peace, the integrity of the country will not be compromised, and the Pakistani armed forces will resolutely confront every aggression.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said: “Our brave armed forces are currently delivering a crushing response to the proxy Taliban and Afghan aggression from India. Defeat is the enemy’s inevitable fate, God willing.”

In a post on X, he also called on the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the federation and other provinces in defending the homeland.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, in a post on X, strongly condemned Afghan Taliban’s unprovoked firing along the Pak-Afghan border in KP.

He said it “has been met with an immediate and effective response” by Pakistan’s security forces under the command of Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

“Pakistan will defend its territorial integrity and ensure the safety of its citizens at all costs,” he said, adding that the “safe heavens of terrorists in Afghanistan will not be spared at any cost”.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz kept her message short, saying, “Long live Pakistan.”

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, shared a verse from the Holy Quran, adding: “Long live Pakistan.”

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, meanwhile, strongly condemned the unprovoked aggression by Afghanistan along the Pak-Afghan border, and paid tribute to the security forces for their immediate and effective retaliation.

“Afghanistan has become a proxy of India and is destabilising peace in the region, he said, adding: “Afghanistan, at India’s behest, is carrying out terrorist activities against Pakistan.”

“The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with its security forces for the protection of national sovereignty and security,” the NA speaker said.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said that while “we will establish peace with our neighbours wherever possible, we will never hesitate to counter the threats posed to Pakistan from their side”.

“Response to Afghanistan’s aggression against Pakistan will be given with full force. Pakistan’s security forces, God willing, will defend their homeland with the prayers of the nation — our prayers and support are with them. Long live Pakistan!” he said.

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