Pakistani News Digest – May 4, 2026
Stay informed with today’s most important news from Pakistan. Here are the top stories making headlines:
1. FO says 22 crew members on Iranian ship seized by US have been evacuated to Pakistan
The Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that as a “confidence-building measure” by the United States, 22 crew members on an Iranian ship that was seized by US forces had been evacuated to Pakistan.
The statement came hours after American outlet ABC News reported that an Iranian ship seized by the US after it “failed to comply” with the blockade imposed by the country on Iranian ports had been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation.
“US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,“ the report quoted US Central Command Spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins as saying.
“Six other passengers were already transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week,” he said. According to the report, Iranian state media identified the six as family members of some of the crew.
“Custody of Touska is currently being transferred back to its original ownership after the ship was intercepted and seized when attempting to violate the US naval blockade against Iran last month,” Hawkins said.
Subsequently, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on the social media platform X, “As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan.”
“The individuals, who were flown to Pakistan last night, will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today,” he said.
“The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” Andrabi said, adding that these returns were being coordinated in tandem with the support of both sides.
“Pakistan welcomes such confidence-building measures and will continue to facilitate dialogue and diplomacy while pursuing ongoing mediation efforts for regional peace and security,” he said.
Reiterating the details on X, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar observed that the developments “surely constitute an important confidence-building measure”.
Expressing Pakistan’s appreciation to the US and Iran, Dar affirmed that Islamabad remained “committed to facilitating dialogue, diplomacy, and mediation for the regional peace and security”.
The ship was boarded and seized by US forces on April 19. The small container ship, which was part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with US sanctions, was boarded off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman.
At the time, the US Central Command said the ship’s crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period”.
“American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,” it said.
Iran’s foreign ministry had condemned the incident as “unlawful and a violation” of international law and demanded the immediate release of the vessel, its sailors and their families. Iran’s military had said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy”.
Hormuz, a key shipping lane off the coast of Iran, has been virtually blocked by Tehran since the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28.
Some vessels attempting to transit the Strait have reported being fired on, and Iran seized several other ships. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the country would start helping free ships stranded in the Gulf.
Trump provided few details about the plan, dubbed “Operation Freedom”, which he said would start on Monday to aid ships and their crews that have been “locked up” in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies.
“We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.
Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the strait during the conflict, according to the International Maritime Organisation.
US Central Command said it would support the effort with 15,000 US military personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft along with warships and drones. The operation aims to “restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping” through the strait, it said in a statement.
In response to Trump’s announcement, a senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ongoing ceasefire.
“Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire,” Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, posted on X.
2. ‘Not a nation that bows’: Bilawal hails Pakistan’s victory against India during Marka-i-Haq
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday hailed Pakistan’s “victory” against India during last year’s military conflict, affirming that the country was “not a nation that bows”.
He was addressing an event in Karachi organised by the Sindh government to commemorate Marka-i-Haq, where Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also spoke.
The term “Marka-i-Haq” is used by the state to refer to the 2025 conflict with India, starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire on May 10.
“This victory was not the victory of weapons alone. It was a triumph of resolve. It was a triumph of unity and of people who refused to kneel,” said Bilawal, who is also the former foreign minister and had led a delegation abroad to convey Pakistan’s stance on the conflict.
“From the mountains of the north to the shores of the Arabian Sea, from the fields of Punjab to the deserts of Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan stood as one,” he affirmed.
“We are not a nation that bows before pressure. We are not a nation that compromises its sovereignty. We are a nation that rises again and again, stronger, prouder and more united,” the PPP chairman declared.
Bilawal recalled, “Our armed forces fought with courage, discipline and honour. Our diplomats defended our position with clarity and conviction, and our brave and resilient people stood firm behind their nation.”
“Today, we do not merely mark the passage of time. We mark the endurance of a nation. We commemorate not just a victory, but the vindication of the very idea of Pakistan,” he said.
Bilawal recalled that a year ago, Pakistan “stood at the edge of uncertainty [as] drums of conflict echoed our borders”. “The air was thick with fear, speculation, and the designs of those who believed Pakistan could be bent, broken or bullied. They were wrong,” the PPP chairman added.
He emphasised that victory was “not measured by territory held or battles won”, but by “dignity preserved [and] sovereignty defended”. Victory, he added, was measured “by the message sent to the world that Pakistan will never be coerced, never be silenced, and will never surrender”.
The ex-FM also took aim at those “beyond our borders who seek to rewrite history”, asserting that history was “not written by noise”, but rather by nations that endured.
Bilawal clarified that Pakistan did not seek conflict or glorify war.
“But when the test came, we did not falter. We stood our ground not out of aggression, but out of necessity; not out of ambition, but out of duty. This moment demands not arrogance but reflection, not complacency but responsibility.”
The PPP chairman also spoke about the country’s path forward, noting that victory brought with it the “burden to build a stronger Pakistan”.
“The burden to ensure that the sacrifices made are honoured not only in words but in action. […] This means investing in our people, education, health, and opportunity. It means strengthening our economy so that no external pressure can dictate our destiny. It means pursuing peace not as a sign of weakness, but as a reflection of strength,” he added.
The former FM asserted that peace must be just, dignified and mutual. Addressing the youth, he said, “This victory belongs to you as much as it does to any institution or any individual. You are the custodians of this nation’s future.”
Marka-i-Haq
Just two days after the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir that killed 26 people, India took a series of aggressive measures against Pakistan, including unilaterally suspending the critical Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
Pakistan retaliated by suspending all kinds of trade, closing its airspace for Indian flights and shutting down the Wagah border.
Subsequently, New Delhi launched deadly overnight air strikes on Pakistan on May 6-7 over allegations about the Pahalgam attack, which Islamabad denied. In retaliation, Pakistan Air Force downed five Indian jets, later raising the tally to seven.
After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire.
The period of the conflict was named Marka-i-Haq, with the government declaring that May 10 — the day of the retaliatory Operation Bunyanum Marsoos against India — will be observed every year as “Youm-i-Marka-i-Haq”.
3. IHC rejects Imran, Bushra’s pleas seeking suspension of sentences in £190m graft case
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday rejected the petitions of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190 million corruption case, observing that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar will take up the central appeals on May 7. In view of this, the court declared the suspension applications infructuous.
During the hearing on April 30, Justice Dogar had emphasised that the best course would be an early disposal of the main appeal.
Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.
An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case. Subsequently, both had challenged their convictions before the IHC.
The case alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Rs50 billion identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the PTI government.
Bushra Bibi’s daughter seeks access to her mother
Separately, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir also heard a petition filed by Bushra’s daughter seeking access to a personal physician and permission for a family meeting.
During the hearing, counsel Salman Akram Raja informed the court that an application had already been submitted to the authorities of Adiala Jail both through courier and in person. He further stated that Bushra Bibi underwent surgery on the night between April 16 and 17.
The court directed the jail superintendent to decide the application within two days and pass a reasoned order. The superintendent was also summoned in personal capacity on May 6.
Justice Tahir observed that the court was forwarding the request to jail authorities for an appropriate decision, noting that such matters were also being discussed publicly.
It should be mentioned that on April 19, Bushra had also approached the IHC seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds.
In a related proceeding, the IHC sought a response from jail authorities in a contempt matter regarding the failure to arrange a meeting between Imran and his lawyer. The court was informed that jail officials had not yet signed the counsel’s power of attorney.
The order pertains to a March, 2025 judgment, which restored the incarcerated former premier’s visitation rights to twice a week.
Separately, the court also issued notice to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan in a petition seeking closure of Imran’s account on X, formerly Twitter.
The petition, filed in September 2025, alleged that inflammatory posts were made from the official X account of the PTI founder.
Further hearing of these matters was adjourned till next week.
Aleema urges PTI leaders to reach Adiala on Tuesday
Meanwhile, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum posted on X that the family had “appealed to all party office holders, senior leadership, MNAs, MPAs, and senators to come to the Adiala jail this Tuesday to build pressure on the government” for access to the former PM.
The IHC has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite court orders, Imran’s meetings with the family and the party leaders have been largely restricted.
While Imran’s sisters continue to show up regularly at the jail in a failed bid to meet him, PTI leaders skipped the visits for two consecutives weeks in April before eventually went to Adiala on April 30.
In her post a day before Tuesday — one of the court mandated days to meet Imran — Aleema called on PTI members to reached the Adiala jail so that the government was pressurised to allow Imran’s family and lawyers “immediate access” to him; transfer him to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for “proper medical examination and treatment, in the presence of specialists, his personal doctor, and family”; and to ensure that IHC CJ Dogar took up Imran and Bushra Bibi’s bail petitions for their release “from this illegal imprisonment without delay”.
“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are being held in solitary confinement, one of the harshest forms of treatment in violation of Pakistani law and international human rights standards,” she further alleged in her post.
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