ISLAMABAD: Health authorities in Pakistan have detected over five dozen cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus amid a surge in virus infections in the country, local media reported on Saturday.
The omicron strain has higher transmissibility than other variants. It emerged in South Africa in November 2021 and spread across nearly 90 countries within a few weeks of its discovery.
Pakistan has reported more than 500 daily new infections over the last two days, according to official figures. The South Asian nation last month tightened up travel restrictions from some countries to counter the threat of the new strain.
Punjab, the country’s most populous province, reported 49 confirmed cases of omicron variant for the first time, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing an official.
“Forty-eight confirmed cases of the new variant were reported from Lahore while only one from Bahawalpur,” the report read. “Most of the cases were reported from [Lahore’s] Gulberg and Cantonment areas.”
Authorities in Karachi detected an omicron hotspot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area after the emergence of 12 cases of the new strain, the Karachi East deputy commissioner’s office said.
They have imposed a lockdown in the vicinity to prevent the spread of the new variant.
Pakistan reported its first omicron case in Karachi on December 13. The South Asian nation has also stepped up its vaccination drive against coronavirus.
So far, the country had vaccinated more than 150 million people with Punjab leading the way by inoculating 68 percent of its eligible population, Pakistani Planning Minister Asad Umar said late last month.
A total of 92,086,806 people had received at least one dose of anti-COVID vaccines, while 65,149,948 individuals had been fully inoculated in the country, according to official figures.
Pakistan detects 61 omicron cases amid surge in COVID-19 infections
https://arab.news/6tjf5
Pakistan detects 61 omicron cases amid surge in COVID-19 infections
- In a first, Punjab reports 49 cases of new variant with a majority from Lahore
- Lockdown imposed in Karachi after authorities detect omicron hotspot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal
Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says
- Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency
- The Balochistan government has recently established a threat assessment center to strengthen early warning, prevent ‘terrorism’ incidents
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces gunned down four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat district on reports about the presence of militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
The “Indian-sponsored militants” were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency involving Baloch separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
Pakistan accuses India of supporting these separatist militant groups and describes them as “Fitna Al-Hindustan.” New Delhi denies the allegation.
The government in Balochistan has also established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said this week.
“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur,” Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X.
The development follows a steep rise in militancy-related deaths in Pakistan in 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.
These included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the think tank said.
