ISLAMABAD: At least 95 people were injured due to aerial firing incidents in the southern port city of Karachi on Independence Day eve, the city’s top police surgeon Dr. Sumaiya Syed Tariq said on Wednesday.
Aerial firing is not uncommon in Pakistan, especially Karachi, on joyous occasions where the practice has claimed lives on several occasions in the past. Celebratory gunfire is unlawful, though it is not always possible for the police and other state institutions to implement the rule across the country.
The sound of gunshots and fireworks rang out in many parts of the city on Tuesday around midnight as the country welcomed its 78th Independence Day.
“A total of 95 people were injured in various parts of Karachi due to aerial firing on Tuesday night,” Dr. Tariq told Arab News.
She said 39 people were admitted for injuries in the city’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center hospital while 29 injured were admitted to the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma.
Thirty-four people were also admitted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in the city for gunshot injuries due to aerial firing, Dr. Tariq added.
Of the total number of people injured, 75 were males while 20 were females. The oldest person to be injured due to aerial firing was a 74-year-old man while the youngest was a five-year-old. Both were admitted to the JPMC for treatment.
Meanwhile, Karachi District Central police said in a statement it had arrested 14 people for resorting to aerial firing on Independence Day eve.
Last year, 33 people were injured in Karachi due to aerial firing on New Year’s Eve.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar on Tuesday agreed to deepen their strategic and economic cooperation during high-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Sharif’s office said.
Sharif visited Qatar along with a high-level delegation on the invitation of Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Pakistan premier also held meetings with Qatar’s trade and defense minister to discuss cooperation in various domains.
The visit came at a time when Pakistan is seeking closer economic engagement with Gulf partners amid its broader push to stabilize the economy and attract investment, while maintaining security and defense cooperation with key regional states.
During their meeting in Doha, PM Sharif and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments, according to the Pakistan prime minister’s office.
“They reaffirmed the strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional ties,” Sharif’s office said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture, with both sides stressing the importance of their task force to accelerate cooperation in all these areas.”
Pakistan and Qatar maintain strong trade and investment ties. In 2022, the office of Qatar’s emir said the Qatar Investment Authority planned to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, targeting sectors including transport, aviation, education, health, media, technology and labor.
Nearly 300,000 Pakistanis live and work in Qatar, according to Pakistan’s foreign office, with many employed in health, education, engineering and public services, as well as construction and transport. The two countries engage through forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Ministerial Commission.
Sharif said he had productive discussions with Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on how the two sides could transform their brotherly ties into mutually beneficial economic relationships.
“We also took stock of the regional situation,” he said. “Pakistan and Qatar will continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (second right) meets the Qatari Emir Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (left) in Doha, Qatar, on February 24, 2026. (PID)
DIALOGUE WITH AFGHANISTAN
Earlier, Sharif and Qatar’s Deputy PM Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani discussed the situation in Afghanistan and called for dialogue to support regional stability.
The meeting took place amid renewed tensions after Islamabad carried out airstrikes last week on what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and vowed to respond to what it called a violation of its sovereignty.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both sides emphasized the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.”
This was the second time in less than six months that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan. The last strikes triggered heavy, weeklong clashes between the neighbors along their border before Qatar and Turkiye mediated a ceasefire between them in Oct. last year.
Separately, Sharif held meetings with Qatar’s State Minister for Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), highlighting Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms.
He invited QBA members to explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing, his office said.
