PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber detonated at a checkpoint in western Pakistan on Saturday, killing eight people and wounding five more, officials said.
The bomber set off the blast from the back of a motorbike rickshaw near the town of Mir Ali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a local police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Four police officers were killed alongside two members of a state paramilitary force and two civilians in the attack near the border with Afghanistan, he said.
Pakistan has seen an increase in militancy since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming hostile groups are now using the neighboring country for shelter.
“Among the five injured personnel, the condition of three is critical, and they have been transferred to a local military hospital,” the police officer said.
A local government official who also did not want to be named confirmed the same toll of dead and wounded.
The attack was claimed by a little-known militant group calling itself “Aswad ul-Harb.”
Another checkpost near the Afghan border was raided this week by the Pakistani Taliban, killing 10 police officers.
Last year, the country saw more suicide attacks than any year since 2014, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
There were 29 suicide attacks registered, killing 329 people in Pakistan’s deadliest year in a decade.
Police say eight killed in western Pakistan suicide bombing
https://arab.news/99ske
Police say eight killed in western Pakistan suicide bombing
- Incident happed near the town of Mir Ali in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- An official says among the five injured people, three are in critical condition
Pakistan invites investors, innovators to back tech partnerships, announces national AI event
- Indus AI Week 2026 to run Feb. 9–15 as IT minister cites inclusive AI policy launched last year
- The week-long event will bring together relevant officials, startups, investors and universities
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited foreign investors and technology innovators to engage with its emerging artificial intelligence ecosystem as the government announced a week-long national AI initiative aimed at accelerating adoption across the public and private sectors.
Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government would host Indus AI Week 2026 from Feb. 9 to 15, building on Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy introduced last year to promote responsible use of the technology.
The announcement comes as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a credible participant in the global AI economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness AI for productivity, skills development and innovation while managing regulatory and ethical risks.
“With the introduction of Pakistan’s National AI Policy last year, we laid the foundation for responsible and inclusive AI development,” Khawaja said, according to an official statement circulated by her ministry. “Indus AI Week reflects our determination to take that work further by moving beyond dialogue and toward adoption.”
“We invite international partners, investors and innovators to engage with Pakistan’s growing AI landscape,” she added.
The initiative will be organized by the IT ministry through a public-private partnership and is designed as an open national platform bringing together policymakers, technology firms, startups, universities, students and the wider public.
The program will include a national technology showcase, startup and innovation sessions linking founders with investors, skills training and certification opportunities and public engagement activities aimed at translating AI policy into practical use cases.
The week will open with the Indus AI Summit at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Center on Feb. 9, followed by an innovation and learning arena at the Islamabad Sports Complex on Feb. 9-10, with universities, companies and public institutions across the country hosting parallel events through Feb. 15.
