Pakistan in January 2026: the most important developments in society
Pakistan in January 2026 was marked by a deadly fire at the Gul Plaza shopping mall in Karachi. The blaze broke out on 17 January and was still burning hours later, with the death toll at six. The toll rose to between 55 and 67 by 22 January, with between 50 and 81 people reported missing at various points. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah gave figures during the firefighting, and survivors described the scene. Images depicting the fire that circulated later were found to be AI-generated.
A dispute over the displacement of residents from Tirah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ran through late January. Federal and provincial governments blamed each other. Governor Kundi blamed a barrage of statements by the provincial government, and Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called a Khyber jirga meeting for Sunday to settle the matter.
On health, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on 28 January that Pakistan is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to eliminate polio. Pakistan tightened border surveillance and introduced checks over the Nipah virus after India confirmed two cases, and the National Institute of Health said the overall risk of an outbreak in Pakistan remains low. On 16 January the US paused immigrant visas for Pakistan over vetting concerns. A gas explosion in Islamabad killed eight people, and a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook parts of the country on 9 January.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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