Shehbaz Sharif

Prime Minister of Pakistan - Leading government amid declaration of open war on Taliban Afghanistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan are now in open conflict after a ceasefire agreed in October 2025 collapsed amid escalating cross-border violence. Pakistan launched air strikes on Afghan soil five days ago in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces—killing at least 17 civilians according to Kabul—and escalated dramatically today with warplanes bombing Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared that the country would wage 'open war' against the Taliban government, citing its alleged sheltering of Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP) militants responsible for a surge in attacks inside Pakistan, including a February 6 mosque bombing in Islamabad that killed 32.

Updated 6 days ago

Prime Minister of Pakistan - Serving as Prime Minister; condemned attack as 'cowardly act of terrorism'

Pakistan has not seen a suicide bombing in its capital since 2016. That changed in November 2025, when an attacker killed 12 outside an Islamabad court. Two days ago, on February 6, 2026, a suicide bomber walked into a Shia mosque during Friday prayers and killed 31 worshippers, wounding 169 more. The attack on Khadija Tul Kubra mosque was the deadliest in Islamabad since the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing that killed 63.

Updated Feb 8

Prime Minister of Pakistan - In office

Pakistan has fought five insurgencies in Balochistan since 1948. The fifth, triggered by the 2006 killing of tribal leader Akbar Bugti, has become the deadliest—and on January 31, 2026, the Balochistan Liberation Army launched simultaneous attacks across 14 cities, killing at least 21 people, freeing 30 prisoners, and abducting a deputy commissioner. The operation demonstrated coordination and lethality that caught Islamabad off guard.

Updated Jan 31

Prime Minister of Pakistan - Approved high-level organizing committee for 2026 Games

Pakistan last hosted a major regional sporting event in 2004. Twenty-two years later, Lahore opened the 14th South Asian Games on January 23, 2026, welcoming over 3,500 athletes from eight nations to compete across 27 sports through February 6. The Games mark Pakistan's first hosting outside Islamabad and its third overall, following the 1989 and 2004 editions.

Updated Jan 23

Prime Minister of Pakistan (2024-present) - Leading coalition government

Pakistan's former cricket star turned prime minister has been behind bars since August 2023, facing more than 200 criminal cases. In January 2025, a court sentenced him to 14 years for the Al-Qadir Trust case—bringing his total prison time to over 30 years across multiple convictions. On December 21, 2024, he received 17 years for selling state gifts including Saudi jewelry far below market value. His wife, a spiritual healer who influenced his government from behind closed doors, faces concurrent sentences totaling 24 years. Both have been blocked from meeting lawyers to sign appeals, and the UN has condemned Khan's detention conditions as torture.

Updated Dec 25, 2025