Overview
- President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP leaders led large commemorations for Benazir Bhutto’s 18th death anniversary, with a PML‑N delegation including Speaker Ayaz Sadiq attending in Sukkur.
- KP Chief Minister Suhail Afridi told forums in Punjab and the Lahore High Court Bar that a 'freedom or death' message had come from jail and urged preparation for a street movement.
- PTI local leadership reiterated that the party’s founder remains in detention and will not accept deals, framing the campaign as a struggle for citizens’ rights.
- Government and allied figures repeated conditional openness to talks, with Ayaz Sadiq saying PTI must engage through the assemblies, while MQM’s Kamran Tessori denounced PTI’s rhetoric and opposed negotiations.
- Security updates included Karachi police arresting two suspects after an alleged shootout near Jamali Pul, Islamabad police recovering a 14‑year‑old abductee in Peshawar, and Faisalabad detaining intoxicated ambulance occupants after a fatal crash.