Overview
- PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party will not join negotiations, rejecting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s overture for talks.
- The prime minister announced the PIA privatization process is complete, citing a reference price of PKR 100 billion and top bids reaching PKR 135 billion with a publicly broadcast bidding round.
- Pakistan Railways suspended all train services in Balochistan for one day, pausing Jaffar Express services to and from Peshawar, Bolan Mail to Karachi and the Chaman train.
- Sindh Interior Minister Zia Lanjhar reported 172 extortion complaints in Karachi across 2024–2025, with 76 confirmed cases involving 131 suspects, six killed in police encounters and over 100 arrests including nine at Qadri House.
- Nationwide observances marked Quaid-e-Azam’s 149th birthday and Christmas, including a guard change at Mazar-e-Quaid, messages from top leaders and the prime minister’s pledge that the law will fully protect minority rights.