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Pakistan set to deploy first Chinese-built submarine in 2026 under $5 billion deal

Pakistan remains China’s top arms customer, with Islamabad accounting for more than 60% of Beijing’s total weapons exports between 2020 and 2024.

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Pakistan’s Navy expects its first Chinese-designed submarine to enter active service next year, marking a key milestone in a $5 billion arms agreement aimed at strengthening Islamabad’s maritime power and deepening defense ties with Beijing.

Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Pakistan’s naval chief, told China’s Global Times that progress on the delivery of eight Hangor-class diesel-electric attack submarines by 2028 is “proceeding smoothly.” He said the new fleet will significantly enhance Pakistan’s ability to patrol the North Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean.

The defense deal, one of the largest in Pakistan’s history, will see four submarines built in China and the remaining four assembled domestically, a move designed to boost Pakistan’s technical and industrial capabilities. Three of the vessels have already been launched into China’s Yangtze River from a shipyard in Hubei province, Reuters reported.

“Chinese-origin platforms and equipment have proven reliable, technologically advanced, and well-suited to Pakistan Navy’s operational requirements,” Admiral Ashraf said. He added that the Navy is increasingly focused on adopting emerging technologies such as unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and electronic warfare — areas where Pakistan is exploring expanded cooperation with China.

Pakistan remains China’s top arms customer. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Islamabad accounted for more than 60% of Beijing’s total weapons exports between 2020 and 2024.

The submarine announcement follows a tense military encounter earlier this year, when Pakistan’s air force used Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets to shoot down an Indian Air Force Rafale, a French-built aircraft. The incident reignited debate over the balance of military technology between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Beyond defense, the partnership is part of China’s broader strategic and economic ambitions in the region. Through the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — a 3,000-kilometre network linking China’s Xinjiang province to Pakistan’s deep-sea port of Gwadar — Beijing aims to secure a direct route for Middle Eastern energy imports, bypassing the vulnerable Straits of Malacca.

The initiative extends China’s influence across South and Central Asia, including toward Afghanistan and Iran, while reinforcing its position in the Indian Ocean region — a sphere where India, with its mix of nuclear-powered and conventional submarines, has long maintained dominance.

“This cooperation goes beyond hardware,” Ashraf said. “It reflects a shared strategic outlook, mutual trust, and a long-standing partnership. In the coming decade, we expect this relationship to grow through enhanced training, interoperability, research, and industrial collaboration.”

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Floods, landslides kill 56 in India and 14 in Nepal

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

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Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides that killed 56 people in India, while in Nepal, 14 have died and another 11 are missing, with authorities there warning on Sunday ​that more flash floods are possible, Reuters reported.

India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 mm of ​rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, compared with a ⁠normal 7.6 mm for the period, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, the state’s relief commissioner, said on Sunday.

Authorities are ​carrying out rescue operations in waterlogged areas and distributing relief, while officials have been told to assess ​crop damage and provide compensation.

In addition to the 56 deaths, 46 people have been injured and more than 1,000 houses have been damaged.

Nepali authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts, with more than half ​facing high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.

Shanti ​Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said Rasuwa and Nuwakot, areas hit by ‌last month’s deadly ⁠floods that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing, should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas.

Power supply has been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, with authorities working to restore electricity, energy ministry officials said.

Flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and ​transmission-line towers of a ​40-megawatt hydropower project, Water ⁠Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

Several major rivers, including ​the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels, read the report.

Floods and ​landslides also disrupted ⁠telecommunications in parts of Nepal after damage to optical fibres and power supplies, Communications Minister Bikram Timilsinha said.

In a separate incident in Nepal, 10 local workers were also missing after an avalanche buried the base camp ⁠of the ​7,126-metre (23,379-ft) Himlung Himal in the northern Manang district, hiking officials ​said.

The workers had been setting up tents for foreign climbers, who were not present when the avalanche struck.

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Aimal Wali Khan calls Dera Ismail Khan attack a ‘state failure’

Khan called on the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take greater responsibility for protecting citizens and addressing the deteriorating security situation in the province.

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Awami National Party (ANP) President and Senator Aimal Wali Khan has condemned the suicide attack on the Aman Mela checkpoint in the Darazinda area of Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan district, describing it as a failure by the state to ensure the security of citizens.

According to Dawn, Khan called on the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take greater responsibility for protecting citizens and addressing the deteriorating security situation in the province.

In a statement, Khan said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history. He alleged that the Pashtun population is facing systematic violence and said prolonged insecurity has left the province deeply affected by terrorism.

Khan also condemned an attack on an ambulance reportedly carrying the body of a person killed in the blast, describing it as an “inhumane act.”

The ANP leader questioned the government’s response to the worsening security situation, saying that blaming groups referred to by authorities as “Fitna al-Khawarij” and “Fitna al-Hindustan” does not absolve the state of its responsibility to protect citizens.

He urged the federal and provincial governments to stop blaming each other and instead focus on restoring peace and strengthening security across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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Blast in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan kills 11, injures 30

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Eleven people were killed and ​30 injured in a blast ‌in Dera Ismail Khan in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, emergency service Rescue ​1122 said.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for ​Saturday’s attack.

The blast occurred near ​Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of ‌the ⁠district, Rescue 1122 said in a statement.

Rescue teams from the Darazinda station reached the scene ​and began ​relief operations, ⁠providing medical assistance to the wounded and taking ​them to hospital, the ​service ⁠said.

Security incidents have continued in the district this month, including attacks ⁠involving ​the Pakistani Taliban.

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