Asia

Pakistan’s cabinet meets on an emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; CJP’s three leaders remain in police custody after more than 7,000 detentions in Delhi; Johor keeps 1,198 schools shut; ships are hit almost daily near Hormuz; North Korea marks its party anniversary quietly.

Pakistan’s federal cabinet was due to meet on Sunday to consider an emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government had “no room left”, while Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said he would not accept any “illegal move”. Our tables lay out the options and the steps the Constitution requires.

Ships have been struck in or near the Strait of Hormuz almost every day in October, with 12 attacks in one week, the most since the war began. Yet Middle East crude exports are back near pre-war levels. Our tables track the attacks, the shipping numbers and the cost for Asia.

Johor will keep all 1,198 schools and 617,258 students at home from October 12 to 16 because of the haze, even as unhealthy readings across Malaysia fell to 15 on Sunday morning from 33 a day earlier. Singapore’s central PSI eased to 152. Our tables track the trend.

Donald Trump pressed Xi Jinping in Washington last month to lift China’s export curbs on Japan and talk to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the South China Morning Post reported. Xi was not receptive. Our timeline traces the China–Japan rift from Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks to next month’s APEC summit in Shenzhen.

The IMF and World Bank annual meetings open in Bangkok on October 12. The World Bank has raised its 2026 growth forecast for developing East Asia and the Pacific to 4.5%, driven by AI-related exports. Our table compares the June and October forecasts for each economy.

A senior US official said Washington expects Seoul to uphold alliance standards on intelligence and counterintelligence. South Korea’s spy agency says the misunderstanding is in the past, but its top general told lawmakers US intelligence sharing on North Korea is still partly restricted.

Pakistan’s federal government has finalised preparations for an emergency in 12 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The Express Tribune reported, citing sources. PTI says the move would violate the 18th Amendment. We explain what the Constitution requires and list the arrests PTI has reported.

Navi Pillay, a jurist of Indian Tamil descent who sits in the Myanmar genocide case, wins the Nobel Peace Prize; haze eases slightly but stays unhealthy; PTI heads for Swabi; Delhi locks down central areas ahead of the CJP protest. What matters in Asia this morning.

The PTI long march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is due in Mardan on its seventh day. The party plans to announce its next steps at Swabi, while federal ministers warn it not to take the march out of the province.

Air quality improved slightly in Singapore on Saturday but stayed unhealthy across the island, while 33 areas in Malaysia recorded unhealthy readings. Our tables compare the latest readings with Friday’s peak.

Navi Pillay, the 85-year-old South African jurist of Indian Tamil descent and former UN human rights chief, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law. She now sits as a judge ad hoc in the Rohingya genocide case against Myanmar.