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, TUE., OCT. 6, 2026No. 2 · Morning, 6:00 a.m. PKT6 a.m. PKT
KSE-100165,867.32▼1.36%10/5USD/PKR277.06－0.00%10/5S&P 5007,773.95▲0.66%10/5WTI$89.43▼1.84%10/5Gold$4,156.80▼0.13%10/5
Politics · PTI long marchPress ✓ 4 outlets · turnout figures are estimates

Day two of the PTI march: Afridi speaks in Karak and the convoy reaches Kohat, with the route altered to visit Khyber

New since Sunday: the convoy moved from Karak to Kohat on Monday, and Afridi told supporters the plan to head straight for Peshawar had changed. No clash has been reported.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) convoy led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi spent Monday 5 October on the road between Karak and Kohat, according to ARY News and Minute Mirror. Afridi addressed supporters in Karak before the convoy moved on, and reached Kohat by night, where he spoke at University Chowk. He said the original plan envisaged a direct move towards Peshawar, but that the route was altered after people in Khyber asked the marchers to visit the area. Al Jazeera put the number who set off on Sunday at more than 5,000.

The march is still aimed at the release of Imran Khan, the jailed party founder, and PTI says the convoy should reach Khairabad, near the Punjab border, on Thursday 8 October, where Afridi will announce his next step. The federal government has not changed its line: it will not allow a march on Islamabad. Nothing in the reports seen by DailyDrop describes clashes with police so far. Monday was also Imran Khan’s birthday; neither side has said it will treat the date as a deadline.

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In numbers
5,000+people reported to have set off on Sunday, per Al Jazeera
Thu 8 Octexpected arrival at Khairabad and Afridi’s next announcement
2 monthslength of the Section 144 ban on gatherings in Islamabad
Markets · KarachiPress ✓ 3 outlets · figures from the PSX as reported

KSE-100 sheds 2,288 points, or 1.36%, to 165,867 as the march and the breakdown in talks unsettle traders

The Pakistan Stock Exchange had its worst session in weeks on Monday 5 October. The KSE-100 closed at 165,867.32, down 2,288 points or 1.36% from Friday’s 168,155.49, The Express Tribune and TechJuice reported, citing the breakdown of talks between the government and PTI. It touched a high of 167,918 and a low of 165,764. About 441 million shares traded for roughly Rs15.7 billion.

The heaviest drags were HBL (down 2.34%), Engro Holdings (down 1.77%) and UBL (down 1.57%). Lower international oil prices did not help. The rupee was almost unchanged at 277.06 to the dollar, Business Recorder showed, so the pressure was on equities rather than the currency.

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Word of the day
Political noise · markets

The market term for headlines about protests, court cases or party rows that move share prices without changing company earnings.

World · SciencePress ✓ 5 outlets · citation from the Nobel Committee

Nobel medicine prize goes to Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel for optogenetics

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced on Monday 5 October at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. It is shared by Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University in Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg, “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics”, according to nobelprize.org, NPR member stations and Biotecnika.

Optogenetics uses light to switch individual nerve cells on and off, which lets researchers study how groups of brain cells shape behaviour. The technique is used in labs worldwide to study epilepsy, depression and movement disorders in animals, and researchers are exploring treatments for blindness and Parkinson’s disease. Physics follows on Tuesday 6 October.

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Politics · State responsePress ✓ 3 outlets · statements attributed to ministers

Government says no march on Islamabad “under any circumstances”: containers, a Section 144 ban and a warning on Articles 232 and 234

Federal ministers repeated that the PTI march will not be allowed into Islamabad, ARY News and Al Jazeera reported. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi cited an Islamabad High Court order and said anyone who violated it would be pursued “one by one”. Shipping containers have been placed on main access routes to the capital, and a two-month Section 144 ban on gatherings of five or more people, issued on 18 September, remains in force, Asia News Network reported.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told Geo News that governor’s rule or an emergency could be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if the Constitution requires it, and sources said Articles 232 and 234 could be invoked if PTI does not change course. No such order has been issued.

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Markets · Global backdropClosing data · rupee per Business Recorder

Wall Street gains and oil falls on Monday, so Karachi’s slide was home-made

Karachi’s losses were not matched abroad: the S&P 500 gained 0.66% to 7,773.95 on Monday while WTI crude fell 1.84% to $89.43 and gold slipped 0.13% to $4,156.80 an ounce.

For Pakistan, oil near $90, with the Strait of Hormuz still shut, keeps the import bill high, and the rupee’s steadiness at 277.06 shows the State Bank of Pakistan is not letting it move. The week’s main domestic risk is political: whether the march turns into a standoff in Islamabad before Thursday.

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In brief
  • KSE-100 touched 167,918 at the high and 165,764 at the low on MondayThe Express Tribune
  • About 441 million shares worth Rs15.7 billion changed hands at the PSXThe Express Tribune, TechJuice
  • Interbank rupee closed at 277.06, up one paisaBusiness Recorder
  • S&P 500 closed at 7,773.95 (+0.66%); WTI $89.43 (−1.84%); gold $4,156.8 (−0.13%)Market closing data
  • Nobel physics prize announced today; chemistry on 7 October, literature on 8 OctoberNobel Prize schedule
  • Islamabad’s two-month Section 144 order bans gatherings of five or more peopleAsia News Network
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Unverified — what we cannot confirm

“Governor’s rule or an emergency will be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” It has been floated by ministers, including the law minister on Geo News, and sources spoke of Articles 232 and 234, but no order has been issued (ARY News, Al Jazeera).
Glossary · dotted words — economic, legal, security and science terms explained in context. The list grows every day.
INSIDEDay two of the PTI march: Afridi speaks in Karak and the convoy reaches Kohat, with the route altered to visit KhyberPolitics · PTI long marchKSE-100 sheds 2,288 points, or 1.36%, to 165,867 as the march and the breakdown in talks unsettle tradersMarkets · KarachiNobel medicine prize goes to Deisseroth, Hegemann and Nagel for optogeneticsWorld · ScienceGovernment says no march on Islamabad “under any circumstances”: containers, a Section 144 ban and a warning on Articles 232 and 234Politics · State responseWall Street gains and oil falls on Monday, so Karachi’s slide was home-madeMarkets · Global backdrop