This is the second edition of our monthly current affairs css digest, following the framework laid out in our Current Affairs strategy guide. Each entry covers what happened, why it matters for the exam, and how it connects to other papers, organized by the same three categories the css current affairs syllabus uses: Pakistan's Domestic Affairs, Pakistan's External Affairs, and Global Issues. This edition covers developments through late September.
Pakistan's External Affairs
Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Fighting Enters a Second Week
Cross-border conflict between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban escalated sharply in the second half of September, following nearly three months of relative calm after Pakistani airstrikes in late June. On 20 September, Pakistan struck targets in eastern Afghanistan it said were linked to recent attacks in the country's west. On 24 September, Pakistan carried out precision airstrikes on ten locations across Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces, citing a foiled Afghan Taliban drone intrusion the day before. Afghan officials said the strikes killed civilians, including a child, while Pakistan maintained the targets were militant-linked. Kandahar, home to the Taliban's supreme leader, was also hit. Strikes on major Afghan cities have been uncommon outside the brief war the two countries fought in February 2026.
The fighting continued into the following week. On 25 September, Pakistani forces reported repelling a Taliban cross-border attack in Balochistan, with both sides disputing casualty figures. Two days later, the Afghan Taliban's Ministry of Defence claimed to have killed and captured fighters who had crossed into Afghanistan's Nuristan province, a claim Pakistan denied, and Afghan media reported heavy artillery exchanges along the border.
This is central Pakistan Affairs material on the TTP and Afghan-Pakistan relations, covered in depth in our Pakistan Affairs past papers archive. It's a strong Essay or Viva Voce topic on counterterrorism strategy and the limits of cross-border military pressure, and it connects to the security-sector cadres proposed in the CSS exam reforms 2026 package.
The Makkah Pact Moves From Signature to Implementation
Following August's trilateral defense agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, the 25 September meeting in Riyadh was a further step in implementing the agreement, following the alliance's 31 August institutional meeting and Pakistan's 23 September appointment of its first Secretary General. Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Army Staff, Saudi Arabia's Chief of General Staff, and Turkey's Chief of General Staff reviewed the security threats facing Saudi Arabia, condemned Houthi attacks on Makkah and Saudi infrastructure, and agreed to deepen intelligence sharing, military coordination, and capability integration. The three countries also agreed to establish a standing political-military mechanism. On 23 September, Pakistan had appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the agreement's first Secretary General, with the secretariat based in Riyadh.
This continues last month's entry rather than opening a separate story, so it's worth tracking the two together: the Makkah Agreement supplied the framework, while the September meetings and institutional steps show the agreement moving into implementation. It strengthens the same regional-alliance material from August, and it's good supporting detail for an Essay on Gulf security or Pakistan's growing defense diplomacy.
Pakistan's Domestic Affairs
IMF Fourth Review Talks Begin, $1.2 Billion at Stake
Pakistan and the IMF formally opened talks on 29 September for the fourth review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility and the third review of the $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility. The mission, led by Iva Petrova, is expected to remain in Islamabad for close to two weeks. Successful completion of both reviews would unlock roughly $1.2 billion, about $1 billion under the EFF and $200 million under the RSF, which would bring total disbursements under the two arrangements to around $6 billion if both reviews are completed successfully. The review tests Pakistan's performance against targets for the period ending 30 June 2026, covering tax collection, the primary surplus, circular debt reduction in the power and gas sectors, foreign exchange reserves, and the Sovereign Wealth Fund.
One detail worth having ready: the government has told the IMF that around 10,000 federal employees will be required to digitally declare their movable and immovable assets by 30 October 2026, under a new mandatory disclosure regime tied to the programme's broader governance conditions.
This connects to Pakistan Affairs on fiscal governance and economic stabilization, builds on last month's entry on the fifth-tranche discussions, and is solid supporting material for an Essay on economic reform or IMF conditionality.
Global Issues
A Fragile Push to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Efforts to de-escalate the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz resurfaced in late September. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed a one-week ceasefire framework on 25 September aimed at reopening the strait and restarting nuclear talks. The United States rejected the proposal the following day, though President Trump said he remained open to diplomacy. By 30 September, Iran said it had received a US response to its latest proposal through Qatari mediators. The strait has been a central flashpoint since the Iran war began in February 2026, disrupting a significant share of global oil and LNG shipping and feeding the Gulf security anxieties behind the Makkah agreement above.
Pakistan's own role is worth noting for current affairs css coverage: Pakistani officials helped broker an earlier ceasefire framework between the US and Iran in the spring, which ties this story back to Pakistan's regional diplomacy rather than leaving it purely external. It matters for International Relations and Economics optional subjects as much as compulsory Current Affairs, since the strait's status carries global economic significance well beyond the Gulf, and it pairs naturally with the Pakistan-Afghanistan and Makkah Pact entries above when building an answer on 2026 regional security dynamics.
How to Use This Digest
Work through each entry the way the strategy framework describes: note what happened, note which category it falls under, and think through why it matters and what it connects to, rather than memorizing that it occurred. This month's three entries form a connected regional picture, border security, alliance-building, and Gulf diplomacy, worth studying together rather than as separate headlines. We'll publish the next edition at the start of next month, continuing to build the archive the strategy guide describes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fighting escalated through the second half of September, including Pakistani airstrikes on ten sites in Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces on 24 September and cross-border clashes in Balochistan on 25 September, following nearly three months of relative calm since June.
On 25 September, the three countries' military chiefs met in Riyadh for a further step in implementing the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed in August 2026, discussing deeper intelligence sharing, military coordination, and a standing political-military mechanism.
Roughly $1.2 billion combined: about $1 billion under the fourth review of the Extended Fund Facility and $200 million under the third review of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility.
Not fully. Iran proposed a seven-day trust-building plan on 25 September that included reopening the strait, which the US rejected, while Qatari mediators continued efforts to bridge differences between Washington and Tehran.
Yes, this is the second edition of an ongoing monthly series following the framework in our Current Affairs strategy guide.
New to this series? Start with the Current Affairs strategy framework this digest follows, then read August's edition on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Also check the CSS exam syllabus and current affairs past papers css. For everything else, visit the CSS Bureau blog.
References
Al Jazeera, Pakistani forces kill Afghan Taliban fighters in border escalation: aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/25/pakistani-forces-kill-afghan-taliban-fighters
Council on Foreign Relations, Conflict Between Afghanistan and Pakistan: cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-afghanistan
US News (Reuters), Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish Chiefs Discuss Closer Military Ties: usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-09-25
Profit by Pakistan Today, Pakistan, IMF formally begin fourth EFF review talks: profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2026/09/29
Council on Foreign Relations, Conflict With Iran: cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/confrontation-between-united-states-and-iran
Reuters, Iran receives US feedback on seven-day trust-building plan: reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-receives-us-feedback-seven-day-trust-building-plan-2026-09-30