ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistani officials on Tuesday urged stronger cross-sector coordination to address the country’s rising climate-linked health risks, as stakeholders gathered in Islamabad to reaffirm support for the One Health Pakistan initiative, a national framework linking human, animal and environmental health.
The meeting was held at COMSTECH and co-hosted by the Health Services Academy and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination. It brought together officials from the health, environment and development sectors, along with representatives from the World Health Organization, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and World Wide Fund for Nature.
The session focused on building a climate-resilient health workforce and integrated response systems for pandemic preparedness.
“We must reaffirm our collective commitment to the One Health Pakistan initiative,” said Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr. Nelson Azeem. “The challenges we face are interlinked, and so must be our response.”
Other speakers warned that unchecked pollution, biodiversity loss and weak institutional coordination were accelerating zoonotic disease outbreaks and undermining early warning systems.
Participants proposed the creation of dedicated One Health Units within provincial and federal departments to streamline disease surveillance and climate-health response planning, potentially funded through Annual Development Plans, Public Sector Development Program or international pandemic preparedness programs.
Those present also agreed to turn dialogue into concrete action by strengthening inter-agency coordination, investing in integrated surveillance systems and scaling up climate-resilient health planning nationwide.
ISLAMABAD: A senior US State Department official said Tuesday Pakistan will participate in a bilateral meeting in Washington, but declined to say whether the United States would play any role in mediating longstanding tensions between Pakistan and India, particularly over Kashmir.
The comment came in response to a question at a news briefing about whether Washington’s push for direct communication between India and Pakistan — such as on the Indus Waters Treaty — would also apply to more contentious issues like Kashmir.
Pakistan and India had a four-day military standoff in May that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. Washington later announced that both countries had agreed to meet at a neutral venue to discuss outstanding issues.
Pakistan welcomed the proposal, but India, which has long opposed third-party involvement, rejected it.
“We have Pakistan who is going to be here for a bilat, and I’ll be participating in that,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during the briefing, without elaborating on the schedule or the agenda. “I’m looking forward to that as well.”
Bruce did not directly answer the question on Kashmir, instead offering a general comment about addressing difficult issues.
The briefing came weeks after a rare one-on-one lunch hosted by former President Donald Trump for Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, at the White House on June 18. No civilian Pakistani officials were present at the meeting.
Trump later credited both Munir and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “acting responsibly” and preventing a potential regional catastrophe.
India has denied any US role in the ceasefire, calling it a bilateral decision between New Delhi and Islamabad, though Trump has continued to claim credit for stopping the conflict.
On Tuesday, he reiterated separately that he “stopped the recent war” between the two countries and claimed five planes were shot down during the fighting.
While political channels between Washington and Islamabad have reactivated in recent weeks, the two sides are also engaged in trade talks after Trump imposed 29 percent “reciprocal tariffs” on Pakistan in April.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who is currently in Washington, said both countries are working to shift their relationship from one focused on trade to one anchored in long-term investment.
Speaking after meetings with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Aurangzeb said the two sides had identified priority sectors including minerals, mining, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency regulation.
He also hinted at forthcoming “leadership-level” announcements in the coming days.
Pakistan sentences eight prominent Imran Khan aides for 2023 unrest
Those sentenced include Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mehmoodur Rashid and Umar Cheema
The court acquitted PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi who is in custody in other cases
Updated 42 min 39 sec ago
Reuters
LAHORE: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced eight senior members of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party to 10 years in prison late on Tuesday over riots that targeted military sites following Khan’s 2023 arrest, their lawyer said.
Khan is on trial on similar charges, being tried separately. The government accuses him and other leaders of inciting the May 9, 2023, protests, during which demonstrators attacked military and government buildings, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the residence of a senior commander in Lahore.
The prosecution is still presenting witnesses in Khan’s proceedings, and Tuesday’s verdict does not directly affect his case.
The sentences, issued in a jail trial in Lahore, are among a series of prosecutions involving Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Defense lawyer Burhan Moazzam said they would appeal.
“It is surprising that six people were acquitted while eight were convicted, even though they were all charged under the same allegations,” he said.
The case relates to one of several incidents stemming from the May 9 unrest, involving alleged incitement during attacks near a major intersection in Lahore. Moazzam said separate trials were ongoing in connection with other incidents that day.
Those sentenced include senior PTI figures who held positions in Khan’s Punjab government: Yasmin Rashid, a former provincial health minister; Ejaz Chaudhry, a senator; Mehmoodur Rashid, a former housing minister; and Umar Sarfraz Cheema, a former provincial governor and aide to Khan.
The court also acquitted PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi who is in custody in connection with other cases, and it was not immediately clear whether the acquittal would lead to his release.
Commenting on the verdict, junior law minister Aqeel Malik told local media the decision was “in line with the law and the constitution.”
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, remains in prison facing multiple cases, including charges of corruption, contempt and disclosure of official secrets. He denies wrongdoing and says the cases are politically motivated. The military denies targeting PTI.
Authorities say the May 9 violence caused billions in damage and led to over 3,000 arrests in Punjab.
BOSTAN: Until four decades ago, the Bostan Junction Railway Station was a place of industry and movement: steam whistles echoed in the mountain air, porters loaded freight and children raced along its narrow-gauge tracks.
Located about 30 kilometers north of Quetta in the Takatu mountain range, Bostan once linked Pakistan’s rugged west to a vast colonial network of steel and steam.
Today, the station lies silent. Carriages rust in the sun. Tracks are buried beneath dust and weeds. The station buildings, once bustling with workers and traders, are mostly empty.
Built under British rule, the Bostan-Zhob narrow-gauge line was commissioned in 1919 and, by 1929, stretched 294 kilometers to the border town of Zhob. It wound through ten remote stations, including Kan Mehtarzai, the highest railway station in Pakistan at 2,224 meters above sea level.
While the rest of the subcontinent was dominated by broad-gauge lines, Balochistan’s unforgiving mountainous terrain required something lighter, cheaper and more flexible.
Narrow-gauge rail was the solution — and Bostan became its hub.
Skeleton of a bogey at the Bostan Junction in Bostan, Balochistan on July 18, 2025. (AN Photo)
“The first 74.7 kilometers were completed in January 1921, connecting Bostan with Hindubagh [now Muslim Bagh],” said Aminullah Khan, the current Station Master at Bostan Junction.
“There used to be large offices here with loading and unloading operations. Nearly 500 to 1,000 railway employees worked here in different departments, but today, only four employees work at this station and the rest of the offices are closed.”
The line carried both freight and passengers. British authorities used it to transport chromite ore from the mines in Hindubagh to Bostan, where it was transferred to broad-gauge trains for shipment to Karachi via Quetta.
The Bostan-Zhob line continued operating well after Pakistan’s independence in 1947 but was eventually shut down in 1985. Pakistan Railways cited mounting financial losses and the difficulty of maintaining the remote infrastructure.
“It was consistently running at a loss,” said Dr. Irfan Ahmed Baig, a Quetta-based academic and author of Half-Century Rail.
“There are even records that for one or two years, not a single ticket was sold. People tore up the tracks and took away everything, which faded the remains of the historical track.”
Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways in Quetta, Imran Hayat, confirmed the line’s decline.
Picture of Bostan Junction Railway Station in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province taken on July 18, 2025. (AN Photo)
“With the government’s policy of promoting roads more than the Railways, the track slowly deteriorated and was finally closed on May 29, 1985,” he said.
“The population of Balochistan province has always been scant, and it cannot be said with clarity that it was a well-patronized passenger route for Railways.”
He added that some rolling stock was deliberately left behind at Bostan at the community’s request. But over the years, theft and scavenging have stripped away much of what remained.
“The stock has slowly been cannibalized by the locals, and theft of metal is a routine practice,” Hayat said.
“The remaining stock available at Bostan Railway Station is in very bad shape and of no use other than scrap value. The local population has no plan for the restoration of the stock, neither have they ever requested nor shown interest in this regard.”
“DISAPPEAR FROM HISTORY”
Others see it differently.
Kaleemullah Kakar, a 45-year-old tribal elder who led a protest in 2023 against the auction of the remaining railway assets, remembers when the station was a part of everyday life.
“I still remember when our school ended, we spent our childhood right on this platform,” he said. “I remember clearly the coal engines on those tracks, just like I can see you now.”
Kakar said over 100 narrow-gauge coaches and several steam engines were removed from Bostan and relocated to major cities.
“Out of nearly 150 historical bogies, Pakistan Railways sold 100 bogies and eight steam engines were taken away and are now standing outside Lahore, Karachi and Quetta Railway Stations,” he said. “Nothing was left for Bostan.”
Chipped signboard of Bostan Junction in Bostan, Balochistan on July 18, 2025. (AN Photo)
Only about one kilometer of track remains today. Six damaged carriages sit in the station yard. The shed that once housed locomotives is now an empty shell.
Still, some believe the railway’s legacy, and what little is left of it, deserves to be preserved.
“We deeply wish for the narrow-gauge service to resume because it gave recognition to this town,” said Muhammad Naseem Khan Nasir, a local politician and tribal elder.
“If these remnants vanish, nothing will be left of Bostan. Even its name will disappear from history.”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ramping up security measures for Chinese nationals across the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday, as Islamabad hopes for expanded bilateral activity and more investment projects under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Launched in 2015, CPEC is an over $60 billion flagship component of China’s global Belt and Road Initiative, linking western China to Pakistan’s Arabian Sea port of Gwadar through a network of roads, railways, and energy infrastructure.
The project is widely seen as a potential economic lifeline for Pakistan but it has also brought Chinese nationals in the crosshairs of separatist militants who believe Beijing is helping Pakistan exploit minerals in the underdeveloped southwestern province of Balochistan, where China has a strategic port and mining interests. Chinese have also faced attacks in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi.
In recent months, Beijing has been pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working there, frustrated by the string of attacks on its citizens, particularly a bombing at the Karachi airport last October that killed two Chinese engineers who were returning to work at a power plant.
“Multiple steps are being taken to strengthen the security of Chinese citizens across the country, including Islamabad,” PM Sharif said during a high-level review meeting to review security. “The Safe City projects are a prime example of this growing capacity.
“In light of CPEC’s expansion, the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan has gained even greater importance … We are building a safe and business-friendly environment for the Chinese community in Pakistan.”
During the meeting, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the prime minister on current security arrangements.
Officials said “special security measures are in place” due to terrorism risks and confirmed that all provinces and the federal government were working “in close coordination.”
The briefing noted that Chinese nationals were being provided security escorts while traveling and all new housing developments would include Safe City-grade surveillance infrastructure. Sharif also directed relevant ministries to prioritize Chinese passenger facilitation at airports.
After building a string of energy and infrastructure projects since CPEC was first launched in 2015, CPEC Phase II focuses on industrial cooperation and socio-economic development, aiming to enhance industrial capacity, agricultural development and social well-being in Pakistan.
This phase also emphasizes job creation, technology transfer and increased export capacity by boosting connectivity. It is expected to be completed in stages, with the development of manufacturing and processing industries envisioned by 2025, and further expansion by 2030.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s meteorological department on Tuesday warned of glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs), flash floods and landslides in the country’s mountainous northern regions, as the national death toll from monsoon-related incidents climbed to 242, including at least 116 children.
The warning comes amid ongoing heavy monsoon rains that have battered the country since late June, triggering urban flooding, house collapses and deadly flash floods.
At least 21 people, including 12 children, died in the past 24 hours alone, according to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), with many of the fatalities reported from drowning, building collapses and fast-moving floodwaters.
The worst-hit province has been Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous region, where at least 135 people have died. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported 56 fatalities, followed by 24 in Sindh, 16 in Balochistan, six in the federal capital of Islamabad, three in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and two in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“In continuation to the GLOF alert issued dated July 15, the wet spell is likely to continue and can affect KP and GB in the current week,” the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in a public statement.
“The prevailing weather conditions increase the risk of GLOFs, flashfloods, and landslide events in vulnerable glaciated regions of GB and KP.”
Glacier lake outburst floods, sudden discharges of water from glacial lakes, are a growing threat in Pakistan’s north due to accelerated glacial melting driven by climate change. These floods can inundate entire valleys in minutes, destroying roads, homes and livelihoods.
The PMD also warned of landslides and mudslides in areas such as Murree, Galliyat, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, cautioning that roads could be blocked and essential connectivity disrupted.
Heavy rains are forecast to continue until July 25.
CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS
On Tuesday, urban flooding also hit the capital Islamabad, with viral videos showing cars swept away by torrents of water in Saidpur Village and the upscale Defense Housing Authority (DHA) neighborhood.
One video widely circulated on social media showed a vehicle submerged in floodwater, with a man inside calling for help.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over reports of a father and daughter believed to have drowned in the DHA flooding and directed authorities to expedite rescue operations across flood-affected areas.
The monsoon season typically brings 70 to 80 percent of South Asia’s annual rainfall, arriving in June in India and slightly later in Pakistan. While vital for agriculture, the rains also wreak havoc in countries with fragile infrastructure, poor drainage and high vulnerability to climate shocks.
Pakistan, home to more than 7,000 glaciers, is consistently ranked among the countries most at risk from climate change, despite contributing less than 1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. It has seen increasingly erratic weather patterns in recent years, including record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, and severe storms.
In May, at least 32 people were killed in separate incidents of torrential rainfall and hailstorms across the country.
In 2022, catastrophic floods caused by a combination of unprecedented monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged nearly a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and displacing over 8 million.
That disaster inflicted an estimated $30 billion in economic losses and prompted repeated UN calls for global climate reparations.
