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Nearly 400 killed, over 6,900 rescued in latest spell of monsoon rains in Pakistan

Update Nearly 400 killed, over 6,900 rescued in latest spell of monsoon rains in Pakistan
Volunteers walks with umbrellas to avoid rain as they survey the damaged areas, following a storm that caused heavy rains and flooding in Bayshonai Kalay, in Buner district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on August 18, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Nearly 400 killed, over 6,900 rescued in latest spell of monsoon rains in Pakistan

Nearly 400 killed, over 6,900 rescued in latest spell of monsoon rains in Pakistan
  • National survey launched to assess flood damage, relief operations intensify in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
  • Armed forces set up logistics hubs and medical camps as helicopters airlift food and medicine to remote areas

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 400 people have been killed and over 6,900 rescued during the latest spell of monsoon rains in northern Pakistan that began late last week, officials said on Tuesday, as the government launched a nationwide survey to assess damage to homes and infrastructure.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said of the 400 deaths since Friday, 356 were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) alone, a mountainous northwestern province hit by cloudbursts, flash floods, lightning strikes and landslides in the deadliest downpour of this year’s monsoon season.

In total, 707 Pakistanis have perished in this year’s monsoon season that began on June 26, according to an NDMA situation report released on Tuesday evening.

Addressing a joint news conference on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army and government spokesmen and the chief of the NDMA said coordinated relief and rescue operations had been stepped up in affected parts of KP and the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.

“Currently, there are eight units of the infantry and eight units of the FC [frontier constabulary] directly involved in search and rescue and flood relief operations,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, told reporters in Islamabad.

“In the search and rescue work, 6,903 of children and adults have been rescued by the army units,” the army spokesman said, adding that over 6,300 people had also received medical treatment.

Chaudhry said logistics bases had been set up in Kanju and Daggar to supply food, tents and medicines, while helicopters were flying emergency aid to remote areas.

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said 70 percent of the region’s power supply had also been restored, including in districts like Buner, Shangla, Swat and Bajaur, where electrical grids, poles and transformers were destroyed.

He said ministers for energy, communications and Kashmir affairs were deployed in the field to monitor relief operations.

“In Malakand division, the N-90 highway has been fully reopened after clearing all blockades,” Tarar added.

More than 1,200 tents, 3,000 kilograms of medicines and 40 tons of food rations have been dispatched to the flood-hit regions, with over 500 medical camps operational in the area.

Chairman of the NDMA, Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, who also addressed the news conference, said at least 25,000 people had been rescued in total in the last four days.

He warned of continued risks from localized flooding and cloudbursts in KP, GB, and northern Punjab, with a new monsoon spell expected in the last week of August.

“A complete survey has been launched, which has been started to assess the damage of houses and public infrastructure,” Malik said, adding that its findings would be ready by early September.

Malik said more than 50 percent of landslides had been cleared and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved a special ration package for affected districts.

Aid convoys to Swabi, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Shangla and Swat were also underway, with support from military formations and non-governmental organizations.

“All arms of the state are mobilized in this national response,” he added.

TRAVEL ADVISORY

Separately, the NDMA issued a travel advisory on Tuesday warning of road closures and damage in the country’s north due to floods and landslides.

According to the advisory, tourists have been told to avoid travel on vulnerable stretches of the Karakoram Highway and connecting routes, including Torghar, Batagram, Shangla, Lower Kohistan, Tattapani, Gilgit and Hunza.

Road blockages due to floods and landslides were reported at several points on the Karakoram Highway, as well as at multiple locations along the Mingora–Swat road.

The NDMA also listed a number of damaged or closed bridges and roads in Gilgit-Baltistan, Skardu, Ghizer, Hunza and Astore.

“Surmo Bridge, Ghanche: damaged; no alternate … Baghecha, Skardu: damaged; alternate: temporary causeway but unsafe,” the advisory said.

It added that the Astak Bridge on the Jaglot–Skardu road was partially open, while major routes such as Shandur, Ishkoman, Gulmit in Gojal, Hoper in Nagar, and the Skardu–Kargil road in Kharmang district were closed with no alternate routes available.

The advisory urged travelers to check updates regularly and avoid unnecessary movement in the affected areas until roads are cleared and safe for traffic.

PUNJAB ALERT

The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Tuesday also issued a fresh alert for heavy monsoon rains across much of the province from Aug. 19–22.

“Severe thunderstorms are forecast in most districts, including Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, Gujrat and Sialkot,” the PDMA spokesperson said, adding that downpours were also expected in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Rajanpur.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said all commissioners and deputy commissioners had been directed to remain on alert in line with instructions from Punjab’s chief minister. He warned of rising water levels in rivers and streams, flash flooding in hill torrents, and the risk of urban flooding in major cities.

“Citizens are urged to adopt precautionary measures during bad weather,” Kathia said. “Stay in safe places during storms, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep children away from low-lying areas and electricity poles and wires.”

The DG added that health, irrigation, communications, local government and livestock departments had all been placed on high alert. In case of emergency, people were advised to call the PDMA helpline at 1129.


Azerbaijan ‘eager’ to learn from Pakistan’s multi-domain air warfare — Pakistani military

Azerbaijan ‘eager’ to learn from Pakistan’s multi-domain air warfare — Pakistani military
Updated 9 sec ago

Azerbaijan ‘eager’ to learn from Pakistan’s multi-domain air warfare — Pakistani military

Azerbaijan ‘eager’ to learn from Pakistan’s multi-domain air warfare — Pakistani military
  • The statement came after a high-level Azerbaijan delegation visited the Air Headquarters in Islamabad to discuss bilateral defense collaboration
  • It follows a Pakistan-India standoff in May, during which officials said the PAF conducted multi-domain operations to down six Indian fighter jets

ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan has expressed a keen interest in learning the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) multi-domain air warfare to strengthen its defense capabilities, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.

The statement came after a high-level Azerbaijan delegation, led by Deputy Minister and Director-General of Defense Agil Gurbanov, called on the PAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, at the Air Headquarters in Islamabad.

The visit follows a four-day Pakistan-India military standoff in May, during which officials said the PAF successfully conducted multi-domain operations to down six Indian fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale jets. While India has acknowledged losses in the air, it has not specified the number of aircraft lost.

During Tuesday’s meeting in Islamabad, both sides engaged in extensive discussions and underscored a shared commitment to fostering defense collaboration in training, modernization and technical expertise, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.

Deputy Minister Gurbanov “conveyed Azerbaijan’s strong desire for collaboration across Multi-Domain Operations, noting that Pakistan Air Force’s rich operational experience provides a valuable model for Azerbaijan,” the ISPR said in a statement after the meeting.

“He added that his country is especially eager to learn PAF’s complete methodology of Multi Domain warfare to strengthen its own capabilities.”

The hour-long India-Pakistan fight, which took place in darkness, involved some 110 aircraft, experts estimate, making it the world’s largest air battle in decades.

Pakistan’s Chines-made J-10s shot down at least one Rafale, Reuters reported in May, citing US officials. Its downing surprised many in the military community and raised questions about the effectiveness of Western military hardware against untested Chinese alternatives.

Deputy Minister Gurbanov termed the PAF’s seamless integration of multi-domain operations a “hallmark of modern air warfare” and conveyed Azerbaijan’s “keen interest” in learning from PAF’s battle-proven experience. Underscoring the importance of joint training initiatives through bilateral exercises between the two air forces, the visiting dignitary emphasized that such cooperation would enhance shared learning, interoperability and professional excellence, according to the ISPR.

During the meeting, Air Chief Marshal Sidhu shared insight into the PAF’s various ongoing modernization projects, operational construct, force goals and plans for the force structure, with a focus on future warfare. He reiterated the PAF’s unwavering support to provide capacity-building assistance to the Azerbaijan Air Force in upgradation of its human resource, maintenance parameters and operational training.

“The dignitary reiterated Azerbaijan’s intent to revamp its entire training system, beginning from the academy level, and acknowledged Pakistan Air Force as a trusted partner in guiding this transformation,” the ISPR said.

“He expressed confidence that cooperation with PAF would significantly contribute to the modernization and professional growth of Azerbaijan Air Force.”

Pakistan and Azerbaijan maintain close brotherly, trade and defense ties. In July 2024, Azerbaijan announced a $2 billion investment in Pakistan during a visit by President Ilham Aliyev to Islamabad. In September last year, Pakistan signed a contract to supply JF-17 Block III fighter jets to Azerbaijan, marking the deepening of defense cooperation.

“The visit of the Azerbaijani defense delegation to Air Headquarters, Islamabad reflects the mutual commitment of Pakistan and Azerbaijan to further deepen their strategic partnership, while reinforcing the shared aspirations for regional peace, security and stability,” the ISPR added.


Why cloudbursts have killed hundreds in Pakistan and India this monsoon season

Why cloudbursts have killed hundreds in Pakistan and India this monsoon season
Updated 19 August 2025

Why cloudbursts have killed hundreds in Pakistan and India this monsoon season

Why cloudbursts have killed hundreds in Pakistan and India this monsoon season
  • This monsoon season has so far seen at least four major deadly cloudbursts, including in Pakistan's Buner where more than 200 people died
  • Forecasting such events days in advance is nearly impossible, though radars can track build-up of dense clouds and give short-term warnings

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Massive, sudden downpours of rain known as cloudbursts have struck Pakistan and India during this monsoon season, killing hundreds of people in the flash floods and landslides they have triggered.

WHAT ARE CLOUDBURSTS AND WHY DO THEY OCCUR?

By a widely accepted definition, a cloudburst means more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rainfall in one hour, over a small area.

This year, the monsoon, which originates in the Bay of Bengal and then sweeps westwards across northern India to Pakistan every summer, has brought deadly cloudbursts. Weather studies say cloudbursts typically occur in South Asia when warm, monsoon winds, laden with moisture, meet the cold mountain air in the north of India and Pakistan, causing condensation. With a warming planet, the monsoon has hotter air, which can carry more moisture.

India's weather department data shows cloudbursts are most common in the Himalayan regions of Indian Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Fahad Saeed, a senior climate scientist at Berlin-based Climate Analytics, said that in the mountains of northern Pakistan, the warm monsoon system coming from the east was meeting colder air coming from the west, from the subtropical jet stream - a high-altitude weather system that originates in the Mediterranean.

Global warming is pushing this jet stream further south in summer, he said, where it can now combine with the lower-level clouds of the monsoon in Pakistan, forming a tower of clouds which then generatesg intense rain. Similar intense rainfall, though triggered by different local factors, takes place around the world, such as the floods in Texas in July, when more than 300 mm of rain fell in less than an hour, sending a wall of water down the Guadalupe River.

WHY IS THE REGION BEING HIT SO BADLY BY CLOUDBURSTS?

This monsoon season has so far seen at least four major deadly cloudbursts, including in Uttarakhand, India, where video captured the moment when village buildings were swept down a mountain, and in Buner, in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan, where more than 200 people died after at least 150 mm of rain fell within an hour.

S D Sanap, a scientist with the India Meteorological Department's Pune office, said such cloudburst events were becoming more frequent in the western Himalayas, which run across India and into Pakistan, but pinning the rise on a single cause was not easy.

The cloudburst events on both sides of the border were triggered the same way: very moist monsoon air, upslope winds, and storms that stalled over valleys, said Moetasim Ashfaq, a weather expert based in the U.S.

If a cloudburst happens over flat land, the rainfall spreads over a wide area, so the impact is less severe, said Pradeep Dangol, a senior hydrology research associate at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Nepal.

But in steep mountain valleys, the rain is concentrated into narrow streams and slopes, with the potential to trigger flash floods and landslides, he said.

CAN CLOUDBURSTS BE PREDICTED?

Forecasting such events days in advance is nearly impossible, though radars can track the build-up of dense cloud formations and give short-term warnings of intense downpours, Sanap said.

To strengthen monitoring, the India Meteorological Department has installed new radars across the Himalayas and set up observatories aimed at improving early warnings and understanding of these extreme weather events.

Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah, who leads risk assessment at Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, part of the government, said that it was possible to warn about the general area but not possible to pinpoint the exact location in advance where a cloudburst will happen.


Pakistan Senate approves bill allowing three-month detention of terrorism suspects

Pakistan Senate approves bill allowing three-month detention of terrorism suspects
Updated 19 August 2025

Pakistan Senate approves bill allowing three-month detention of terrorism suspects

Pakistan Senate approves bill allowing three-month detention of terrorism suspects
  • Government says law aims to curb militancy and provide lawful alternative to enforced disappearances
  • Opposition warns legislation undermines constitutional rights, could be misused against critics

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate on Tuesday approved amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) empowering security agencies to detain suspects of terrorism and other serious crimes for up to three months, a move the government says will help fight militancy and address the country’s longstanding issue of enforced disappearances.

The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025, passed by the National Assembly last week, will now go to the president for assent before becoming law.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar defended the measure while speaking in parliament, saying it created a lawful framework for preventive detention that would strengthen counterterrorism operations.

“This will be a lawful process and there will be no enforced disappearances anymore,” Tarar told lawmakers, adding that the legislation was aimed at combating militancy and contained safeguards to prevent misuse.

Enforced disappearances have long been a contentious issue in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, the site of a decades-old separatist insurgency and where families and rights groups accuse state institutions of arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings. Authorities deny the allegations but the practice has remained a source of domestic and international criticism.

By creating a legal mechanism for short-term preventive detention, the government says the new law will replace illegal practices and address concerns raised by families of missing persons.

The amended law comes as Pakistan grapples with twin insurgencies: religiously motivated groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who operate mainly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and ethno-nationalist Baloch separatists fighting against the state in southwestern Balochistan.

Pakistan became the world’s second-most affected by terrorist violence in 2024, with deaths rising 45 percent to 1,081, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2025.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

The amendment allows the government, armed forces and civil armed forces to place terrorism suspects under preventive detention for up to 90 days, based on credible information or reasonable suspicion. Enforcement in provinces will require approval from respective governments, and detainees will have legal recourse through federal and provincial review boards made up of Supreme Court and high court judges.

The bill also gives legal cover to joint interrogation teams (JITs) comprising officials from multiple law enforcement and intelligence agencies, with the aim of making operations more effective.

Opposition parties, including jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), strongly opposed the amendment in the Senate, warning that it could be misused against government critics.

“The amendment undermines constitutional freedoms,” PTI Senator Ali Zafar told Arab News, citing Articles 9, 10A and 19 of the Constitution, which guarantee security of person, fair trial and freedom of speech.

“While we must protect lives from terrorism, we also have to safeguard constitutional rights, without which Pakistan cannot be called a democracy,” Zafar said. “Counterterrorism does not mean counter-democracy. The law must be targeted, precise and just.”

Legal expert Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed said the effect of the new law would depend on whether it truly did away with the practice of enforced disappearances.

“If the amended law means that security and law enforcement agencies will now only detain people, then it could have a net positive effect,” he told Arab News.

“If, on the other hand, it merely means yet another legal method … while enforced disappearances continue unabated side by side, then obviously it will only be another tool of repression.”


Pakistan seeks ‘forward-looking’ UK ties, urges greater Commonwealth trade and connectivity

Pakistan seeks ‘forward-looking’ UK ties, urges greater Commonwealth trade and connectivity
Updated 19 August 2025

Pakistan seeks ‘forward-looking’ UK ties, urges greater Commonwealth trade and connectivity

Pakistan seeks ‘forward-looking’ UK ties, urges greater Commonwealth trade and connectivity
  • Ishaq Dar highlights British-Pakistani diaspora’s role in UK society, invites UK Deputy PM Rayner to visit Islamabad
  • Pakistan seeks Commonwealth support on climate challenges, backs 2025-2030 strategic plan for shared resilience

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is seeking a “forward-looking partnership” with the United Kingdom and remains committed to expanding trade and connectivity within the Commonwealth, according to official statements on Tuesday following high-level meetings in London.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who arrived in the UK on Saturday, is on an official visit aimed at strengthening Pakistan-UK relations, deepening cooperation in digital technology, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and boosting multilateral ties through the Commonwealth.

He also inaugurated a pilot project of the Punjab Land Record Authority at the Pakistan High Commission to help members of the diaspora resolve land issues in Pakistan remotely.

Dar held separate meetings with British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Commonwealth Secretary‑General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey today after interacting with members of the British-Pakistani community earlier in his visit.

“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, held a productive meeting today with the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Angela Rayner, in London,” the foreign office said. “They emphasized the importance of sustained high-level engagement and expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in relations, driven by close people-to-people ties and growing collaboration across multiple domains.”

The statement said Dar “underscored Pakistan’s desire to build an inclusive and forward-looking partnership with the United Kingdom.”

He also highlighted the contributions of the British-Pakistani diaspora to the UK and extended an invitation to Rayner to visit Islamabad at a mutually convenient time.

COMMONWEALTH CONNECTIVITY

The Pakistani deputy premier also met Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey over breakfast, congratulating her on her recent appointment and reaffirming Pakistan’s deep commitment to the organization as a founding member.

Reflecting on their earlier exchange at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, Dar expressed confidence in the Commonwealth’s role as a platform to foster shared values and build consensus among member states.

“The DPM/FM assured the Secretary‑General of Pakistan’s strong commitment to the Commonwealth’s Sustainable Development and Connectivity agendas,” the foreign office said. “He underscored Pakistan’s intent to play a more active role in promoting intra‑Commonwealth trade and development.”

“Additionally,” it added, “he underscored Pakistan’s acute vulnerability to climate change and sought the Commonwealth’s support in addressing this pressing challenge.”

Dar praised Botchwey’s work on the 2025–2030 Commonwealth Strategic Plan and conveyed Pakistan’s full support for advancing shared goals of democracy, development, and resilience.

He also extended a formal invitation to the Commonwealth Secretary-General to visit Islamabad at her earliest convenience.


Modi receives Beijing’s top diplomat as India-China tensions ease amid US trade war

Modi receives Beijing’s top diplomat as India-China tensions ease amid US trade war
Updated 19 August 2025

Modi receives Beijing’s top diplomat as India-China tensions ease amid US trade war

Modi receives Beijing’s top diplomat as India-China tensions ease amid US trade war
  • India-China relations have been tense since deadly clashes along their border in 2020
  • Disruption from Trump’s tariffs created an opening for the Asian powers to repair ties

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received China’s top diplomat on Tuesday, as the Asian powers resumed disputed border talks after years of tensions.

The neighbors and the world’s two most populous countries have been locked in a standoff triggered by deadly clashes along their Himalayan border, known as the Line of Actual Control, in 2020.

Tens of thousands of troops, tanks, and artillery have since been deployed on both sides of the LAC, with both countries building new roads, bunkers, and airstrips in the high-altitude area.

Despite multiple rounds of military and diplomatic engagements, friction points remained, with India restricting Chinese investments, banning dozens of Chinese apps, and scrutinizing trade ties, as it deepened relations with Beijing’s rivals — the US, Japan, and Australia.

But a recent disruption caused earlier this month by US President Donald Trump’s trade war, in which he unexpectedly hiked the total duty on Indian exports to 50 percent, has created an opening for the Asian powers to seek to repair ties.

Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit on Monday. Ahead of meeting Modi, he held talks with his counterpart, S. Jaishankar, who told him in his welcome speech that after a “difficult period” in bilateral relations, the “two nations now seek to move ahead.”

Jaishankar said the visit would cover economic and trade issues, including cross-border trade, as well as people-to-people contacts.

Wang also met India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, for the 24th round of talks to discuss de-escalation of border tensions, and said he was ready to work with India “to build more consensus and identify the direction, the specific goals of the boundary consultations going forward, and create more conditions for the improvement and further growth” of bilateral relations.

A thaw between India and China began last year, when Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first bilateral meeting in five years at a summit of BRICS nations in Russia’s Kazan.

They are expected to meet again later this month as Modi will visit China for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This will be the Indian prime minister’s first official trip to China in over six years.

“Both are moving gradually to try and normalize a relationship. If you go back to October last year when Prime Minister Modi met President Xi Jinping, you saw the beginnings of some sort of an effort toward normalization,” Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Program and a China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution, told Arab News.

But after years of freeze, the change was not likely to happen immediately.

Kewalramani expected that as the two countries resumed talks, they would be followed by more engagements at the levels of commerce, finance and industry and technology ministers.

“We can start to build on areas where there are commonalities and where are shared interests that would inject some sort of stability not only in the relationship but also in the geopolitics of the region,” he said.

“One can argue that the disruption that Donald Trump has caused has led to some degree of urgency, but I don’t think you’re going to see an overnight change in the relationship. I think what you are going to see is a slow, cautious, calibrated effort by both sides to try and arrive at some sort of a new equilibrium.”