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ISLAMABAD:

As a fresh political storm brews in Punjab, PTI on Friday announced that it will challenge the suspension of 26 of its MPAs from the Punjab Assembly through legal channels and public mobilisation.

The opposition party decried the speaker’s “unconstitutional and partisan” conduct, asserting it was left with no choice but to escalate both inside and outside the assembly.

At a joint press conference in Islamabad, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar and senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa condemned the Punjab government’s actions.

The party leaders denounced the “theft of mandate” on February 8 as Bhachar accused the political elite of installing a “fake chief minister” while dragging PTI workers out of their homes. “A worthless government that couldn’t even use its past budget… If we have offended the dignity of a so-called ‘second queen’, then so be it, we’ll keep doing so.”

Bhachar vowed that if the party was thrown out of the assembly, it would simply set up a “real assembly” on the streets. “We don’t care about seats, but history will remember you.”

Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Latif Khosa slammed the government for repeatedly violating the constitution, particularly with the 26th amendment followed by the suspension of 26 MPAs. He lamented the erosion of human rights: “They want to bring fascism to K-P; this hurts democracy.”

“The Constitutional Bench’s verdict on reserved seats was shameful, the election commission’s even more so.” He defended the rights of jailed leaders and workers to meet Imran Khan, criticising inaction on reports of corruption at Adiala Jail.

Similarly, Salman Akram Raja slammed the administration for writing a “history of cruelty and oppression”. “No member can be forced out over protest,” he said, adding the party would turn to courts, but doubted the rule of law still existed.

ISLAMABAD:

Amid relentless rainfall in the upper regions and the water level in Tarbela Dam surging, prompting authorities to open the dam’s spillways to manage the inflow.

The operation was scheduled for 12pm on Friday, according to officials, who have issued an alert for citizens residing along the spillway routes to remain cautious.

The spillway release is likely to result in flood-like conditions in the Indus River, they added.

According to a spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the opening of the spillways may cause the flow of water to increase significantly, ranging between 260,000 to 270,000 cusecs.

In light of the projected surge, the NDMA has strongly advised residents in adjacent regions to stay clear of riverbanks and water channels.

Meanwhile, five individuals who became trapped in the River Indus near Hund were safely rescued on Friday evening after a sudden rise in water levels caused by the opening of Tarbela Dam’s spillways.

According to officials, the incident occurred while the individuals were swimming in the river when the water level rapidly surged, leaving them stranded.

The rise in water was triggered by continuous rains in the upper regions, prompting authorities to release water from the dam earlier in the day.

Upon receiving the distress call, a Rescue 1122 team from Swabi swiftly reached the scene. Equipped with a rescue boat, life jackets and other safety gear, the team launched an immediate operation and successfully brought all five individuals to safety.

Local residents have been advised to adopt preventive measures and to avoid venturing near rivers or any high-risk water passages during this period of intensified flow.

Meanwhile, the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) on Friday released 275,954 cusecs of water from various rim stations with an inflow of 408,931 cusecs.

According to the data released by IRSA, the water level in the River Indus at Tarbela Dam was 1,520.00 feet, which was 118.00 feet higher than the dead level of 1402.00 feet. Water inflow and outflow in the dam was recorded as 272,900 cusecs and 151,500 cusecs, respectively.

The water level in the River Jhelum at Mangla Dam was 1,178.50 feet, which was 128.50 feet higher than its dead level of 1,050 feet. The inflow and outflow of water was recorded as 21,577 cusecs and 10,000 cusecs, respectively.

The release of water at Kalabagh, Taunsa, Guddu and Sukkur was recorded as 203,798, 178,886, 122,717 and 54,770 cusecs, respectively.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Friday warned the administrations of five districts about the high risk of glacial lake outburst floods due to a significant rise in temperatures and upcoming weather system.

In an advisory issued to the deputy commissioners of Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Swat and Upper Kohistan, the PDMA said that Pakistan Meteorological Department had formally informed it that as there was a significant rise in temperatures and upcoming weather system in northern parts of the country, the risk of Glofs was very likely to increase in glaciated areas of the province.

“The persistent high temperatures may accelerate snow and glacier melt and subsequent weather events, potentially triggering Glofs and flash floods in vulnerable valleys and surrounding regions in the current and upcoming week,” it said.

The PDMA said that in view of the above weather conditions, you are requested to kindly take all necessary precautionary measures to avoid any loss of human and animal life and damage to infrastructure and crops.

It urged authorities to undertake proactive monitoring and surveillance of vulnerable Glof sites to ensure timely early warning and response, conduct evacuation drills in at-risk communities to ensure full preparedness and ensure that safe evacuation sites are fully stocked and ready for utilisation in case of any eventuality.

The PDMA also called for the availability of necessary emergency equipment for rapid response in case of any eventuality, launch of mass awareness campaign about Glofs in at-risk areas, risk of the washing away of vehicles in water channels, and introduction of a community-based alert system for the people in low-lying areas.

It asked authorities to prepare evacuation plans for at-risk communities and its timely execution and issuance of warning to visitors to at-risk and vulnerable areas about travel risks.

The PDMA saidthe district administrations should coordinate with National Highway Authority, Frontier Works Organisation and the communication and works department for the timely restoration of roads in case of blockage, obstruction and damage.

It said that in case of heightened risk, controlled breaching of vulnerable Glof sites could be coordinated with the relevant departments to prevent sudden outburst events.

Last Wednesday, the PDMA alerted the district administrations across the province to the possibility of a new rain spell across the province from July 5 to 11.

In an advisory issued to the deputy commissioners across the province, it quoted the PMD as informing that moist currents were penetrating into most parts of the region and likely to become intensified in the next couple of days.

“A westerly wave is also expected to approach on July 5 evening or night. Under the influence of these weather system and rain showers with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds with isolated/scattered heavy falls (at times very heavy) are expected in Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Battagram, Shangla, Kohistan, Kolai Pallas Kohistan, Torghar, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Kohat, Hangu, Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and North and South Waziristan from July 5 to July 11 with occasional gaps,” it said.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday unveiled the “KP Good Governance Roadmap” with a two-year-implementation plan to improve public service delivery and institutional efficiency through an in-built reward and accountability system.

“There is always room for improvement and learning,” Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur said during the launching ceremony at his official residence here.

The event was attended by international donors, bureaucrats and cabinet members.

Chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah presented the roadmap and said it was anchored around three priority pillars, good governance, robust security and smart development encompassing interventions in twelve governance, one security and three development domains.

CM says new system of governance will be introduced if current doesn’t deliver

He said the high impact domain included health, education, social protection, economic uplift, infrastructure development, agriculture, energy, tourism and digitisation.

“In the health sector, the roadmap will seek to upgrade 250 basic health units and rural health centres into 24/7 maternal care facilities with provision of essential medicines at hospitals, while 54 Category-D hospitals will be outsourced through public-private partnership to enhance management and improve services,” he said.

Mr Shah said the education reform featured the reduction of out-of-school children by 50 per cent and upgradation of learning outcomes in public schools.

He said 1,500 schools would be outsourced to improve quality of education, while higher education would be re-aligned with market needs via launch of industry-relevant degree programs and internships.

“Appointments and postings will be performance-based subject to monthly reviews,” he said.

The chief secretary said that mega development projects would be completed on priority basis for quick public impact including Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, Peshawar New General Bus Stand and Northern Bypass, while in the tourism sector, 50 new tourist destinations and 25 sites would be developed.

“We are committed to delivery. With defined Key Performance Indicators, continuous oversight and an inclusive feedback mechanism, we are determined to ensure that every rupee spent translates into meaningful outcomes for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

Additional chief secretary (planning and development) Ikramullah Khan gave a quick overview of the reform roadmap to ensure immediate and quick public impact projects.

Chief Minister Gandapur said the government would have to come up with a new system of governance if the current system didn’t deliver.

He said he had ensured that all schools in his constituency had furniture, and yet, when prodded to submit demand for new furniture, the schools sought Rs400 million.

“This means that the furniture was either stolen or never delivered,” he said.

The chief minister said that reforms were necessary to bring transparency and accountability.

He said that it was important to fix responsibility and punish those responsible. He said that he would personally review the performance of officers and would reward the best performers with better posting and punish those who failed to deliver.

“Bureaucrats and politicians are equally responsible for bad governance and corruption,”he said.

The roadmap seeks to ensure timely implementation and accountability, a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system.

Its working paper says that the roadmap is based on detailed action plans prepared by the department themselves which will be reviewed on the weekly and monthly basis by the office of the chief secretary and quarterly at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

The chief secretary will directly oversee administrative and institutional reform, while the Performance Management and Reform Unit will utilize dashboard and geo-tagging evidence to track and verify progress.

“We are offering ourselves for scrutiny,” he said.

The chief secretary said that an effective communication strategy had also been prepared to augment the reform roadmap through a mix of traditional and digital media and social media platforms integrated with the CM’s Complaint Cell.

He responded to questions from participants and urged them to study the “living document” to study improvements.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

SUKKUR / RAHIM YAR KHAN: Many passenger trains had to be halted at various stations for up to eight hours in the first half of Friday due to the derailment of a goods train at Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district.

The tracks were badly damaged after the locomotive and five carriages of the freight train derailed close to the city’s station.

The train was on its way to Karachi from Punjab. Both ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ tracks were closed to the rail traffic till the tracks were restored at around 12noon, according to Railways officials.

According to sources in the department, the tracks were uprooted and carriages separated from the locomotive.

The ‘6 Down’ Green Line remained stuck at the Rahim Yar Khan station for no fewer than eight hours after it was halted at around 4am. Its passengers experienced an unbearably long wait for the resumption of their journey and that, too, amid sweltering weather conditions.

Many trains halted at different stations; most people struggle to find food and water

Many other ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ trains, including Pak Business Express, Millat Express, Rehman Baba Express, Awam Express, Bahauddin Zakria Express, Tezgam and Karachi Express were halted at different railway stations on the main ML-I track within the Sukkur Railway Division.

They remain stuck at Liaquatpur, Khanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiq­abad, Daharki, Ghotki, Pannu Aaqil and Rohri railway stations, according to Railways sources.

At the Rahim Yar Khan station, Green Line passengers complained that neither the Railways ministry nor the local staff bothered to make arrangements for food and water for them during their eight-hour ordeal.

Some welfare organistions, realising the condition of men, women and children getting worse due to intense heat and unavailability of water, brought food and water to the station and served the passengers.

At Walhar station along Punjab-Sindh border, an ice cream vendor riding his tricycle pulled up and distributed the entire stock he had among perturbed passengers of another train free of cost.

All the stuck up trains were given green signal at about 12noon after a relief train hit the Mirpur Mathelo station when the work for the removal of derailed locomotive and carriages as well as restoration of the tracks was completed.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025