Category: 1. Pakistan

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reminded all political parties to submit their audited financial statements for the fiscal year 2024-25 by August 29, 2025.

An ECP spokesperson said the submission is mandatory under Sections 204 and 210 of the Elections Act, 2017, and the relevant provisions of the Election Rules, 2017. The statements must be filed on Form D, certified by a chartered accountant, and include full details.

Each party is required to disclose its income, expenditure, assets, liabilities, and sources of funding, along with complete bank statements covering the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

The ECP further clarified that all documents must be submitted in person by an authorised representative at the ECP Secretariat, Islamabad, as submissions through mail, fax, or courier will not be accepted.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a mechanism to transfer the benefit of the levy collected from captive power producers to the national grid’s electricity consumers, providing relief to households and businesses.

The meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, was attended by federal ministers for power, petroleum, national food security, the special assistant to the prime minister on industries, and other senior officials.

The ECC also approved a supplementary Grant of Rs. 3.813 billion for Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) to meet expenses related to tariff adjustment, net metering, salaries, pensions, and operational costs.

The remaining amount from the Rs. 11 billion request will be released on a quarterly basis.

While approving the allocation, the ECC stressed the need for PTV to reduce its reliance on government bailouts and move towards financial self-sufficiency.

Petroleum Levy Recovery from Cnergyico

The ECC also approved a settlement framework prepared by the Petroleum Division for the recovery of the petroleum levy defaulted on by Cnergyico PK Limited (CPL) since 2019. The framework, aligned with decisions of the SIFC, mandates recovery of the principal amount audited to date. The Petroleum Division has been authorized to sign a deed of settlement with CPL, with strict instructions to ensure full recovery under agreed terms.

White Oil Pipeline Project

The Committee further endorsed tariff terms for the Machike-Thallian Tarrujabba White Oil Pipeline project, being developed on a government-to-government basis with Azerbaijan. The approval is expected to facilitate the strategic project and boost bilateral trade and investment ties.

Flood Relief for Gilgit-Baltistan

In line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directives during his recent visit to the flood-affected areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, the ECC sanctioned Rs. 3 billion for emergency relief and rehabilitation. The funds will cover tents, medicines, food supplies, and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure to support early recovery efforts.

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza was taken into ‘preventative custody’ from his academy in Jhelum, police said on Tuesday, a day after reports of his arrest surfaced. 

According to Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Meesam Abbas and District Police Officer Ahmed Mohiyuddin, Mirza’s was detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance.

Under Section 3 of the MPO, the authorities have the power to arrest and detain suspects to prevent “any person from acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety” or to maintain public order.

The police clarified that this so-called arrest stands as “preventative detention” and no criminal charge has been levied against him.

According to Punjab Police, statements made by Mirza in a certain viral video could cause sectarian violence, making his detention under the MPO “inevitable”.

He’s being detained for 30 days on the orders of Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Syed Maysam Abbas, according to district police. Mirza’s “Islamic Academy” in Jhelum has also been sealed, added police. 

The Express Tribune was able to contact some acquaintances of Mirza, who stated that Mirza had agreed to go into custody if it meant avoiding violence.

Read: Religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza arrested in Jhelum

Details regarding the case are scarce but what we do know is that on Sunday, a group of religious figures met the Jhelum deputy commissioner and submitted a written complaint demanding action against “controversial statements” Mirza made in said video.

Mirza’s first run-in with the law was in May of 2020, when he was charged on allegations of making derogatory comments about other religious scholars. He was later released on bail.

In 2023, Mirza found himself embroiled in yet another controversy with a blasphemy charge was filed against him in April of that year.

Mirza has survived three assassination attempts in 2019, 2021, and 2023. In 2023, a madrasa student barged into Mirza’s Research academy armed with a knife. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had also offered a bounty of Rs500,000 on Mirza’s head.

 

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Tuesday approved a relief package worth Rs3 billion for flood-affected families in Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to the ECC, the package will ensure timely provision of tents, medicines, food, and other essential supplies to affected households. Funds will also be utilised for the restoration of damaged infrastructure and early rehabilitation of affected communities.

The committee also approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs11 billion for Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) in respect of tariff adjustment and net metering. An immediate release of Rs3.813 billion was sanctioned for payment of salaries, pensions, and operational expenses, while the remaining amount will be disbursed on a quarterly basis. The ECC stressed that PTV must gradually reduce reliance on government funding and move towards self-reliance.

In another decision, the ECC authorised the Petroleum Division to sign a Deed of Settlement with CPL regarding recovery of petroleum levy dues outstanding since 2019, directing that the entire amount be collected as per the agreed terms.

The committee also approved a procedure for passing on the benefit of levy collected from captive power consumers to electricity consumers.

Additionally, the ECC reviewed a summary concerning the tariff of the Mishke-Thalyan-Tarujaba White Oil Pipeline Project being developed in cooperation with Azerbaijan. The committee approved the terms and conditions submitted by the Petroleum Division, noting that the project would further enhance trade, investment, and bilateral relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

Eight terrorists of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group have been killed in a joint operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Dir district, the police said on Tuesday.

Talking to Geo News, Lower Dir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bilal Haider said: “The police began the operation three days ago against the Fitna-al-Khawarij in which so far we have reports of eight terrorists dead, with bodies of five recovered and the search for the rest underway.”

The SSP said the clearance operation was taking some time due to the weather conditions and the dense foliage of the area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) for the operations, adding that he and the entire nation were proud of them.

Five security personnel and three civilians, including a two-year-old child, embraced martyrdom while several policemen sustained injuries as clashes between security forces and militants continued over the weekend and a day ago in various parts of KP. At least seven terrorists were also killed, officials and sources had said.

In Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts, officials and sources had said five suspected militants were killed and seven policemen injured late on Sunday night during fierce clashes between the security forces and the TTP. They said the exchange of fire in the Dobando area of Upper Dir continued for several hours. Two civilians from Hatnar Dara, caught in the crossfire, lost their lives.

A senior CTD official had told Dawn.com that the bodies of all five terrorists were in police custody. They might have links across the border in Afghanistan, he had said.

In Lower Dir’s Lajbook Dara area, heavy firing broke out between police and militants. Though no casualties were reported from this clash, tension gripped the area as the attackers torched police vehicles, including two pick-up trucks and a car, locals had said. Sharing the footage on social media, the outlawed TTP claimed they had “seized the vehicles and destroyed them”.

In July last year, the government designated the TTP as Fitna-al-Khawarij, while mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past years, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

Recent terrorist attacks have predominantly targeted the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel and security forces. In response, the state has also intensified its counterterrorism operations.

Northern areas are reeling from devastating climate-induced flash floods that killed hundreds earlier this month, destroying homes, infrastructure and livelihoods in scenes many compared to the catastrophic 2022 deluges.

Pakistan ranks among the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, despite contributing less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts warn that such floods and other calamities are no longer “rare disasters” and are becoming routine shocks in a country ill-prepared to withstand them.

The focus, according to these experts, must now be on adaptation, not emissions cuts.

“Floods are no longer rare disasters in Pakistan. They are becoming routine shocks that people brace for every monsoon. Calling them the ‘new normal’ is not an exaggeration,” said Karachi-based ecologist Rafi-ul-Haq.

Since mid-August, torrential rains, flash floods and cloudbursts have killed more than 460 people across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the worst-hit, where swollen rivers, mudslides and collapsing homes have buried entire families. Nationwide, almost 800 people have died in rain-triggered floods and landslides since late June.

Haq said the intensity of rains and floods is accelerating due to climate change, global warming and melting glaciers. But human actions — unplanned urbanisation, deforestation, blocked waterways, lax governance and weak emergency responses — account for as much as 60pc of the destruction.

“Pakistan cannot stop the rain, but it can prevent much of the suffering by fixing manmade vulnerabilities,” he said. “Floods will happen, but disasters don’t have to.”

Ahmed Kamal, an Islamabad-based flood management expert, described the current flooding as a “new normal”. Shifting monsoon patterns, he said, have intensified rainfall and created new hotspots of devastation.

The Gilgit-Baltistan region, home to towering glaciers, has experienced alarming changes. Temperatures have risen steadily, accelerating glacier melt and causing glacial lake outburst floods. In May, Chilas district recorded an unprecedented 49°C (120F).

“We have our glaciers melting very fast, while winters are shrinking,” Kamal said. “Snowfall was almost 50pc below average last year.”

He also pointed out the dangers of intensifying cyclone threats in Pakistan, saying that rising sea surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea have shifted storm activity westward, with cyclones increasingly striking the coast since 2007.

At the same time, decades of deforestation — driven by demand for farmland and housing — have stripped the country of natural flood buffers. “This has multiplied the frequency and intensity of floods,” Kamal said.

Adaptation, resilience, and governance

Experts argue that Pakistan must focus on building resilience through a mix of natural and structural solutions.

“Given its economic limits, Pakistan’s priority must be adaptation and resilience rather than emissions cuts,” Haq said.

He called for restoring wetlands, mangroves and floodplains to absorb excess water, clearing illegal construction from drainage channels, and upgrading city drainage systems with green infrastructure.

He also emphasised the need for flood-resilient farming backed by insurance and social safety nets. “Low-cost steps like pre-monsoon drain cleaning, early warning systems, and community shelters can save lives immediately,” he said, while also stressing the need to address weak land-use planning and corruption.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has acknowledged that “criminal negligence” by successive governments had allowed construction on riverbeds and watersheds. At a cabinet meeting last week, he vowed to clear these encroachments.

“Along with this, larger investments in watershed management and resilient housing can follow with international climate finance,” said Kamal.

Climate governance expert Imran Saqib Khalid warned that unless Pakistan takes quick action, the future could bring food insecurity, water shortages and mass migration. “Science shows that if we continue on this trajectory, by the end of the century we’ll reach close to 2.5°C warming, which will cause havoc,” he said.

Khalid also argued that Islamabad must join forces with other low-emitting nations to demand fairer global action and finance.

Kamal concluded on an optimistic note, saying: “The challenge is enormous, but the window of opportunity is still there. With scientifically smart adaptation strategies, we could at least mitigate much of the devastation.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the National Disaster Management Authority to expedite rescue operations in the flood-hit districts of Punjab.

The prime minister instructed the NDMA chairman to take immediate steps for the evacuation of people stranded in flood-affected areas.

He asked the authority to take protective measures and intensify monitoring, considering the flood situation at Ganda Singh Wala in the River Sutlej.

The prime minister also directed to ensure the provision of food, medicines, and tents to the affected population, besides instructing the NDMA chairman to maintain close coordination with Punjab’s disaster management authority.

Next year will be more challenging

Meanwhile, the NDMA chairman has said that due to climate change, the weather pattern in Pakistan is undergoing rapid changes.

During a briefing to the Public Accounts Committee on recent floods and torrential rains, the NDMA chief said the coming year would be even more challenging, with a projected 22% increase in rain intensity.

He stressed that residential settlements along water channels should be evacuated to prevent loss of life and property.

The NDMA chairman stated that the current monsoon spell would continue until September 10.

Responding to a question, he said that water reservoirs were being closely monitored, adding that around 150,000 people have already been shifted to safer areas.

Around 2,100 tons of relief supplies have been dispatched to flood-affected areas, he added.

The NDMA chairman stated that areas in Gilgit-Baltistan suffered widespread devastation in floods and rains.