Category: 1. Pakistan

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday issued an alert for heavy rainfall in various districts of Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during the next 12 to 24 hours.

According to the alert released by NDMA’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), there is a risk of flooding and landslides in these regions.

The disaster management authority said rainfall is expected in the districts of Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, and Kasur. In addition, Jhelum, Chakwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, and Pakpattan are also likely to experience heavy rains within the next 12 to 24 hours. The rains may cause flooding in urban and low-lying areas, while water levels in local streams and nullahs may rise significantly.

Nearly 150,000 moved to safety as Sutlej swells, flood risk escalates: NDMA

Intermittent downpour is also expected across AJK in the coming 12 to 24 hours. This increases the risk of flash floods in streams and landslides in hilly areas of Neelum Valley, Bagh, Kotli, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, and Haveli. The NDMA has warned that strong water flow in mountain streams could also disrupt traffic on connecting roads.

The NDMA had already issued an alert regarding rising water levels and potential flooding in the River Sutlej. Authorities have launched large-scale evacuation operations in areas near the Sutlej. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, Rescue 1122, and Pakistan Army engineers are actively engaged in relief operations to manage the situation, the authority said in a handout.

Authorities have urged the public to take precautionary measures, avoid rivers, streams, and low-lying areas, and refrain from unnecessary travel.

GENEVA: More than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely-managed drinking water, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning that progress toward universal coverage was moving nowhere near quickly enough.

The UN’s health and children’s agencies said a full one in four people globally were without access to safely-managed drinking water last year, with over 100 million people remaining reliant on drinking surface water — for example from rivers, ponds and canals.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF said lagging water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services were leaving billions at greater risk of disease.

They said in a joint study that the world remain far off track to reach a target of achieving universal coverage of such services by 2030.

Instead, that goal “is increasingly out of reach,” they warned.

“Water, sanitation and hygiene are not privileges: they are basic human rights,” said the WHO’s environment chief Ruediger Krech.

“We must accelerate action, especially for the most marginalized communities.”

The report looked at five levels of drinking water services.

Safely managed, the highest, is defined as drinking water accessible on the premises, available when needed and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.

The four levels below are basic (improved water taking less than 30 minutes to access), limited (improved, but taking longer), unimproved (for example, from an unprotected well or spring), and surface water.

Since 2015, 961 million people have gained access to safely-managed drinking water, with coverage rising from 68 percent to 74 percent, the report said.

Of the 2.1 billion people last year still lacking safely managed drinking water services, 106 million used surface water — a decrease of 61 million over the past decade.

The number of countries that have eliminated the use of surface water for drinking meanwhile increased from 142 in 2015 to 154 in 2024, the study said.

In 2024, 89 countries had universal access to at least basic drinking water, of which 31 had universal access to safely managed services.

The 28 countries where more than one in four people still lacked basic services were largely concentrated in Africa.

As for sanitation, 1.2 billion people have gained access to safely managed sanitation services since 2015, with coverage rising from 48 percent to 58 percent, the study found.

These are defined as improved facilities that are not shared with other households, and where excreta are safely disposed of in situ or removed and treated off-site.

The number of people practicing open defecation has decreased by 429 million to 354 million 2024, or to four percent of the global population.

Since 2015, 1.6 billion people have gained access to basic hygiene services — a hand washing facility with soap and water at home — with coverage increasing from 66 percent to 80 percent, the study found.

“When children lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, their health, education, and futures are put at risk,” warned Cecilia Scharp, UNICEF’s director for WASH.

“These inequalities are especially stark for girls, who often bear the burden of water collection and face additional barriers during menstruation.

“At the current pace, the promise of safe water and sanitation for every child is slipping further from reach.”

A parliamentary audit has revealed that the Prime Minister Laptop Scheme Phase 2 suffered significant losses after 227 government-issued laptops remained unaccounted for. The Public Accounts Committee was told that 1,011 laptops were reported missing or stolen, of which 784 have been recovered and 227 remain missing. The Public Accounts Committee has demanded recovery within 30 days or financial accountability from those responsible.

Missing Laptops

Officials from the Higher Education Commission confirmed that records show 784 laptops recovered, but 227 devices are still untraced. The audit values the missing items at more than Rs 11.9 million. Universities have not been able to submit records of 757 laptops, and this creates loopholes in the tracing and recovery efforts. The committee emphasized poor supervision and poor record-keeping at various institutions.

HEC Response

The HEC said it revised earlier figures after reconciliation and that the number of previously flagged missing units was reduced through audits. The HEC acknowledged remaining discrepancies at several universities and pledged to tighten inventory controls and to improve verification processes. The agency committed to submit a detailed recovery plan and to share progress reports with the committee.

PAC Directive

The Public Accounts Committee directed authorities to recover all missing laptops within 30 days. The committee warned that if recovery does not succeed, the financial loss will be recovered from officials deemed responsible. The panel recommended disciplinary action in the case where negligence is discovered, and stronger checks should be carried out after future distributions.

The Prime Minister Laptop Scheme is currently in a position that needs urgent remediation in order to win the trust of the masses and, at the same time, to safeguard Government money. The HEC and member universities should submit verifiable lists and/or comply with the PAC directive in a timely manner. The committee will oversee progress and will impose accountability measures when necessary.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up petitions on Tuesday challenging the distribution of private Hajj quotas. A group of tour operators withdrew from the case, claiming their names had been included without approval.

Justice Muhammad Azam Khan issued notices to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other respondents after initial arguments contending that the allocation of quotas through Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) was unlawful. The judge later issued a written order.

Some 12 operators filed separate applications to withdraw from the case, telling the court their names had been added without their consent or knowledge.

Read: Only 3,500 seats remain in Hajj quota

Represented by Advocate Chaudhry Usama Tariq, they asked the court to strike their names from the list of petitioners. The court accepted their requests.

Earlier, petitioners’ lawyers argued that the federal government was violating the Hajj and Umrah Regulations Act 2024. They sought restoration of private Hajj quota to 50 percent, priority for pilgrims who missed out in 2025 for the 2026 pilgrimage, and exclusion of HOAP from administrative matters.

Advocates Sheikh Khizer Rasheed and Shaheena Shahab appeared on behalf of the petitioners. They argued that the government’s quota distribution mechanism lacked legality and transparency.

The court has directed all respondents to submit written replies before the next hearing.

The Punjab government is preparing to roll out the second phase of its free laptop distribution scheme, aimed at enhancing students’ access to digital learning resources across the province.

According to the Higher Education Department, merit-based distribution will commence next month under a finalized schedule.

The initiative will be formally inaugurated by the Punjab Chief Minister during a ceremony expected in the first or second week of September.

During the first phase, around 14,000 laptops were distributed among students in Lahore.

The upcoming phase is designed to cover a larger pool of eligible students throughout Punjab, furthering the government’s goal of strengthening higher education and advancing digital inclusion.

Benefits for students:

Encourages digital literacy and e-learning among students.

Provides access to modern educational tools for research and assignments.

Reduces the digital divide, especially for students from underprivileged backgrounds

Supports merit-based academic achievement.

The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) has officially declared the class 12th (2nd Year) results 2025 on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

Result Announcement Details

• Result Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
• Class: 12th (2nd Year / Intermediate Part-II)
• Board: FBISE, Islamabad

How to Check Federal Board FBISE Class 12th Results 2025

Students can check their FBISE 12th class results using any of the following official methods:

1. Online via Official Website

• Visit www.fbise.edu.pk
• Click on “Class 12th Result 2025”
• Enter your roll number or name
• Click “Search Result” to view your marksheet

2. Via SMS

• Type your roll number and send it to 5050
• You will receive your result on your phone via SMS

3. FBISE Mobile App

• Download the official FBISE Mobile App from Google Play Store
• Open the app and go to the “Results” tab
• Enter your roll number to view your complete result

FBISE 12th Class Results 2025 Gazette

The complete Class 12th Gazette PDF is available on the FBISE website. It includes school-wise and group-wise statistics along with the names of top position holders.

Special Central Judge Shahrukh Arjumand on Tuesday directed the Adiala Jail superintendent to allow the family members and lawyers in the Toshakhana Case-II to attend the hearing against the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi.

Issuing the written order from the previous hearing held at Adiala Jail, Judge Shahrukh Arjumand stated that the jail superintendent should permit those lawyers to attend the hearing who have submitted their power of attorney.

The order also stated that any family members present outside the jail should be allowed to attend the hearing as well.

Barrister Salman Safdar had moved an application against restrictions on the presence of lawyers and family members.

After issuing the instructions to the superintendent, the court disposed of the application.