Category: 1. Pakistan

Flooding at Punjab’s Kalabagh and Chashma on the Indus river reached a “medium” level on Friday, prompting the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to issue a high-level flood warning for the two points, as water flows surged due to heavy monsoon rains.

Rescue operations continued in Punjab after recent deadly rains wreaked havoc and claimed at least 63 lives across the province. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecasted that five more such spells of rain are expected in the coming days, leading to rising water levels, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The next spell is expected to begin from July 21 and last till July 28, while the fifth is expected in the first week of August, the sixth in the second week of August and the seventh in its third week.

“The flow of water in rivers is increasing due to monsoon rains and glacial melting,” a statement issued by the PDMA spokesperson said.

According to the data released by the Met Office’s Flood Forecasting Division at 4pm, there was a medium-level flood at Kalabagh and Chashma Barrage with falling water inflow and outflow at the former, and rising flows at the latter.

There was a low-level flood at Tarbela Dam, as well as at Guddu and Sukkur barrages in Sindh, as of 12pm. While the water inflows and outflows were falling at Tarbela and Guddu, they were rising steady at Sukkur.

In view of the situation, the PDMA issued a warning for an expected high-level flood at Kalabagh and Chashma during the next 24 hours.

“Activate flood monitoring and early warning systems,” the advisory said. It also ordered authorities to strengthen embankments, establish relief and medical camps, as well as stockpile essential medicines and food.

According to NDMA’s website, 15 people have died across the country in the last 24 hours as a result of the rains, while 53 have been injured. Eleven of these deaths were reported from Punjab.

Since June 26, 193 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents across the country and 544 others have been injured, the website data said.

The majority of casualties were recorded in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, with 114 deaths and 437 injuries. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 40 fatalities, Sindh 21, Balochistan 16 and one death each in Azad Kashmir and Islamabad.

In a statement, the PDMA urged residents living alongside the rivers to evacuate the areas with their cattle. “The Punjab government will fully take care of you and your livestock,” PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia was quoted as saying.

Alerts had been issued to the Sargodha and Dera Ghazi Khan commissioners as well as the deputy commissioners of Mianwali, Layyah, Bhakkar, Kot Addu, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh.

It directed the local administration, the agricultural, health, wildlife, livestock and transport departments, and Rescue 1122 to remain alert and be fully prepared. The PDMA stressed to ensure ample fuel stock for rescue operations.

Flood level at Kalabagh has been moderate since at least 6am, according to data issued by the PDMA earlier today.

In a statement, the authority said that the water levels at the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers were normal, as well as those at Dera Ghazi Khan’s irrigation system.

“The water level in Mangla Dam is 47 per cent and 79pc in Tarbela, whereas the water levels in Indian dams on Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi are up to 36pc,” said the statement.

Rains continue in Lahore

Meanwhile, rains continued in Lahore, with the city recording as much as 111mm of rainfall at Nakhuda Chowk, according to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa).

From 12:20pm to 3:10pm, the city received an average of 24mm of rain. Tajpura recorded 55mm of rainfall, Mughalpura 45mm, Pani Wala Talab 35mm, Farrukhabad 33mm, Lakhshmi Chowk and Nishtar Town witnessed 21mm each and Johar Town received 19mm of rain.

Upper Mall, Gulberg, Jail Road, Iqbal Town, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Samanabad and Qurtaba Chowk recorded 10mm or less rainfall, while the airport area received none.

Yesterday, Section 144 was imposed across Punjab along with a state of emergency in several districts as heavy rains triggered flooding and left dozens dead.

This year’s monsoon intensity “is 60–70 per cent higher than last year, and averaging 65 per cent more than anticipated across the region”, NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik was quoted as saying by APP.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza, in a statement, directed the Lahore Electric Supply Company to ensure uninterrupted power supply. He advised citizens to avoid electric cables and poles, as well as areas where water accumulates.

Wasa Managing Director Ghufran Ahmed and Vice-Chairman Chaudhry Shahbaz Ahmad visited various low-lying areas of Lahore, including Nakhuda Chowk, Bhaati Gate, Circular Road, Akbari Gate, Delhi Gate and Kotwali.

The Wasa top officials were briefed on the water drainage operations, a statement by the agency said. Ghufran ordered the teams to speed up their efforts and ensure that the machinery was fully functional.

Over 1,000 rescued along Potohar plateau: PDMA

Amid the ongoing situation, the PDMA DG directed the administration to stay on high alert.

“PDMA Control Room and District Emergency Operation Centres are monitoring the situation 24/7”, said DG Kathia in a statement, urging the public to take necessary precautionary measures, avoid unnecessary travel, and steer clear of electric wires and poles.

Detailing the PDMA’s rescue efforts in a statement, he said that “more than 1,000 people were rescued along the Potohar plateau, including 398 citizens in Jhelum, 209 in Chakwal, and 450 in Rawalpindi”.

“No loss of life has been reported yet due to anyone getting caught in the floodwater,” Kathia claimed.

The district administration and Pakistan Army personnel participated in the rescue operations, he added. Citizens were evacuated via helicopters in many areas where rescue boats were unable to reach.

DG PDMA stressed that “monsoon rains are predicted to be more than usual this year”, vowing that all resources would be utilised to protect citizens.

Separately, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Farooq Ahmad, Punjab Rescue 1122 detailed the casualties and damages that occurred due to the recent monsoon rains since June 25.

Rescue 1122 stated that most of the casualties occurred in house collapse incidents — 351 since June 25 — due to dilapidated buildings. It recorded 61 traffic accidents, 22 electrocutions and four lightning incidents, among others.

According to the statement, 15,000 rescue personnel were on high alert across Punjab with 800 boats.

Pakistan experiences monsoon rainfall from June to September every year. The heavy rains also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the NDMA and the climate and planning ministers to engage the provinces for a comprehensive disaster management plan based on the lessons learnt from this year’s devastating rains and cloudburst events.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has directed all departments under the Ministry of Interior to improve coordination for better service delivery and performance.

Chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad, the minister said there is a serious lack of coordination among the ministry’s subordinate institutions, which must be addressed on an emergency basis.

He asked all departments to submit proposals within three days suggesting changes to rules and other necessary recommendations.

A comprehensive plan is to be finalised and presented by the federal secretary of the interior.

Interior Minister Naqvi inaugurates 24/7 passport office in Karachi

Naqvi emphasised the need for teamwork and stronger cooperation between departments. “We need to fully benefit from each other’s strengths to improve institutional performance,” he said.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, senior ministry officials, and heads of various departments including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), NADRA, Islamabad Police, Passport and Immigration, Cyber Crime Investigation, and others.

The minister said that better coordination will ultimately benefit the public and ensure more efficient service delivery.

The south-west monsoon continued a deadly streak in Pakistan this week, with torrential rain on Wednesday killing at least 63 people. After beginning life as showers and thunderstorms in north-west India this week, a more organised area of low pressure developed, merging showers into a larger area of heavy rain as they moved into the Pakistani province of Punjab. This rain tracked roughly north across Punjab on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, hitting several major cities including Lahore and the capital, Islamabad. The greatest rainfall was in the city of Chakwal, which recorded 423mm (16.6in), more than double the July average.

Rivers overflowed their banks, significantly flooding low-lying areas of Punjab. Though several of the deaths were attributed to drowning, the majority were the result of building collapses. A number of deaths were reportedly from electrocution. This latest deluge takes the death toll from this year’s monsoon, which began in late June, to almost 180, more than half of which are children. Owing to its large low-lying regions, Pakistan is among the countries most endangered by the climate crisis, with significant flooding events becoming more common in recent years.

Meanwhile torrential rain also led to flash flooding in the US states of New York and New Jersey this week. In New Jersey, where a state of emergency was declared, more than 150mm of rain fell within a few hours, flooding several major roads and killing two people whose car was swept away. New York City recorded its second-highest hourly rainfall ever, after 50mm fell within just half an hour, with water dramatically pouring into the subway systems.

Nepal recently experienced flooding of a different kind, after a “glacial lake outburst”. As temperatures rose through the spring, a glacier 21 miles (35km) upstream of the Tibetan border began to melt, eventually forming a lake atop the glacier, which had grown to 638,000 sq metres by early July. Then on 8 July, subsidence of the glacier allowed drainage of the water, which subsequently tore downstream across the Tibetan landscape and into Nepal’s Rasuwa district. This “Himalayan tsunami” caused flooding that was metres-deep in places, damaged several key pieces of infrastructure and killed at least seven people.

Such glacial lake outbursts have increased in recent years, as rapid warming of the Himalayan climate has increased the number of unstable high-altitude glacial lakes and leaving communities at lower elevations at increased at risk of unpredictable flash flooding.

A recent Dawn editorial rightly warns that Pakistan can no longer treat each flood or weather disaster as an unpredictable tragedy. With extreme weather now frequent and severe, the real failure is not forecasting but how early warnings are ignored, drainage channels stay blocked by encroachments, and local authorities remain too weak to act.

Pakistan has at least five major agencies for disaster monitoring and response: SUPARCO, the Meteorological Department (PMD), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs), and District DDMAs. SUPARCO collects satellite data, PMD analyses it with global weather feeds and field reports, and sends forecasts to NDMA, PDMAs, DDMAs, and the media. NDMA coordinates national response, while PDMAs and DDMAs are supposed to handle local action.

On paper, the system should work. In reality, each crisis reveals the same gaps. On 26 June 2025, NDMA issued a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) warning for vulnerable areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. Yet on 27 June, a sudden surge in the Swat River swept away 17 tourists. Fourteen drowned while waiting for official help; only three survived, rescued by two local volunteers.

NDMA alerts often read like forecasts, not instructions. The July alert named whole provinces but didn’t say how much rain, which rivers to watch, or which villages to evacuate. A real warning would say: “200 mm rain likely in Swat, Lehri Nullah may overflow by 2 July afternoon — evacuate low-lying villages now.”

Without clear local instructions, villagers do not know when to flee. Rescue teams come unprepared — as in Swat, where rescuers brought a rope too short to reach victims. NDMA and PDMAs have contingency plans — but these sit buried in PDFs, untested and unread.

Since 2000, Pakistan has suffered repeated floods and GLOFs — from Chitral to Swat to Hunza — as reflected in the following table:

Year	Location	Trigger	Lives Lost	Livestock Lost	Economic Cost (USD)	Key Failures
2000	Bindo Gol, Chitral	GLOF	35+	500+ cattle	~$5M	No early warning
2005	Ghulkin Glacier, Hunza	GLOF	12	200+ livestock	~$3M	Highway blocked for weeks
2010	Indus Basin	GLOFs + Monsoon	1,985+	10,000+ cattle	~$10B	No GLOF tracking
2015	Badswat, Chitral	GLOF	6	150+ livestock	~$8M	Delayed evacuations
2019	Shisper Glacier, Hunza	GLOF	0	Minimal	~$2M	No post-burst report
2022	Shisper Glacier, Hunza	GLOF	0	50+ livestock	~$1.5M	No lake stabilisation
2022	Swat Valley	Monsoon + Melt	17+	300+ livestock	~$50M	No evacuation drills
2023	Darkut Glacier, Chitral	Suspected GLOF	3	100+ livestock	~$4M	No ground sensors

(Source: NDMA, PDMA, UNDP, ICIMOD)

Despite launching the $37 million GLOF-II project in 2017, with new gauges, sirens, and local training, no real-time link connects “human sensors” in villages to official rescue teams.

Technology alone won’t save lives if SOPs sit buried, rescue checklists gather dust, and trust is missing on the ground

Contrast this with Nepal: there, local committees issue instant alerts by siren, SMS, radio, or mosque loudspeakers. Villagers know when to move and how to respond — zero GLOF deaths in 2023, despite having more glacial lakes than Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s disaster plan remains stuck. SUPARCO watches from satellites, the PMD issues rainfall updates, and the NDMA sends vague alerts — but glacier bursts still catch villages unprepared because these alerts give forecasts, not clear instructions for people or rescue teams.

Pakistan has just six Urban Search & Rescue teams for the whole country — around 700 people. Punjab’s PDMA has 100 rescue staff; Sindh, Balochistan, KP have few or none recorded. A new batch of 234 rescuers mostly went to Punjab, while flood-prone KP got just 37.

PMD’s monitoring is equally skewed: Punjab and Islamabad together have nearly 100 observatories and over 2,000 staff. Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK — ground zero for glacial floods — have just 13 observatories and about 130 people. This leaves massive blind spots.

PMD’s manpower shows similar gaps:

Region	Observatories	Workforce
Punjab	47	~1,000
Sindh	18	~400
KP	17	~350
Balochistan	16	~300
GB & AJK	13	~130
ICT	47	~1,000

Why keep so many overlapping layers — NDMA, PDMAs, DDMAs — when PMD already has a network and decades of expertise? Why does Islamabad alone have as many observatories as all Punjab, while flood-prone regions together have fewer than Punjab and ICT combined? Whose safety does this system protect?

Approximate fatalities from major floods combined — 2000–2023:

Sindh	2,800–3,000 deaths
Balochistan	1,200–1,500 deaths
KP & AJK	1,300–1,500 deaths
Punjab	800–1,000 deaths
GB	100–200 deaths

Flood & Rain-Related Property Damage in Pakistan (2020–2023):

Sindh	2,300,000 houses
Balochistan	345,000 houses
Punjab	335,000 houses
KP	145,000 houses
AJK & GB	14,000 houses

These figures paint a grim picture: Sindh, Balochistan, KP, and AJK have lost far more lives than Punjab and GB combined. Property damage shows the same pattern — Sindh alone saw 2.3 million houses damaged in just three years.

Floods start in KP, GB, and Balochistan — heavy rainfall and glacier melt surge downstream. If upstream monitoring fails, downstream warnings come too late. Yet Islamabad and Punjab hold the bulk of monitoring centres and staff. The real need is more labs in mountains, better-trained local rescuers, and clear evacuation drills.

PDMAs and DDMAs are provincial, but NDMA and PMD are federal. Two root causes weaken our response: monitoring is weakest where it’s needed most, and NDMA’s alerts rarely reach communities as trusted, actionable instructions.

Unfortunately, NDMA and PMD’s footprint stays tilted toward urban centres like Islamabad and Punjab, instead of matching resources to where floods strike first.

Environmental forecasting is difficult, and Pakistan is not alone in these failures. The recent Texas floods exposed similar gaps. The initial U.S. forecast on 2 July predicted moderate rainfall of 6–8 inches; by the night of 3 July and early 4 July, it had escalated to 15–19 inches in just hours, overwhelming real-time forecasting already strained by staff shortages.

Pakistan’s PMD faces the same gaps: low manpower, especially in northern flood zones, and centralised expertise that slows local response. Both countries struggle with limited real-time data and sparse monitoring. Critically, neither has reliable local alert systems — no flood sirens in Texas despite years of debate, and minimal sirens or mosque loudspeakers in Pakistan, leaving communities unwarned.

These parallels prove forecasts alone are not enough; strong staffing, local monitoring, and working sirens are what turn data into life-saving action.

Technology alone won’t save lives if SOPs sit buried, rescue checklists gather dust, and trust is missing on the ground. After two decades of floods and broken promises, the question remains: why do over 3,000 staff and overlapping agencies still fail when people need them most? Only the state can answer — if it ever chooses to.

The United States on Thursday designated the group behind the April Pahalgam attack in India, which killed 26 people, as a terrorist organization.

The US now lists The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the TRF a “front and proxy” of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group.

Rubio said in a statement that the move reflects Washington’s commitment to counterterrorism and enforces US President Donald Trump’s “call for justice” over the Pahalgam killings.

US move seen as support for India

India welcomed the US decision, with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar calling it a “strong affirmation” of India-US counterterrorism cooperation.

In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called “the designation of TRF is a timely and important step reflecting the deep cooperation between India and the United States on counter-terrorism,” The Indian Express newspaper reported.

Experts see the US move as a sign of deepening support for India in the wake of the April terrorist attack.

“This can be a shot in the arm for a U.S.-India relationship looking to rebound after a few tough months,” said Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asia analyst and writer for Foreign Policy magazine told Reuters news agency.

The move comes a day after it was reported that Trump would visit Pakistan in September, although this was not confirmed by Pakistani authorities.

Pahalgam attack targeted Hindu tourists

The April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, was the deadliest involving civilians in India since 2008.

While India blamed Pakistan for backing the attackers, Islamabad denied involvement and called for a neutral probe.

The incident sparked a major escalation in hostilities between the two South Asian nuclear-armed neighbors as the conflict escalated into airstrikes, drone and artillery attacks before a ceasefire was reached on May 10.

The TRF initially claimed responsibility for the attack but later retracted its statement amid growing public outrage.

Edited by: Alex Berry

ISLAMABAD  –  UN Women Pakistan yesterday launched the first event of its Digital Startup Roundtable Series in Islamabad with the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The event convened thought leaders, innovators, policy experts, development partners, and aspiring young women entrepreneurs to explore the transformative power of digital skills in driving women’s economic empowerment.

Under the Digitalization for Women’s Economic Empowerment (D4WEE) project, the roundtable served as a dynamic platform for collaboration, dialogue, and innovation.

The event aligned with the shared vision of UN Women and KOICA to promote gender equality and inclusive development through technology and entrepreneurship. It focused on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by young women in Pakistan’s digital ecosystem and emphasized the importance of fostering an enabling environment for their participation and leadership in the tech sector.

“In today’s rapidly evolving digital economy, leaving women behind is not an option,” said Jacqui Ketunuti, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women Pakistan. “We are working towards a future where young women shape the tech landscape, lead innovations, and take their ideas from local to global. But vision alone is not enough — we call on all partners to step up, invest in women, open doors to mentorship, and amplify every voice. Only then can we unlock the full potential of Pakistan’s digital future.”

Echoing this sentiment, the Sodam Baek, Deputy Country Director, KOICA Pakistan emphasized KOICA’s long-term commitment to promoting sustainable development through inclusive innovation in these words, “KOICA is committed to investing in projects that empower women and promote sustainable development. Our collaboration with UN Women is rooted in our belief that technology, when made accessible and inclusive, can be a powerful equalizer. Through this partnership, we aim to equip young women with the tools they need to succeed in the digital economy.”

Adding a national perspective, Sayyed Ahmad Masud, National Incubation Centre Islamabad highlighted the importance of women’s participation in shaping the country’s digital future.

“Digital skills are the cornerstone of progress in today’s world. By empowering women to embrace technology, we are not only enabling individual success but also fostering national growth. Women’s participation in the digital sector is vital to Pakistan’s future,” he stated.

The event featured two key thematic sessions addressing barriers and opportunities for women in the digital economy. 

The first session focused on policy and infrastructure, bringing together policymakers, digital experts, and development practitioners to discuss the structural challenges that limit women’s access to technology. Participants explored ways to strengthen digital infrastructure, integrate gender-responsive indicators into national e-governance reforms, and expand access in underserved regions.

The second session centered on mentorship and market access, offering a collaborative space to brainstorm strategies for supporting women-led startups. Discussions emphasized the importance of mentorship, business development services, access to finance, and procurement opportunities. Speakers shared practical insights on how to connect women entrepreneurs with both local and international markets and called for ecosystem stakeholders to actively support underrepresented women in tech.

The Digital Startup Roundtable Series is organized as part of the KOICA-funded Digitalization for Women’s Economic Empowerment (D4WEE) project, which aims to enhance the participation of women aged 18 to 35 in the technology sector through digital skills training, mentorship, and private sector engagement. Implemented across Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Mardan, Peshawar, and Swabi, the project seeks to bridge the digital divide in Pakistan and ensure women have equal access to opportunities in the country’s evolving digital landscape.

LAHORE  –  National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore has initiated the disbursement of Rs3.20 billion among Eden Housing Scam victims. The cheque distribution ceremony, held at NAB Lahore, was graced as chief guest by Chairman NAB, Lt Gen (retired), Nazir Ahmad. The event was conducted under the supervision of Director General NAB Lahore, Mr Ghulam Safdar Shah.

In his address, the Chairman NAB highlighted that the total claims submitted by 11880 victims against Eden administration amounted to Rs13 billion, however, NAB succeeded in  plea bargain of Rs16 billion, exceeding the total claimed amount by 23%, thereby ensuring enhanced compensation for all the affectees. He informed that NAB Lahore has, so far, recovered Rs11.8 billion from Eden authorities, out of which Rs8.6 billion has already been disbursed among the victims. With the commencement of the fifth installment of Rs3.2 billion, the Bureau continues its efforts to recover the remaining Rs4.2 billion, for which the performance of NAB Lahore merits recognition and appreciation.

He further announced that, going forward, victims will no longer be required to visit NAB offices to receive their compensation; instead, the payments will be transferred directly into their bank accounts through a streamlined digital system. The Chairman appreciated NAB Lahore and investigation teams decisively working against illegal housing schemes and noted that since its establishment, the Bureau has achieved record recoveries totaling to Rs236 billion, with Rs233 billion disbursed to approximately 94,000 affectees. While outlining NAB’s broader accountability agenda, the Chairman revealed that, in collaboration with provincial governments, comprehensive reforms in Real Estate sector are currently being implemented. He also disclosed NAB’s plan to launch a comprehensive nationwide crackdown against fraudulent allotments of public land, again in coordination with provincial governments.

Speaking at the ceremony, Director General NAB Lahore, Mr Ghulam Safdar Shah, reiterated that since inception, NAB Lahore has recovered a total of Rs236 billion, including Rs45.5 billion through direct recoveries, Rs177 billion indirectly, Rs12 billion through settlements, and Rs1 billion in court-imposed fines. He added that NAB Lahore has filed 1,381 References before Accountability Courts from which 1,265 References have been decided.

The DG further elaborated on key reforms introduced during the tenure of Chairman NAB which include monthly public hearings (Khuli Katcheri), establishment of Business and Overseas facilitation desks in all regions of NAB, adoption of the term “defendant” during inquiries, ensuring dignity until proven guilty, confidentiality of suspects’ identities during investigation, revisions to NAB’s auction policy, establishment of a dedicated Land Directorate at NAB Headquarters, implementation of the E-Office system for enhanced operational efficiency, integration of Artificial Intelligence in investigative processes, development of comprehensive Anti-Money Laundering guidelines, a wide array of employee welfare and institutional capacity-building measures. While concluding ceremony, Chairman NAB awarded certificates of appreciation to the members of the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) in recognition of their exemplary efforts in successfully investigating and resolving complex Eden Housing Scam.

ISLAMABAD  –  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday clubbed identical petitions against the auctions of 20 cricket and football grounds in various sectors of capital. Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the case and made the results of the auction subject to the court’s decision and issued notices to the CDA and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) for their response. A new petitions was filed by Rawalpindi-Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA). The petitioner’s lawyer Barrister Umar Ijaz Gilani and Muhammad Ali appeared in the court and took the position that the CDA does not have the authority to auction the grounds. The playgrounds cannot be outsourced for commercial purposes under the Islamabad Local Government Act, he said, adding that if money is demanded to play in the grounds, the access of citizens will be limited. The lawyer said that the maintenance of cricket and football grounds in Islamabad is the responsibility of the MCI. It is requested that the auction of the grounds of Islamabad by the CDA be declared illegal. The court should declare that the grounds maintenance and provision of sports facilities there is the prerogative of MCI. Justice Inaam said that there are other similar petitions and they will be heard together.

The court made the results of the CDA auction subject to the court decision and, merging the petition with other related cases. It issued notices to CDA and MCI for response and adjourned the hearing of the case.

It should be noted that CDA has set July 18 for the auction.