Category: 1. Pakistan

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has removed the Director General of Rescue K-P and the Director General of the Upper Swat Development Authority following the recent drowning of tourists in the Swat River, said officials on Tuesday.

The provincial inspection team submitted a report blaming the Swat Development Authority for administrative delays, reported Express News. 

The report also raised concerns over the DG Rescue’s lack of technical expertise in handling such emergencies.

The incident, in which several tourists drowned due to a delayed rescue operation, had already led the provincial government to suspend six officers earlier.

Read: Sudden water surge caused Swat tragedy

As part of the latest action, K-P Rescue DG’s services have been handed over to the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), while the DG of Swat Development Authority has been removed from his seat and assigned a non-operational role, effectively removing him from active administrative duties.

Commissioner’s findings

The decisions follow a detailed report submitted by the Malakand commissioner to an inquiry committee investigating the mishandling of the rescue operation.

The drownings in Swat have sparked criticism on lack of emergency preparedness in the region, especially during peak tourist seasons.

Read more: Construction along Swat River diverted water flow, leading tourists into danger: report

The provincial government’s disciplinary action underscores growing concerns over tourism safety and crisis response mechanisms in the area.

According to official reports, 17 tourists—10 from Sialkot, six from Mardan, and one resident—were caught in floodwaters after entering the river in Khwazakhela despite visible risks.

Four tourists were rescued, while 12 bodies were recovered. Rescue efforts for one missing person are ongoing.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) described the flood level as “very high”. The sudden surge raised the Swat River’s flow from 6,738 to 77,782 cusecs within hours, leaving little chance for those trapped to return to safety.

Also Read: DC Swat removed, four officials suspended

An investigation revealed that nearby construction along the river had altered its natural flow, causing deceptively low water levels at the site.

This misled the tourists and they entered the river. A hotel security guard reportedly tried to stop them, but they bypassed the main entrance and accessed the river through the back. Within 14 minutes of entering, rising water levels prompted a distress call at 9.45am.

Rescue teams arrived at 10.05am—20 minutes after the call. Before the incident, early flood alerts had been issued by the irrigation department at 8.41am.

Formal warnings were sent to the deputy commissioners of Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera, as well as PDMA and other relevant authorities. A formal flood alert followed at 10.30am.

The report noted that Section 144, prohibiting swimming and boating in the Swat River, had been imposed from 24 June, but enforcement remained lax.

A German court ruled Tuesday that the government must issue visas to an Afghan family previously accepted under a programme for those at risk after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

The new government under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has frozen the programme, but Berlin’s administrative court said the family had been given a “legally binding” commitment and must be allowed to travel to Germany.

About 2,500 Afghans with similar approvals are estimated to be in Pakistan waiting to be able to travel to Germany.

The programme was set up for those who worked with Germany’s army or other institutions in Afghanistan, as well as journalists and activists judged to be threatened by the Taliban.

However, the new government under Merz — who made a crackdown on immigration one of his key election pledges — has said in its coalition agreement it wants to end the programme “as far as possible”.

The family concerned by Tuesday’s decision is currently in Pakistan and had lodged an urgent appeal, telling the court they were about to be deported to Afghanistan where they would be in fear of their lives.

The family was given approval to come to Germany in 2023 under the programme.

They then applied to the German embassy in Islamabad for visas but these have not been issued.

The court said the government had the right “to decide whether and under what conditions the admission programme for Afghan nationals will be continued” and could “abstain from new approvals during this decision process”.

But “it cannot release itself” from approvals which have already been given, it said.

According to the last update given about the scheme given in April 2024, more than 33,000 Afghans have travelled to Germany under the programme.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday issued an alert for heavy rainfall in several parts of the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northeast Punjab, Azad Kashmir and parts of Balochistan, for the next two days.

Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat. They are crucial to replenishing water supplies and agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security. However, they also wreak havoc by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.

At least 19 people lost their lives in Balochistan, KP, and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi due to rain-related incidents in the past two days. An alert by the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) about a possible flood-like situation in various parts of the country has prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to be prepared to deal with potential emergencies.

In its latest weather update issued today, the Met Office said, “Monsoon rains continue to lash Pakistan, with further downpours expected in upper parts till July 10, 2025.

“Rain-wind/thundershower are expected today (July 8) in Punjab, KP, Azad Kashmir, GB, northeastern and southern Balochistan and Islamabad.”

The Met Office added that “heavy rainfall is also likely at isolated places in Kashmir, northeastern Punjab, Potohar region, and northeastern and southern Balochistan”.

“The public is urged to exercise caution and stay informed as rain continues in the coming days,” the weather agency advised.

The low-lying areas in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Nowshera and Peshawar are expected to be submerged due to heavy rainfall, it warned.

Islamabad and other areas will receive downpours with strong winds and thunderstorms, while Karachi and other areas of Sindh’s coastal belt could receive drizzling or light rainfall, it added.

The advisory warned against flooding in rainwater drains and local streams in Galliyat; Islamabad/Rawalpindi; Kashmir; KP’s Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Nowshera, Swabi and Mardan districts; Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan and Murree; and Balochistan’s Barkhan, Kohlu, Musakhail, Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Sibi, Loralai, Zhob, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Awaran, Panjgur and Turbat districts.

It cautioned that heavy rainfall and downpours could cause landslides, leading to roadblocks and hurdles in traffic flow in the KP districts, Murree, Galliyat and Azad Kashmir.

In 24 hours since 8am yesterday, several cities recorded heavy to moderate rainfall across Pakistan.

In Punjab, Sheikhupura received 48mm of rainfall, Lahore 75mm, Islamabad 37mm (16mm in Saidpur, 12mm in Zero Point, 9mm in Golra), Gujranwala 6mm, Murree 5mm, Faisalabad 4mm, Sialkot 2mm, and 1mm each in Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad, along with traces of rainfall in Toba Tek Singh, Bahawalnagar and Kasur.

In KP, Balakot received the highest amount of rainfall (40mm), while Kakul ranked second with 31mm. Malam Jabba recorded 17mm; Bannu 8mm; Lower Dir 4mm; Cherat 2mm; Upper Dir, Bajaur and Ghalanai 1mm each; and traces of rain in Kalam and Peshawar.

In Sindh, Badin received 4mm of rainfall, Mithi 2mm, while Jacobabad, Larkana, Hyderabad and Karachi received traces. Balochistan’s Kalat recorded 17mm and Ziarat 12mm, with light rainfall in Lasbela.

In Azad Kashmir, Bandi Abbaspur received 7mm, Muzaffarabad 13mm (city area 7mm and airport 6mm), and Rawalakot and Kotli witnessed 1mm each.

KARACHI – Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Tuesday announced that 80-square-yard residential plots would be allotted to the victims of the Lyari tragedy.

Governor Tessori also assured the victims of full support from the Governor House regarding their rehabilitation.

“I arrived in the city and immediately proceeded to Lyari without wasting any time,” said the governor while talking to the reporters during his visit to the affected area in Karachi..

He svowed to formally communicate his recommendations to the Sindh government in writing.

“This is not a minor incident. The Sindh government must pay six months’ rent and ensure alternative housing for the displaced families,” Tessori said. He praised political leaders Nabeel Gabol and Saeed Ghani for raising the issue and acknowledged their constructive remarks.

The Sindh governor pledged that the matter would not be ignored and promised that those responsible would be held accountable.

“There will be no silence over this tragedy. Justice will be served. The Governor House is actively engaged in all relief efforts and will also provide ration and employment assistance to the affected families,” he said.

He also expressed solidarity with the Hindu community and other residents affected by the building evacuations, urging the provincial government to ensure displaced residents are relocated within the same locality with rental support for six months.

The governor further announced the establishment of a dedicated helpline 1133 at the Governor House to assist the victims directly.

“I officially announce the allotment of 80-square-yard plots to the affected families. The Governor House stands with them in this difficult time,” said Tessori, adding that a large number of people were present during his visit and expressed their support for his actions.

Sindh to demolish dangerous buildings in Karachi as Lyari incident claims 27 lives  

Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Tuesday filed an application in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for an early hearing of the plea for the suspension of their conviction in the £190m Al-Qadir Trust case, in which both of them face a 14-year and a seven-year prison term, respectively.

Imran and Bushra were convicted on January 17 in the case which alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Rs50 billion identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government.

On January 27, the couple moved IHC against the decision, asking the court to set aside their conviction, emphasising that the ruling lacked credible evidence and suffered from procedural lapses.

In an application filed on behalf of Imran, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, it was requested that an early hearing be fixed without any further delay, as it is a question of “liberty and freedom”.

It was stated that “an application for suspension of sentence was filed but has not been heard in accordance with the Judicial Policy and Court’s routine, depriving the applicant of his constitutional right to a speedy hearing”, referring to an earlier plea that was filed on behalf of Imran against the conviction in the case.

The appeal called the conviction of the jailed leader a result of “political victimisation”.

The appeal noted that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has “repeatedly sought adjournments in the hearings on the suspension “on the pretext of engaging special prosecutors in the instant matter.”

It stated that the petition filed earlier for the suspension of the conviction under Section 426 of the Pakistan Criminal Procedure Code — the hearings for which were held on May 15, May 27, June 5 and June 26 — gave assurances that an actual date for the suspension hearing will be decided but no specific date for adjudication has been given yet.

The plea further added that on the next hearing, the special prosecutor sought more time and assured the lead counsel of an early date, but no such decision has been made yet.

Stressing the urgency of matters, the statement said that there should be no “legal or procedural impediment in fixing the application for suspension” as it involves the fundamental right of liberty of a citizen under Article 9 of the constitution, which entails that no citizen can be tried without due legal process.

The counsel urged that the applicant is being denied his fundamental right under Article 4 of the Constitution — which ensures that every Pakistani citizen must be treated by the law — due to these delays.

It added that the applicant’s case has been deprioritised without any lawful justification, even though it is standard practice to hear bail matters and suspension applications on priority.

In a similar application, filed on behalf of Bushra Bibi, who is serving a seven-year sentence in the same case, it was stated that the applicant, being a woman, has faced repeated prosecutions with “malicious intent”, citing her involvement in 13 different cases for which he has been acquitted.

They included the Iddat case — filed by her ex-husband, Khawar Fareed Maneka, who alleged that Imran and Bushra contracted marriage during the former first lady’s Iddat period.

The petition highlighted that the delays violate Article 4 of the Constitution, particularly in light of the applicant’s gender and the protective provisions of the law favouring women in bail matters.

Under Article 9 of the Constitution, the petition stated that, “as a woman, she is entitled to additional protections under Islamic jurisprudence and Pakistani law, which mandate leniency and priority in bail matters for female detainees.”

In December 2023, the National Accou­n­t­a­bility Bureau (NAB) had filed a corruption reference against Imran and seven others, including his wife, in connection with the Al-Qadir University Trust.

The reference filed by NAB alleged that Imran played a “pivotal role in the illicit transfer of funds meant for the state of Pakistan into an account designated for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi”.

It also claimed that despite being given multiple opportunities to justify and provide information, the accused deliberately, with mala fide intention, refused to give information on one pretext or another.