Category: 1. Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A multistory building collapsed Friday in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, killing at least six people and injuring several others, officials said.

Rescuers were using heavy machinery to search for several survivors believed to be trapped under the debris, said Javed Nabi, a government administrator.

Residents said the building was located on a narrow street, making it difficult for rescue teams to bring in additional heavy equipment. Television footage showed rescuers removing the rubble and evacuating nearby buildings as a precaution.

Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced. Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored to cut costs.

In June 2020, an apartment building collapsed in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, killing 22 people.

Islamabad has blamed India for backing groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, something New Delhi denies.

Pakistan’s army has said it has killed 30 fighters who tried to cross the border from Afghanistan, just days after a suicide attack in the same region killed 16 Pakistani soldiers.

The fighters, who all died in the last three days, belonged to the Pakistan Taliban or its affiliates, according to the Pakistani military, which praised its troops for preventing “a potential catastrophe” on Friday.

One faction of the Pakistan Taliban, which is a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, claimed responsibility for a suicide blast last week in the border district of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Pakistani army’s killing of the fighters took place in the same district.

Although a statement from the country’s military did not give details about its operation against the fighters, it confirmed that it had seized a “large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives”.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised his country’s security forces on Friday for “thwarting an infiltration attempt”.

“We are determined to completely eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country,” his office said.

Both the prime minister and the army’s statements blamed India for backing the fighters.

Although New Delhi is yet to comment on the latest accusation, it has repeatedly denied claims from Islamabad that it is fomenting violence in Pakistan.

Such accusations have increased in recent months as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have soared.

During a four-day conflict between them in May, 70 people on both sides were killed, and the regional foes were on the cusp of their fifth all-out war since independence.

The fighting broke out after India accused Pakistan of supporting gunmen who killed 26 people in the disputed Kashmir region on April 22. Islamabad denied any involvement.

Violence in Pakistan’s border areas has spiked since the Taliban seized power again in Afghanistan, in 2021, with last year the deadliest in a decade.

Pakistan’s government increased defence spending by 20% in June, with 14% of the country’s overall budget assigned to the army.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned on Friday that the risk of glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) has increased in the glacial areas of the province due to heavy rains and flash floods.

Glof refers to the sudden release of water and debris from a glacial lake, leading to the loss of lives, property and livelihoods in mountain communities. Over 7.1 million people in Gilgit Baltistan and KP are vulnerable, according to the Ministry of Climate Change.

In an advisory issued today, the PDMA warned that continuous increase in temperature increases the possibility of melting of glaciers and flash floods.

“The residents of Chitral, Dir, Swat and Kohistan have been instructed to remain alert about possible glacial outbursts. The district administration has been instructed to monitor sensitive areas, ensure timely warning and evacuation drills,” the disaster management agency said.

The PDMA has advised residents to avoid unnecessary movement near rivers and canals and refrain from taking vehicles into fast-flowing water. It also instructed tourists to remain alert and take precautionary measures.

The agency said evacuation sites have been set up in potentially affected areas and rescue services have been instructed to remain alert with required emergency equipment.

The National Highway Authority (NHA), Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), and the Communication and Works Department (CWD) have been instructed to remain alert and take preventive measures for timely restoration of roads.

The PDMA has instructed district administration to take emergency measures in case of any untoward incident. District authorities have launched awareness campaign to inform the general public about measures to prevent possible losses.

“The PDMA’s Emergency Operation Centre is fully functional. The public should contact 1700 for further information,” it added.

The advisory comes heavy rainfall and flash floods across the country that have killed 64 people and injured 117 in a week, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The highest toll was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 23 dead, including 10 children, the authority said. Fourteen of the victims were swept away in a flash flood in the Swat Valley last week.

The PDMA has already warned district administrations across the province about the possibility of flash floods, urban flooding and landslides due to a new spell of monsoon rains from July 5 to 11.

In an advisory, the PDMA quoted the Pakistan Meteorological Department as revealing that moist currents are penetrating into most parts of the region and likely to intensify in the next couple of days.

It also said that urban flooding was very likely to happen in low-lying areas of Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan, while there’s a likelihood of riverine flooding in Chitral, Swat, Panjkora and Kabul rivers.

The PDMA said authorities should keep monitoring rivers, streams, local and rainfed nullahs, ensure drainage systems are clear from obstacles to facilitate the efficient flow of water and minimise the risk of urban flooding.

KARACHI: Pakistan will use a $1.4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund’s climate resilience fund to expand fiscal space, embed climate planning into public investment decisions and unlock private-sector capital for green projects, the IMF said on Friday.

The financing, approved by the IMF’s Executive Board in May under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), is part of a broader reform program that aims to help Pakistan adapt to increasingly frequent and devastating climate shocks.

Pakistan is the first country in the Middle East and Central Asia region to access the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility. The fund was launched in 2022 to help climate-vulnerable low- and middle-income countries make the structural changes needed to protect their economies and populations.

“The RSF will help build climate resilience in Pakistan by creating fiscal space to address climate vulnerabilities, such as the need to improve climate-resilient adaptation infrastructure,” the IMF’s country office in Islamabad told Arab News in a written response.

“It will also boost climate’s prominence in public investment management and budget processes,” the statement said, “helping Pakistan better identify and target projects needed to strengthen resilience to climate shocks.”

A third pillar of the reforms, the IMF said, is improving the overall “enabling environment for green investment” so that banks and private firms could incorporate climate-related risk considerations into their risk management and investment activities.

The RSF financing will be disbursed over a 28-month period and runs alongside Pakistan’s $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), whose first review was also approved in May, releasing roughly $1 billion in immediate support.

CLIMATE-FINANCE GAP

Pakistan, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, has long struggled to align its public finances with the scale of climate risk it faces. The 2022 floods alone affected over 33 million people and caused more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses.

By reforming how climate priorities are reflected in budget planning and investment screening, the IMF says Pakistan will be better equipped to attract funding and respond to future disasters.

The RSF does not fund individual infrastructure projects. Instead, it supports “policy and institutional reforms that make climate action more effective,” the statement explained.

These include reforms in disaster coordination, water and irrigation infrastructure, and provincial implementation capacity.

The IMF program supports better coordination between the federal and provincial governments on disaster risk financing, a chronic weakness in past emergency responses, and policy changes that would strengthen water and irrigation management, the lender added in the statement.

“Policy reforms that directly target Pakistan’s water management and irrigation infrastructure would help make farmers more resilient to climate shocks,” it said, adding the focus would be on improving irrigation service standards, reliability, and water supply adequacy.

The reforms also aim to reduce waterlogging, salinity, groundwater depletion, and growing water insecurity, issues that disproportionately impact poor rural communities.

The IMF said its climate program in Pakistan takes a “whole-of-government” approach, with many reforms to be implemented at the provincial level.

“Much of the focus is on improving coordination mechanisms between the federal government and the provinces.”

Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday called for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the national development strategy, announcing new measures, including the establishment of a national AI fund to provide financial support for innovative ideas and pilot projects.

The announcements were made as Iqbal chaired a meeting of the National Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. Formed in April 2023, the body is working to develop a 10-year roadmap for accelerated adoption of AI in different sectors.

According to a statement from the Press Information Department, during the meeting, Iqbal emphasised that it was time for Pakistan to move with clarity and purpose.

“He stated that AI adoption cannot be advanced in isolation and must instead be guided by cross-sectoral collaboration, alignment with national priorities, and effective coordination across all relevant institutions,” the statement read.

It added that the taskforce was assigned a clear mandate to identify twelve key sectors, including education, health, agriculture, climate, business, and governance, where AI applications can generate measurable national benefits.

“Each sector will establish a multi-stakeholder working group, comprising experts from government, academia, and the private sector. These groups will develop sector-specific AI roadmaps, with defined objectives, timelines, and resource requirements,” the statement said. “The purpose is to ensure that Pakistan not only aligns with global technological trends but also maximises the utility of AI in solving domestic challenges.”

The minister also directed the establishment of a national AI fund to provide financial support for innovative ideas and pilot projects. To utilise these resources effectively, he called for the mapping of AI experts, research centres, and resources across the country.

Iqbal, according to the statement, instructed the task force to organise a national AI workshop in collaboration with the Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) and other relevant industry bodies to provide a platform for dialogue between government, academia, and industry.

“It will focus on designing practical AI solutions tailored to Pakistan’s development context,” the statement read.

Last year, Iqbal inaugurated a three-day international conference on 3D printing and vacuum technology at the National Centre for Physics (NCP) at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, calling on scientists, researchers and innovators to work tirelessly to position Pakistan at the forefront of technological advancements.

A man was arrested in Lahore for keeping an African lion illegally without a licence after the big cat escaped and ventured into a residential neighbourhood, said wildlife officials on Friday.

The Punjab Wildlife Department, with assistance from local police, carried out the arrest in the Shah Di Khoi area. The lion has since been safely relocated to a secure wildlife facility.

The escape, which occurred a day earlier, caused widespread panic and led to injuries to at least three residents, according to authorities. All victims received medical assistance and are in stable condition.

Lahore Deputy Chief Wildlife Officer Adnan Work confirmed that the individual had not obtained the required permit and had failed to meet safety regulations.

“Keeping wild animals in residential areas poses serious risks and strict action will be taken against such individuals,” he said.

The Wildlife Department has filed a case under the Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Act. Officials said unauthorised possession of dangerous wild animals is a non-bailable offence, carrying a penalty of up to seven years in prison and a fine of Rs5 million.

Senior Minister for Information and Environment Maryam Aurangzeb condemned the incident and announced a province-wide crackdown on illegal private ownership of exotic animals.

“We cannot allow anyone to jeopardise human lives. Enforcement of wildlife laws is a core part of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s environmental protection agenda, and no leniency will be shown,” she said in a statement.

Authorities have urged the public to report illegal possession of lions, tigers, or other exotic wildlife by calling the Wildlife Helpline at 1107.