Category: 1. Pakistan

According to the Met Office, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are continuously penetrating the country. Low Pressure System (LPA) over the Bay of Bengal is likely to move westward from 17th August and intensify this monsoon activity. A westerly wave is also present over the country under the influence of these meteorological conditions.

Kashmir/ Gilgit-Baltistan

Widespread rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavy falls at times very heavy) is expected in Kashmir (Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur) and Gilgit-Baltistan (Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar) from 17th to 19th August with occasional gaps.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Widespread rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavy falls at times very heavy) is expected in Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Kohat, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Waziristan, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan from 17th to 19th August.

Punjab/Islamabad

Widespread rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavy falls at times very heavy) is expected in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, Mianwali, Khushab, Sargodha, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Nankana Sahib, Chiniot, Faisalabad, and Sahiwal from 17th to 19th August. with occasional gaps. Scattered rain-wind/thundershower (with isolated heavyfalls) is also likely in D.G. Khan, Bhakkar, Layyah, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rajanpur, and Rahimyar Khan from 18th to 20th August.

Sindh

Rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavy falls at times very heavy) is expected in Mithi, Tharparker, Umer Kot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tando Allayar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, and Jacobabad from 17th to 22nd August with occasional gaps.

Balochistan

Rain-wind/thundershower (with isolated heavy falls) is expected in Barkhan, Musakhel, Loralai, Sibbi, Zhob, Qilla Saifullah, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Kech, Gawadar, and Panjgur from 17th to 21st August.

Possible Impacts and Advice

• Torrential rains may generate flash floods in local nullahs/streams of Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Northeast Punjab, and Kashmir from 17th to 19th August, while flash flood also in hill torrent of Dera Ghazi Khan and eastern parts of Balochistan from 18th to 21st August.
• Torrential rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Peshawar, and Nowshera from 17th to 19th August, and in Sindh (Tharparker, Umer Kot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tando Allayar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpu,r and Jacobabad) from 17th to 22nd August with occasional gaps.
• Landslides/mudslides may cause road closures in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat, and Kashmir during the forecast period.
• Heavy falls/windstorm and lightning may damage weak structures like the roof/wall of Kacha houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles, and solar panel,s etc. during the forecast period.
• Public, travelers, and tourists are advised to avoid unusual exposure to vulnerable areas to avoid any untoward situation and keep updated about the latest weather conditions.

BUNER, Pakistan (AP) — Flooding in a northwest Pakistani district has killed at least 220 people, officials said Saturday, as rescuers pulled 63 more bodies overnight from homes flattened by flash floods and landslides, with forecasts of more rain in the coming days.

One eyewitness, who escaped the deluges in Buner, described seeing floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders and “tons of rocks” crashing down.

Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner, one of several places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday, said Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency services. Dozens of homes were swept away.

First responders have been trying to recover bodies from the worst-hit villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, where most of the fatalities were, said Kashif Qayyum, a deputy commissioner in Buner.

Local police officer Imtiaz Khan, who narrowly escaped the deluges, said floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders struck and flattened homes within minutes.

“A stream near Pir Baba village in Buner swelled without warning. At first, we thought it was a normal flash flood, but when tons of rocks came crashing down with the water, 60 to 70 houses were swept away in moments,” Khan told The Associated Press, adding that many bodies were left mutilated.

“Our police station was washed away too and if we hadn’t climbed to higher ground, we would not have survived.”

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department predicted torrential rains in the coming days and warned that monsoon activity was likely to intensify from Sunday onwards, including in the north and northwest.

Higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall

Rescuers said they saw large swathes of Pir Baba village destroyed, wrecked homes, and giant rocks filling the streets as the water started to recede.

“It was not just the floodwater, it was a flood of boulders as well, which we saw for the first time in our lives,” said Sultan Syed, 45, who suffered a broken arm.

Mohammad Khan, 53, said the floods “came so fast that many could not leave their homes.”

Most victims died before reaching the hospital, said Mohammad Tariq, a doctor in Buner. “Many among the dead were children and men, while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattle.”

Pakistani leaders, including the prime minister and president, offered their condolences to the families of the dead and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.

The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, said efforts were underway to repair roads and other damaged infrastructure.

Pakistan has received higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall this year, which experts link to climate change, triggering floods and mudslides that have killed some 541 people since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

‘Grief and sorrow everywhere’

Mourners attended mass funerals on Saturday, while authorities supplied tents and food to people in Buner.

Local cleric Mufti Fazal had led funeral prayers at multiple locations since Friday morning. “Before yesterday’s floods, the area was bustling with life. Now, there is grief and sorrow everywhere.”

Schoolteacher Suleman Khan lost 25 members of his extended family. He and his brother survived only because they were away from home when the floods hit his village Qadar Nagar.

In Pir Baba, mourners laid out the covered bodies of their loved ones on wooden bedframes or bore them aloft ahead of burials. In a hospital, paramedics placed blocks of ice next to the deceased or comforted the injured.

According to the provincial disaster management authority, at least 351 people have died in rain-related incidents this week across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Tourists trapped in flood-hit areas

In India-controlled Kashmir, rescuers scoured the remote village of Chositi in the district of Kishtwar on Saturday, looking for dozens of missing people after it was hit by flash floods two days ago, killing 60 and injuring some 150, about 50 in critical condition.

Thursday’s floods struck during an annual Hindu pilgrimage in the area. Authorities have rescued over 300 people, while some 4,000 pilgrims have been evacuated to safety.

Such cloudbursts are increasingly common in India’s Himalayan regions and Pakistan’s northern areas, and experts have said climate change is a contributing factor.

Pakistani officials said rescuers since Thursday have evacuated more than 3,500 tourists trapped in flood-hit areas across the country.

Many travelers have ignored government warnings about avoiding vulnerable regions in the north and northwest.

Pakistan witnessed its worst-ever monsoon season in 2022. It killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.

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Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Ishfaq Husain in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, and Channi Ananad in Chositi, India, contributed to this report.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Malakand district emir Mufti Kifayatullah was injured while two, including his daughter, were killed on Saturday in a shooting at his home in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand Division, according to officials.

Malakand Deputy Commissioner and Commandant Malakand Levies Hamid Ur Rehman confirmed to Dawn.com that Mufti Kifayatullah had been injured in the attack.

“Today, around 1pm, JUI Malakand district emir Mufti Kifayatullah, along with his two daughters, was shot within the limits of Chowki Batkhela, Levies Post Batkhela area,” a statement by the KP Police said.

The statement added that one of his daughters was killed in the shooting, and a Levies sepoy was also killed. Another daughter was injured and is undergoing surgery, according to the statement.

Levies in large numbers are carrying out raids to arrest the attackers. Further investigation is in hand, the statement added.

Last month, at least three people were killed and four others, including a woman, were injured in an exchange of gunfire between two rival groups in the Kharkai area of Dargai tehsil in Malakand.

In June, two people, including a woman, were killed and 11 others injured after unidentified men opened fire at a group of people returning from a funeral in Chashma Ganda area of Gumbat in KP’s Kohat district, an attack that police said was motivated by personal enmity.

ISLAMABAD: Arab Gulf countries and Muslim nations, including Pakistan, have condemned statements about a “Greater Israel” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported to have made in the wake of pronouncements by his far-right allies to annex Palestinian territories.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to expand settlement building in the occupied West Bank to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” Netanyahu said in a recent interview he felt “very much” connected to the vision of “Greater Israel,” describing it as a “historic and spiritual mission.”

The comments have triggered widespread outrage across the Arab and Muslim world in recent days and have been denounced by several nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Pakistan, as well as the Palestinian Authority.

Pakistan’s foreign office said the remarks showed Israel’s intent to cement its occupation and disregard peace efforts, urging the international community to act swiftly to halt further regional destabilization and end crimes against Palestinians.

“Pakistan strongly condemns and rejects recent statements made by the Israeli Occupying power, alluding to the creation of so-called ‘Greater Israel,’ and its designs aimed at the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” the foreign office said in a statement.

Reiterating Islamabad’s long-standing position, the foreign office reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Arab and Muslim nations said the pronouncements by Netanyahu and his ministers were “a blatant and dangerous violation” of international law.

“They also constitute a direct threat to Arab national security, to the sovereignty of states, and to regional and international peace and security,” said the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, or SPA.

The signatories include the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It also included the secretaries-general of the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The ministers stressed that “while their states reaffirm their respect for international legitimacy and the Charter of the United Nations, particularly Article 2, paragraph 4, which prohibits the use of force or the threat thereof, they will adopt all policies and measures that preserve peace, in a manner that serves the interests of all states and peoples in achieving security, stability, and development, away from illusions of domination and the imposition of power by force.”

The ministers pushed back against Israeli Minister Smotrich’s approval of the settlement plan in the “E1” area in the West Bank, along with his “radical, racist” statements rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

European nations, alarmed by the plan, have also called on the Israeli government to stop, with Germany warning that the “E1” settlement and the expansion of Maale Adumim would further restrict the mobility of the Palestinian population in the West Bank by splitting it in half and cutting the area off from East Jerusalem.

The joint statement said Israel’s plan would constitute a “blatant violation of international law and a flagrant assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to realize their independent, sovereign state on the lines of 4 June 1967, with Occupied Jerusalem as its capital.”

They warned Israel’s blatant disregard for the rights of Palestinians and its neighbors and the international community as a whole “directly fuel cycles of violence and conflict and undermine prospects for achieving just and comprehensive peace in the region.”

The ministers “reiterated their rejection and condemnation of Israel’s crimes of aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing” and reaffirmed the need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and “ensuring unconditional humanitarian access to end the policy of systematic starvation that Israel is pursuing as a weapon of genocide.”

Since Oct. 2023, Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to data from Gaza’s Health Ministry. In late July 2025, the ministry reported that at least 18,500 children and 9,800 women have been killed by Israel.

Not contented with the almost total destruction it has caused in Gaza, Israel has also continued to block international humanitarian agencies from delivering food to starving refugees.

• Trials for U19 and Emerging cricketers to take place in eight cities across Pakistan

• Players aspiring to appear in the trials can register here

Lahore, 16 August 2025: The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the trials schedule for U19 and Emerging women’s cricketers as part of the two-week talent hunt set to begin from Thursday, 21 August in eight cities across the country.

Players born on or after 1 September 2006 are eligible to take part in the U19 trials, while there is no cutoff date for the Emerging players. The minimum age for U19 players has been sanctioned to 12.

The trials are being arranged to select the next crop of U19 players, who will be mentored, trained and then given a chance to develop in the four-team women’s U19 Tournament in September and October.

Following the conclusion of that tournament a Pakistan U19 squad will also be assembled which is scheduled to tour Bangladesh later this year.

The trials will begin at Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi on 21 August and will be followed by trials at the LCCA Ground in Lahore on Monday, 25 August.The trials will be held in Rawalpindi and Peshawar on 26 and 27 August, respectively.

On 28 August trials will simultaneously take place in Mardan and Quetta, while U19 and Emerging women’s cricketers in Multan and Bahawalpur can appear in trials on 2 and 3 September, respectively.

National women’s selection committee comprising of former Pakistan women’s player Batool Fatima and former Test cricketer Asad Shafiq will conduct the trials across all the cities with the assistance from respective regional coaches.

Player taking part in the trials must bring either B-form or CNIC or Birth Certificate issued from NADRA for age verification.

Trials schedule:

Karachi – 21 August – Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre

Lahore – 25 August – LCCA Ground

Rawalpindi/Islamabad – 26 August – Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

Peshawar – 27 August – Qayyum Stadium, Peshawar

Mardan – 28 August – Mardan Board Cricket Ground, Mardan

Quetta – 28 August – Bugti Stadium, Quetta

Multan – 02 September – Inzamam-ul-Haq High-Performance Centre, Multan

Bahawalpur – 03 September – Women Sports Stadium, Bahawalpur

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Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that a military operation in an area can only be successful when the people living there themselves identify the terrorists, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing on Saturday.

The security situation in Balochistan has worsened in recent months, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. In February, nearly 62 per cent of the total terrorism-related deaths in the country occurred in Balochistan.

“An operation in any area is successful when the people themselves identify the terrorists,” Lt Gen Chaudhry was quoted as having said.

The DG ISPR was speaking at a session with students in the ongoing internship programme organised by the military’s media wing.

During the session, there was a lively discussion regarding Pakistan, especially Balochistan, the statement said, adding that Lt Gen Chaudhry also gave detailed answers to the questions of students from Balochistan.

On the demand for a major operation against terrorism in Balochistan, the DG ISPR said: “It is put in our minds that something is festering for Pakistan among the people and youth of Balochistan.”

The people of Balochistan understand the relationship between Pakistan and the province very well, he said, adding that the people of Balochistan are also now frustrated and fed up with these terrorists.

He called on the participants “to go to Balochistan and see how sensible and far-sighted the Baloch people are.”

“Hundreds of examples have emerged that Baloch children who have studied have become the masters of their region and their destiny,” the DG ISPR said.

He quoted the example of scientist Dr Yarjan Abdul Samad, who hails from Balochistan and completed his schooling in the province, later going to graduate from the University of Cambridge.

He also gave the example of Karate champion Shahzaib Rind, adding that women from Balochistan are currently appointed as deputy commissioners in districts.

“The martyred Major Muhammad Anwar Kakar was a very brilliant officer and a great son of this land,” he continued.

He added that Major Muhammad Anwar Kakar had earlier also killed many terrorists in the Gwadar PC Hotel attack.

Lt Gen Chaudhry said it is not that the army vacates an area, conducts an operation, as when the army leaves, the terrorists will come again.

“We have to do everything with great understanding, that is why it is called an intelligence-based operation,” he said.

“The army has no interest in taking the lives of innocent people in the name of terrorism,” he continued.

“If any citizen shelters terrorists or keeps explosives in his house, they will have to face the consequences.”

“We have to work together with the people and administration of Balochistan,” he said, highlighting that an entire region or village cannot be punished for the act of one individual.

“The people there have to stand up and are standing up against terrorism,” the DG ISPR concluded.

Rescuers in northern Pakistan have pulled dozens of bodies overnight from homes ravaged by landslides and flash floods, taking the death toll to at least 321 in the past two days, according to disaster agencies.

Hundreds of rescue workers continue to search for survivors in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan after torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday, washing away dozens of homes, according to the provincial Disaster Management Authority.

First responders are focusing recovery efforts in the villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, which suffered the highest casualties on Friday, according to Bunar deputy commissioner Kashif Qayyum.

“We do not know from where the floodwater came, but it came so fast that many could not leave their homes,” said Mohammad Khan, 53, a Pir Baba resident.

Dr Mohammad Tariq at a Buner government hospital reported that most victims died before reaching medical care. “Many among the dead were children and men, while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattle,” he said.

At least 307 casualties are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Above-average rainfall in Pakistan, which experts attribute to climate change, has triggered floods and mudslides that have killed approximately 541 people since June 2, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

In neighbouring Indian-administered Kashmir, floods have killed dozens and displaced hundreds in recent days.

Experts note that cloudbursts have become increasingly common in India’s Himalayan regions and Pakistan’s northern areas, with climate change being a significant contributing factor.

Pakistani officials report that since Thursday, rescuers have evacuated more than 3,500 tourists stranded in flood-affected areas nationwide, though many tourists continue to ignore government warnings to avoid these regions despite the risk of additional landslides and flash floods.

In 2022, Pakistan experienced its worst monsoon season on record, killing more than 1,700 people and causing approximately $40bn in damage.

• DG ISPR praises Major Anwar Kakar as heroic officer.
• Civilians must not face collective punishment: military spox.
• Lt General Chaudhry urges public to identify terrorists.
  

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Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the actions of a single terrorist should never endanger innocent civilians.

Speaking to the students during a special session with students belonging to Balochistan, the DG ISPR said the military has no interest in causing harm to civilians under the guise of counter-terrorism operations.

He stressed that while  Balochistan’s youth is instilled with a sense of patriotism, the local population also understands the relationship between the province and country well.

Lieutenant General Chaudhry paid tribute to Major Muhammad Anwar Kakar, describing him as an exceptional officer and a proud son of the land.

Noting that Major Kakar had previously neutralised several terrorists in the Gwadar attack, the military spokesperson highlighted the daily sacrifices made by officers, soldiers, and civilians to safeguard the country.

He reiterated that no community should be penalised for the actions of an individual. Successful operations depend on local cooperation in identifying terrorists, rather than military forces clearing areas indiscriminately. “Once troops withdraw, any unaddressed threats could resurface”.

Furthermore, the DG ISPR underlined that all operations were intelligence-based to ensure precision and civilian safety. He said the army works closely with local administrations and the public to apprehend terrorists and their facilitators, ensuring accountability without harming innocent residents.

Warning to those sheltering terrorists

Lt Gen Chaudhry, also said that civilians providing shelter to terrorists or storing explosives will face consequences, but the broader community should not be punished.

The military’s media wing spokesperson lauded Baloch people for standing against terrorism and noted that they were actively reporting terrorist presence in their areas.

The ISPR chief also spoke on Pakistan’s founding principles, stressing that the country was established on the basis of the Kalma, beyond linguistic or regional differences.

He cited examples of prominent Baloch citizens, including Cambridge-educated scientist Samad Yar Jang, Shahzaib Rind, and female deputy commissioners, illustrating that educated Baloch now actively shape their own destinies.

The DG ISPR highlighted that Balochistan was not exclusively Baloch, with over 30% of the population being Pashtun, and pointed out that more members of the Baloch ethnic group live outside the province than within it.

The DG ISPR concluded that the essence of Pakistan —”Lā ilāha illallāh”— is embedded in the country’s citizens, reinforcing unity beyond ethnic or regional identity.