ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday unveiled a scheme for offering soft agricultural loans to farmers under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Presiding over a review meeting on development of the agriculture sector, the prime minister directed the authorities concerned to formulate a strategy for sustainable agricultural reforms in collaboration with provinces.
“Agricultural reforms shall commence with the provision of easy loans to farmers, for which a public-private partnership model is to be adopted,” Mr Sharif was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the PM Office.
The PM issued directives for urgent reforms in the Zarai Taraqqiati Bank for transparent provision of easy loans to farmers. He said the coming Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) would prioritise agricultural projects, focusing on mechanisation, digitisation, easy access to loans for farmers, and creating a business-friendly environment.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said sustainable agricultural reforms would boost the economy and reiterated the government’s commitment to an enhanced focus on reforming the livestock sector alongside agricultural commodities.
He said the federal and provincial governments would coordinate for implementation of agricultural reforms, calling for proposals to work out short-term and long-term strategies to enhance storage capacity for agricultural commodities.
The prime minister said progress in agriculture would primarily benefit farmers, emphasising collaboration among experts to develop the sector on modern lines.
He called for utilisation of agricultural zoning and value chain strategies to boost exports and introduce technology tailored to the needs of small landholders.
Proposals were presented to the prime minister for increasing agricultural production, improving infrastructure, establishing simple and sustainable regulations for a business-friendly environment, and ensuring easy access to loans for farmers.
The meeting was told that an “agriculture innovation and growth action plan”, focused on increasing farmers’ income, raising productivity and implementing reforms, was going ahead in the right direction.
The prime minister was told that measures were being taken to establish secure storage facilities for agricultural commodities.
Record remittances
The prime minister expressed satisfaction over record remittances received during the fiscal year 2024-25, saying that the government was committed to ushering in economic prosperity for all.
The prime minister observed that Pakistanis had sent remittances totalling $38.3 billion during the previous financial year, surpassing the tally for 2023-24 by $8bn.
“The record surge in remittances reflects expatriate Pakistanis’ valuable contribution and their confidence in the national economy,” the PM observed.
He added that the recent positive economic indicators proved beyond doubt that the government’s policies were paying dividends.
LAHORE: Heavy rain hit Lahore and its surrounding areas on Wednesday, leading to a pleasant weather but caused water logging and disruption across the city.
Downpours were recorded in several parts of the provincial capital. Meanwhile, a house roof collapsed due to the rain, resulting in the death of two siblings while two others were injured in Sheikhupura. The Rescue 1122 teams responded, providing first aid and shifting the injured to a nearby hospital. The deceased were identified as two-year-old Arham, son of Moazzam, and five-year-old Fatima, daughter of Moazzam.
On the other hand, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), in its report on the amount of rainfall recorded in different cities of the Punjab during the last 24 hours, said that Khanewal received the highest amount of rainfall, totalling 51mm, followed by Sahiwal 44mm, Rawalpindi 42mm and Murree 41mm. Similarly, Lahore received 2 mm, Okara 30mm, Mandi Bahauddin 27mm, Mangla 24mm and Toba Tek Singh 13mm. Similarly, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Bahawalpur, Kasur, Bahawalnagar, Sargodha, Multan and Jhang also received rain. PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia said the current spell of monsoon rains would continue until July 13. He informed that torrential rains were expected in a majority of districts of Punjab during the next 24 hours, including Lahore, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Hafizabad. “The concerned administrations must ensure its enforcement,” he said, adding, “stay at safe places while it is lightning.”
He further said that the people living in crumbling buildings must find alternate places to live. Kathia urged drivers to drive at a slow pace and keep distance from other vehicles.
For a long time, it was being reported that Pakistan was going to be the first export customer of China’s 5th-generation fighter, the Shenyang J-31 (now designated J-35). Made with technology “inspired” by F-22 and F-35, the Chinese fighter jet was designed to give Pakistan more teeth against India.
However, in a new twist in the plot, Islamabad has stated that there are no plans to acquire the fighter jet.
The announcement comes close on the heels of the four-day war between India and Pakistan, where Chinese weapons saw combat for the first time.
Despite the claims about Chinese weapons saving the day for Pakistan’s armed forces, it seems the cash-strapped country has done some real performance assessment of the Chinese weapons and may have decided against buying Chinese 5th-gen jets.
Interestingly, Pakistan’s volte-face regarding the Chinese J-35 jet comes after the visit of Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to the US. US President Trump has praised Munir as “really impressive” and credited him for helping him avert a nuclear conflict with India and Pakistan.
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This visit marked a significant high in the US-Pakistan ties, which had ebbed following the Taliban’s swift takeover of Kabul. Washington, caught off guard, scrutinised Pakistan’s historical ties with the group.
The then-US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and General Mark Milley, publicly questioned Pakistan’s role in providing sanctuary and support to the Taliban over the previous two decades.
A proposed US Senate bill even called for sanctions on governments that supported the Taliban, with Pakistan named explicitly. The Biden administration limited engagement with Pakistan, focusing on counterterrorism and avoiding broader strategic cooperation.
Pakistan is reportedly eyeing advanced US platforms like F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, HIMARS artillery, and air defense systems. Munir’s US visit was followed by Pakistan Air Force Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu’s visit to the Pentagon and the State Department, signalling a strategic thaw in the ties.
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There has been an economic fillip to the strengthening of ties between the two countries. The US and Pakistan concluded a critical round of trade negotiations that averted the re-imposition of a 29% tariff on Pakistani exports.
Against the backdrop, Pakistan has issued an official denial regarding any deal with China to purchase 5th-generation stealth fighters. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has rejected media reports suggesting that Pakistan is considering the purchase of China’s J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter jets.
Till June 12, there have been reports about China arming Pakistan with high-tech fighter jets to redraw the balance of power in South Asia. Forty J-35 stealth fighters were reportedly on offer for a price tag of USD 5 billion.
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“We are not going to buy this fighter jet from China. This is only in the media. This is good for Chinese defense sales,” Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in a televised interview.
In early 2023, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu confirmed that Pakistan had begun formal negotiations for the stealth jet, stating, “Negotiations have taken place to enable the acquisition of the J-35A, which will soon become part of the Pakistan Air Force.”
In 2024, photographs of Pakistan Air Force pilots training on Chinese J-35s had also surfaced. In fact, PAF was quite pompous about becoming the first air force in South Asia to operate 5th-generation fighter jets.
J-35A
The Trump administration is trying to wean Pakistan off Chinese military equipment, especially fighter jets. About 80 percent of Pakistan’s defense imports are from China.
In lieu of forgoing the opportunity to operate 5th-generation fighters, Islamabad has requested the upgrade of its F-16 fighter jets and the acquisition of advanced air-to-air missiles from the US.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister’s statement could be a ruse to placate its newfound ally, President Trump, as Islamabad had claimed only a few days ago that the delivery of J-35s was imminent. China has attempted to sweeten the deal by offering a substantial discount on the fighter jets to keep India engaged on its western front.
Another reason for this trouble in paradise could be the dismal performance of Made in China weapons in the military confrontation with India.
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In a long post on X titled ‘India’s Operation Sindoor: A Battlefield Verdict on Chinese Weapons- And India’s Victory’, military expert John Spencer said that India not only won the conflict against Pakistan, but it also scored a victory in a technology war with China.
The Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at the US Army Military Academy, Spencer, said: “Operation Sindoor pitted India’s indigenously developed weapons systems against Chinese-supplied platforms fielded by Pakistan. And India didn’t just win on the battlefield — it won the technology referendum. What unfolded was not just retaliation, but the strategic debut of a sovereign arsenal built under the twin doctrines of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
In the four-day conflict, Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese weapons – ranging from China’s JF-17 fighter planes, CH-4 drones to Chinese HQ-9 air defense systems, which were overpowered by Indian indigenous systems, such as BrahMos missiles, Akash and Akashteer air defence systems, and integration of foreign-made fighter planes and air defence systems, such as Rafale fighters, Scalp missiles, and S-400, with Indian systems.
There are other factors at play. A cash-strapped Pakistan has been facing economic woes. Pakistan may be facing fiscal distress in footing the bill for a multi-billion-dollar fighter purchase. Operating under IMF conditions, this move could indicate fiscal restraint.
Pakistan could be playing its ‘usual’ double game, Nitin J Ticku, Managing Editor and Defense expert at EurAsian Times, believes. As it is, Asif’s remarks do not hold much value, as it’s the Pakistani military that is the real authority in Pakistan. Ticku adds that Pakistan’s arch-rival, India, is unlikely to acquire a stealth aircraft anytime soon, so Islamabad might have merely delayed the acquisition.
J-35, A Replica Of F-22 & F-35?
The limited information available about the J-35 suggests that it was designed to provide close air support and air-to-ground bombing capabilities. Its design also suggests that it might have been designed for carrier use. It has now reportedly been inducted into the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
The J-35A is a medium-sized fighter with a tailplane wing configuration similar to the US F-35. Twitter/@Fighterman_FFRC
Many observers have noted the striking resemblance between the FC-31 and the American F-35. The flat tail and twin engines of the J-35 seem to be derived from the F-22, and the front end resembles the F-35.
This doesn’t come as a surprise, as a 2014 “U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission” Congressional report cited a Defense Science Board finding that Chinese cyberattacks have siphoned off crucial specifications and technical details of a range of US weapons systems—including the F-35.
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The J-35 prototype was powered by two Russian RD-93 engines, with an afterburning thrust of 2 × 81 kN (thrust-to-weight ratio: 4.82 dry, 7.9 afterburning).
The engines were later replaced with new, stealthy WS-13 engines from Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation. The engines could be the chink in J-35s armor. Beijing had offered the same engine for the technically troubled JF-17 exported to the PAF, but Pakistan refused.
The Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter can be equipped with one internal cannon, two internal weapons bays in the fuselage, and three payload hardpoints on each of its two wings. Each internal weapons bay can accommodate up to two missiles.
The J-35 could carry larger missiles, such as the YJ-12 anti-ship missile, under its wings, but like the American F-35, at the cost of its stealth.
The Pakistani variant of the J-35 is likely to be equipped with the PL-17 (Very Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile), a significant upgrade over the Chinese PL-15E. PL-15E, claimed by Pakistan, was used in the downing of Indian fighter jets. The PL-17 with a range of 400 km will give J-35 the capability “to kill from the shadows”.
Ritu Sharma has written on defense and foreign affairs for nearly 17 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Studies and Peace Management from the University of Erfurt, Germany. Her areas of interest include Asia-Pacific, the South China Sea, and Aviation history.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday urged the people of India to avoid falling prey to “disinformation and hate-mongering”, stressing that it was easy for the current generation to talk about war.
In an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar, the former Pakistan foreign minister categorically rejected India’s claims of the country’s involvement in any acts of terrorism, terming such allegations a mere propaganda.
“I just want to tell the people of India that they must be, they must avoid disinformation and hate mongerers. It is easy for this generation to talk about war and tell you that every Pakistani is a terrorist, every Pakistani is your enemy; that is not true,” he said.
“Pakistan does not willingly permit groups you mentioned or any group to conduct terrorist attacks outside of Pakistan but also within Pakistan. We have, as you’re well aware, faced the brunt of terrorism over the past many decades. Pakistan is and has been fighting the largest inland war against terrorism.”
While dilating on the issue of terrorism within the country, the PPP chairman recalled the immense toll the people have suffered. “We’ve lost 92,000 lives altogether. Just last year, we lost more than 1,200 civilian lives in over 200 different terrorist attacks.”
The PPP chief warned that the current rate at which terrorist attacks were taking place in different parts of the country in this year, “if they continue at this pace, it will be the bloodiest year in Pakistan’s history”.
Bilawal acknowledged the emotional cost of the terrorism, saying, “I, too, am a victim of terrorism. I feel the pain of the victims of Pahalgam terrorist attack. I understand the trauma that their families are experiencing in a way more than many others can ever imagine.”
About Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism, he noted the military actions taken in South Waziristan and later in North Waziristan over the years. “Most recently, we went through a rigorous FATF process with the international community endorsing Pakistan’s actions against said terrorist groups,” he stated. Bilawal emphasised that the Financial Action Task Force was a very rigorous process that had a complete monitoring mechanism. “So it’s not like you can hide from it,” he said, adding: “We implemented a National Action Plan as far as our actions against the groups of concern to India.”
Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s offer for an international probe into the Pahalgam attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), in which 26 tourists were killed on April 22. The incident also triggered a four-day military escalation with Pakistan from May 7-10.
“Immediately after that accusation by the Indian government, the prime minister of Pakistan publicly stated that Pakistan is willing to be part of any impartial international inquiry into the incident because our hands are clean.” However, he added, India rejected the offer.
He stressed the need for cooperation between Pakistan and India on counter-terrorism, stating, “I’d like to see the day where India and Pakistan engage in comprehensive dialogue, which should also include the issue of terrorism, so we can collectively combat this menace.”
The PPP chairman recalled the 2007 Samjhota Express attack, where dozens of Pakistani citizens lost their lives on the Indian soil, questioning why there had been no convictions. “We can’t ignore saffron terror on one side and then hold another standard by which Pakistan is judged,” he said.
Highlighting the role of India in fostering terrorism in Pakistan, he referred to the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian spy arrested in Balochistan. “Most recently, the Jaffar Express attack can be directly linked to facilitators in your intelligence agency,” he told the interviewer.
Bilawal also raised concerns over India’s plans to cut water supplies to Pakistan, calling Delhi’s decision to hold the Indus Water Treaty into abeyance as a violation of humanitarian principles.
“Indian Prime Minister and your government are threatening to cut off the water supply to 240 million people of Pakistan. This goes against everything it is to be Indian. It goes against the philosophy of Gandhi. It goes against all we’ve been taught about a secular India.”
Bilawal, who last month led a parliamentary delegation to several world capitals on a mission to debunk the Indian propaganda in the aftermath of the recent conflict, said that Operation Bunyanum Marsoos was launched in response to the Indian aggression.
Despite these challenges, he reiterated Pakistan’s desire for peace. “We want peace. We can talk together and sort out all our issues,” he concluded.
This was the first interview of a Pakistani politician by any Indian media outlet. In a tweet on X, Bilawal explained that he believed in the people of India, especially the youth and he was not afraid of putting “our case to the Indian public” via Indian media.
“I chose to give an interview to Indian media, not because I expected a fair platform, but because I believe in the people of India, especially the youth. The case for peace in our region is not just a Pakistani cause, it is a shared mission for both our peoples. I believe the new generation of Indians and Pakistanis can chart a new destiny,” he wrote.
“We will be the generation that breaks the shackles of history, that defies the war-mongers, the cynics, and the peddlers of hate. Together, we will face the real challenges of our time together, from terrorism to climate change to inequality. This is my promise to the young people of both India and Pakistan: our future will be defined not by the conflicts of the past, but by a new destiny defined by peaceful co-existence, cooperation and prosperity.”
IT seems like the appeal from Kot Lakhpat Jail has fallen on deaf ears. “[…] The time for negotiations has passed,” comes the missive from Adiala — a curt response to a recent letter from other jailed PTI stalwarts who had suggested a political settlement with the ruling parties. “Now, there will be no negotiations of any kind with anyone; there will be protests only on the streets so that the nation can get rid of the puppet rulers imposed by force,” party chief Imran Khan is reported to have said. The rest of the party is expected to fall in line. “I am issuing a clear message: whoever cannot shoulder the responsibility for this movement must separate themselves [from the party]. Whoever has kneeled before them should remember that, after some time, they will crush you and the people [too] will not forgive you [for failing to stand up].”
It is a rather combative stance to take for a leader who seems to be running out of options. But “This is not just about political revenge anymore — it’s about every citizen’s rights being stolen,” Barrister Gohar Khan, de jure chairman of the PTI, told the press after meeting the PTI chief in jail. It will certainly be difficult for the government to challenge the PTI chief’s motivations for announcing another protest movement. “The Constitution, the law and justice have all been buried after the 26th Amendment,” the former prime minister’s statement reads. “We have lost all faith in the courts’ ability to give us justice, and the people of Pakistan have no option but to launch a nationwide protest movement to escape this quicksand of lawlessness.” He is not the only one thinking and feeling this. But is public sympathy alone going to be enough to provide his planned protests enough momentum? It does not appear so.
The PTI certainly does not seem to have learnt from its past experiences. Once again, Mr Imran Khan has given in to the temptation of issuing an ultimatum. Aug 5, which will mark two years of his incarceration, will be the day the new protest movement should reach its peak, he has said. That gives the party not even a month to prepare, organise and trigger the “second Pakistan Movement” he hopes for. This expectation seems unrealistic considering how divided and dispersed the PTI appears to be at the moment. The party’s public support has not disappeared, but its organisational command centre remains cut off from the public, meaning mass mobilisation depends entirely on supporters’ personal initiatives. Without a strategy in place, it seems Mr Khan may be setting the PTI up for another damp squib, of which the party should have had enough of by now. Perhaps he should consider other options.
KARACHI: Model and actor Humaira Asghar Ali, whose partially decomposed body was found a day earlier in her rented DHA apartment, may have died several months ago, police said on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old actor was found dead when police, accompanied by a bailiff, broke open the door of her fourth-floor apartment in Ittehad Commercial, Phase VI.
DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that police surgeon Summaiya Syed along with SSP-South Mahzoor Ali visited her flat and they suspected that she might have died around six months ago.
Elaborating, he said that the date of expiry of the bread and packaged milk kept in the refrigerator was September 2024.
Similarly, two SIMs in her cell phone were dead /inactive since September 2024 as per the call data record obtained by investigators. Besides, he said that power supply to her flat was disconnected in October 2024 reportedly by the KE ostensibly over non-payment of dues.
The police said the adjacent flat was empty during the period in which she was believed to have died.
Family refuses to take body
The DIG said that her family lived in Lahore and when the police approached them they, particularly her father, refused to take the body for burial.
Later, he said, the deceased’s brother-in-law approached the police and he was expected to arrive here on Thursday (today) to meet with the police.
As people learned that her father refused to take the body, prominent showbiz personalities approached the police, expressing their willingness to perform the last rites and arrange the burial, the DIG said.
“We shall hand them the body in case the family refuses,” he added.
He said that the cause of the death could be ascertained only after receiving chemical examiner’s report.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday emphasised that the safe disposal of hospital waste is a crucial and effective step in protecting the public from diseases.
He made these remarks while addressing a ceremony organised by the Indus Hospital and Health Network on the occasion of the provision of yellow vehicles for infectious medical waste disposal.
Speaking at the event, the minister said, “Prevention is better than cure. If we don’t take precautionary measures, diseases will overtake us.”
He highlighted that, with the support of the Global Fund, Indus Hospital has provided specialised medical waste disposal vans in 15 districts across Pakistan, including the federal capital, Islamabad, where one van will be handed over to the district health officer (DHO), Islamabad.
Mustafa Kamal warned that hospital waste is extremely hazardous and, if not properly managed, becomes a source of disease transmission. “Protecting people from disease is our topmost priority,” he stated.
Also addressing the gathering, Dr Abdul Bari Khan, President of Indus Hospital, said that progress in the health sector is not solely dependent on constructing new hospitals or supplying modern equipment.
“These vehicles reflect our commitment to infection control, environmental safety, and sustainable healthcare,” Dr Bari stated. “We are grateful for the support of the federal government and hopeful that this model will be replicated across the country.”
• Heavy rainfall exposes Lahore’s drainage system; city struggles with flooding, power outages • KKH reopens for traffic but heatwave persists in GB; glacial melting, floods cause severe damage
LAHORE / GILGIT: At least 11 people lost their lives and many others sustained injuries as heavy monsoon rains lashed Lahore, its surrounding districts and some parts of Balochistan on Wednesday. The downpours caused widespread flooding and disrupted daily life in several areas.
In Lahore, the heavy rainfall submerged low-lying areas and major roads, exposing the city’s inadequate drainage infrastructure.
According to data from the Water and Sanitation Agency’s (Wasa) Monsoon Control Room, Lahore received an average of 58.8mm of rain, with some areas like Nishtar Town recording the highest 84mm, followed by Lakshmi Chowk (78mm) and Paniwala Talab (74mm).
The first spell of rain lashed the city from 2:45am to 5:40am, with a second, more intense downpour hitting between 10:45am and 12:11pm.
The heavy showers exposed the weaknesses in Lahore’s drainage system, with key areas such as Jail Road (63mm), Qurtaba Chowk (68mm) and Wasa Head Office in Gulberg (69mm) experiencing severe water accumulation. The rainwater mixed with sewage, creating a public health crisis as residents struggled to navigate flooded streets.
At Yakki Gate, a child was electrocuted by exposed wiring, while multiple Lesco feeders tripped across the city, leaving thousands without electricity for hours.
“We’ve been without power since the morning and the stagnant water is making it impossible to leave our homes,” said Rukhsana Bibi, a resident of Mughalpura, which received 60mm of rain.
Residents of Barki Road also faced immense difficulties in travelling. They complained that no machinery was sent to clear the water from the roads and streets until evening, with the Wasa and district administration focusing efforts on draining water only from “elite” areas.
Despite claims from the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) about deploying cleaning teams and clearing over 6,000 waste containers, citizens reported minimal improvements on the ground.
“The main roads are still submerged, and no one from the administration is here to help,” said Asif Mahmood, a shopkeeper at Lakshmi Chowk.
The situation was particularly dire in low-lying areas like Farrukhabad (49mm) and Johar Town (39mm), where drainage systems were virtually non-existent.
Monsoon rains also affected several other districts across Punjab in the last 24 hours. Khanewal recorded 51mm, Rawalpindi 42mm, Sahiwal 44mm, Murree 41mm, Okara 30mm, Mandi Bahauddin 27mm, Mangla 24mm, and Toba Tek Singh 13mm.
Other regions like Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Gujrat, Kasur, Bahawalnagar, Sargodha, Multan and Jhang also experienced downpours.
Deaths and injuries
According to Rescue 1122, nine people lost their lives and many others were injured in rain-related incidents across the province.
Two children died when the roof of their house collapsed due to the rain in Sheikhupura. Rescue teams also retrieved four people trapped under the rubble of a collapsed house in Pakpattan. In Jhelum valley, a cloudburst caused severe damage to houses and vehicles, while roads were destroyed.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more intense rainfall over the next 24 hours in Lahore and much of Punjab.
Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), said the rains are expected to continue until July 13. Thunderstorms are likely on Thursday in Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujarat, Lahore and Hafizabad. The Punjab government has also imposed Section 144 around rivers and canals.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), water levels are expected to rise in the Kabul, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers, with low-level flooding likely at Tarbela, Kalabagh, Chashma and Taunsa along the Indus.
Low-level flooding is also feared in Marala and Khanki on the Chenab River, and at Mangla on the Jhelum River. Tributaries of the Swat and Panjkora rivers may also experience flooding.
Heavy rainfall is expected to cause a significant rise in water flow in the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, as well as in local streams in Jhal Magsi, Kachhi, Sibi, Qila Saifullah, Zhob and Musakhel districts in Balochistan.
Two people were killed and another injured in separate rain-related incidents in Balochistan’s Khuzdar and Mastung districts on Wednesday. Heavy rainfall and strong winds caused a wall to collapse in Khuzdar, resulting in the death of a man named Muhammad Arif and injuring Ehsanullah.
In Bolan Colony in the Kanak area of Mastung, a tanker carrying LPG overturned on a person due to slippery roads caused by the rain. The victim, identified as Muhammad Yaqoob, was killed on the spot.
Glacial melting intensifies in GB
The current heatwaves have accelerated glacial melting across Gilgit-Baltistan, leading to widespread flooding and soil erosion that have disconnected roads, damaged homes, agriculture and disrupted power and water supplies in various areas.
Rising water levels in rivers and streams have put downstream communities at significant risk. According to the local administration, river erosion has severed links to the Hoper, Hisper and Nagar Khas areas on Thursday, with access roads submerged or washed away.
Flooding from the Supultar Nallah has once again damaged the RCC bridge and agricultural land in Tokorkot, while water from the Hamari Nallah and Supultar Nallah has cut off drinking and irrigation water supplies to most residents in Nagar Khas and Hoper.
The surge of glacial water near the Hamorkhay area has led to continued erosion, endangering homes in nearby villages. In Upper Hunza, rising water levels in the Khunjerab River have caused the destruction of power infrastructure, with two electricity poles submerged, cutting off the electricity supply to several villages in Gojal.
The situation has also affected irrigation and drinking water systems, crops and bridges, leaving the residents of Nagar and Hunza districts without essential services like water, electricity and road access.
In Gilgit, the increasing water levels in the Shigar River have damaged the K2 Road, leaving hundreds of residents and foreign tourists stranded. Officials said the melting Baltoro Glacier had rapidly increased the volume of water in nearby rivers and streams, further exacerbating the situation.
Flash floods in Babusar Valley, Chilas, also caused significant damage, with 10 homes destroyed and crops damaged. The Karakoram Highway, which had been blocked in Chilas, was reopened for traffic on Thursday, allowing thousands of stranded passengers, including tourists, to continue their journeys.
Rising water levels in the Jutal area in Gilgit have damaged homes and farmland, with many people living near rivers facing the imminent threat of flooding. Local officials have warned that the situation remains precarious, with many areas still without power, water and proper access routes.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GBEPA) expressed fears of a major water crisis in the region due to climate change, which is causing a decrease in snowfall and rapid melting of glaciers.
Geo-fenced SMS alerts
Meanwhile, Jazz and the NDMA have partnered to deliver geo-fenced SMS alerts to millions of citizens in flood-risk areas. The alerts, part of the Disaster Early Warning System (DEW-3), are designed to enhance public awareness and enable timely evacuations or precautionary measures in flood-prone areas.
Under the agreement, more than 23 million Jazz users residing in regions identified as vulnerable by the NDMA will receive location-based alerts, ensuring that citizens are informed of impending flood risks.
Kalbe Ali in Islamabad and Abdul Wahid Shahwani in Khuzdar also contributed to this report
She was recognised for her professional work through various local and international awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to her by the International Women’s Media Foundation in 2012.
Zubeida Mustafa
A PIONEER in women’s journalism in Pakistan and a dedicated voice for the marginalised, Zubeida Mustafa passed away on Wednesday evening in Karachi. She was 84.
Known to her colleagues at Dawn as ‘Mrs Mustafa’ or ‘ZM’, she spent 33 years at the paper, retiring in 2008 after serving as assistant editor.
During her over three-decade tenure at Dawn, Mrs Mustafa helped bring out numerous supplements and satellite publications such as the education page and Books & Authors, the first dedicated English-language magazine focusing on book reviews and literary matters brought out by a mainstream paper in the country.
ZM was educated at St Joseph’s Convent in Karachi, and later attained a Master’s degree in International Relations from Karachi University. She also attended the London School of Economics, but could not complete her studies at that institution.
She began her professional life at the Karachi-based Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, and was later approached by Dawn‘s editor Ahmad Ali Khan to work at the paper. She considered Khan Sahib a major influence, and in an interview with Newsline termed him “a very progressive man and a champion of women’s rights“.
But as Zohra Yusuf noted in a review of ZM’s autobiography, “in her own quiet way, [she] exercised a significant influence on the newspaper’s journey”. This included bringing the “women’s perspective” to the paper’s editorials. Zubeida Mustafa’s editorials, and later columns, focused on a wide variety of subjects, including international affairs, education and issues of the marginalised and the downtrodden.
As Dawn’s op-ed editor Ayesha Azfar, who worked with Mrs Mustafa noted, “Her last column for op-ed appeared in March this year, after which she was finding it increasingly difficult because of her failing health. She was legally visually impaired, and it is remarkable the way she managed to do her columns, to regularly attend seminars, and keep up her interest in education — she wrote a book on that — women, and health amongst other subjects.”
ZM edited numerous books and wrote two: her aforementioned biography My DAWN Years — Exploring Social Issues and Reforming School Education in Pakistan & the Language Dilemma. She was recognised for her professional work through various local and international awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to her by the International Women’s Media Foundation in 2012.
Pakistan Herald Publications Limited had launched an award named after her in 2013, titled the ZM Award For Journalistic Excellence to recognise her contribution “both to Dawn and to the field of journalism in Pakistan”.
Activist and columnist Naeem Sadiq said he knew Zubeida Mustafa for 30 years. “She was a good friend. She had lunch with us about a month ago and wanted to come again. She was a great woman, it is the nation’s loss. She taught us values and professional ethics. She was a very progressive lady. She wrote on human rights, issues of the handicapped. She set standards in ethics and morality,” he observed.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan mourned her loss and observed that she “championed social, cultural and language rights like few. She was a comrade-in-arms and stood by the disadvantaged and oppressed”.
A condolence statement from the Karachi Press Club noted that she “was not just a journalist; she was an institution”.
“Her work on social issues, education, and health was particularly impactful, demonstrating her deep empathy and dedication to improving the lives of ordinary citizens,” KPC President Fazil Jamili and Secretary Sohail Afzal Khan said, adding that she leaves a “legacy that will continue to inspire generations of journalists”.
KARACHI: As India continues its attempts to paint Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism, two prominent Pakistani voices hit back, assuring the world that unlike India, Pakistan is not a “reckless and irresponsible state”, and assailing New Delhi for lying to its people about the Pahalgam attack.
In interviews broadcast on Wednesday, the country’s former foreign minister and the military’s chief spokesperson took the Indian claims head on, with the former even offering to work with New Delhi against the group that claimed the Pahalgam attack, if India was prepared to extend similar cooperation on the proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Majeed Brigade.
Speaking to Indian journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that had Pakistan been involved in the Pahalgam attack, evidence would have surfaced and the perpetrators identified.
“As far as the Pahalgam terrorist attack is concerned, Pakistan has been willing to be part of an impartial international investigation; your government refused that,” he said.
ISPR chief accuses Ajit Doval of orchestrating terror attacks in Pakistan
“To this day, the Indian government has not shared with Pakistan, with the international community, with the Indian public… who exactly are these individuals that were involved in this terrorist attack that are from Pakistan?”
“It’s very uncomfortable for you that I point out the truth to the Indian public, that they have been lied to… that Pakistan was involved in this attack when we were not,” he asserted.
“The government has been unable to provide the evidence. That’s why during this war, the Indian media and the Indian government launched a campaign of disinformation to continue to bamboozle the people of India,” he added.
Thapar claimed that The Resistance Front — the group that supposedly claimed the Pahalgam attack — could not be proscribed by the UN due to resistance from China, at Pakistan’s behest.
To this, Mr Bhutto-Zardari responded that Pakistan was ready for any cooperation against this group, but reminded the interviewer that India had also blocked Islamabad’s attempts to have groups such as the BLA and Majeed Brigade outlawed by the UN.
The interview was quite combative – ‘quarrelsome’ by Thapar’s own admission – as Mr Bhutto-Zardari was frequently interrupted by the interviewer, even threatening to walk out if he was not allowed to respond.
Last week, Mr Bhutto-Zardari had told Al Jazeera that Pakistan had no objection to extraditing “individuals of concern” — namely Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar — to India as a confidence-building measure, as long as New Delhi showed willingness to cooperate in the process.
Asked about Saeed and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Bilawal highlighted that the LeT chief was in prison and that the Mumbai attack case was still ongoing.
“The frustration that the courts and the Pakistani government and legal system are having with achieving a conviction is that India is refusing to participate in the trial and produce the witnesses necessary to record their statements,” the PPP chairman said.
He also spoke about Cold War roots of these banned organisations, saying that the fabric of such groups was connected to the Afghan jihad. Recalling his mother’s assassination, Mr Bhutto-Zardari told Thapar that he had personally been affected by terrorism.
When Thapar tried some ‘gotcha’ tactics by quoting Pervez Musharraf, Mr Bhutto-Zardari wryly reminded him that his party did not endorse the former military ruler’s policies.
Doval ‘chief architect’ of terror
Separately, speaking to Al Jazeera, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval of being the “chief architect” of terrorism in Pakistan and the region, as well as orchestrating transnational killings.
According to the ISPR chief, India provided funding, planning, intelligence and technical support to terrorist groups within Pakistan, such as Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan – the state’s terminology for the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and BLA.
“Do you think it’s happening on its own? This terror enterprise cannot be sustained without the sponsorship of India,” he said. “Who is the chief architect? Mr Ajit Doval.”
“The strategy of India is to keep Pakistan embroiled in this menace of terrorism, so that its true power … potential is not realised,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said. “The power differential between the two countries keeps increasing, so that India can act as a regional hegemon, a bully and can dictate its own terms.”
The military’s spokesperson then added that terrorist commanders who had surrendered or been captured confessed that they received support from New Delhi, citing press conferences by captured Fitna al-Hindustan commanders and the case of captured Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav.
“This evidence is all public. It is RAW,” he said.
“We must understand that terrorism is an internal problem of India as a result of the continuous oppression which India does to its minorities as part of its policy,” he said.
“Rather than addressing these grave injustices, inequalities, and doing soul searching, it (India) is very quick to put all the blame on Pakistan. Because of this senseless blame game that the Indians are resorting to, it is bringing the thresholds between India and Pakistan to dangerously low levels, to such levels that where one incident of terrorism or an act of violence can be turned into an act of war,” Lt-Gen Chaudhry said.
