Category: 1. Pakistan

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast a fresh spell of rain accompanied by wind and thundershowers across the upper and central parts of the country from August 29 to September 02, with occasional gaps.

According to the PMD, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are likely to penetrate northern parts of the country from August 29, while a westerly wave is also expected to approach the upper and central regions from August 30.

Under these conditions, widespread rainfall with scattered heavy downpours is likely in several areas.

Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan

Kashmir is expected to receive widespread rain with scattered heavy to very heavy falls from August 29 to September 02, particularly in Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Bagh, Haveli, Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur. Gilgit-Baltistan, including Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche and Shigar, may experience rain with isolated heavy falls from August 30 to September 1.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rain-thundershowers with isolated heavy to very heavy falls are expected in Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Waziristan, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan between August 29 and September 01.

Islamabad and Central Punjab

Widespread rain with scattered heavy to very heavy downpours is also predicted in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Faisalabad and adjoining districts from August 29 to September 02.

South Punjab

Southern Punjab districts, including Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Layyah and Rajanpur, may also receive rain with isolated heavy falls during the same period.

Sindh

In Sindh, rain with wind-thundershowers is expected in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Dadu, Jacobabad, Sukkur and Larkana on August 30 and 31.

Balochistan

In Balochistan, Barkhan, Loralai, Zhob, Khuzdar and adjoining areas may receive rain with isolated heavy falls from August 30 to September 01.

The PMD has warned of flash floods in local nullahs and streams of Kashmir, Murree, Galliyat, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northeast Punjab from August 29 (night) to September 01

Urban flooding may also occur in low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Nowshera and Mardan. Landslides and mudslides are likely in hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir. Strong winds, heavy falls, and lightning may damage weak structures, including kacha houses, billboards, solar panels and electric poles.

The public, travellers and tourists have been strongly advised to remain cautious, avoid unnecessary movement in vulnerable areas, and stay updated on the latest weather reports.
The concerned authorities have been directed to remain on high alert and take precautionary measures to prevent any untoward situation.

The Punjab government is set to decide on August 29 whether school holidays will be extended in light of the ongoing flood situation across the province.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar is expected to make an important announcement regarding schools, as authorities assess the risks posed by heavy rains and flooding.

According to a private news channel, the School Education Department is bringing together all provincial institutions on a single platform to develop a coordinated strategy for recovery and safety in flood-affected areas. The plan will be based on ground realities and aim to ensure the protection of students and communities.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast that strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are likely to enter the upper parts of the country from August 29.

A westerly wave is also expected to approach the upper and central regions starting August 30, which could further intensify weather conditions.

The police on Wednesday denied holding Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza in custody after an FIR was lodged against the religous scholar on blasphemy charges over a complaint filed prior to his so-called arrest.

Till Tuesday, Punjab Police had maintained that the cleric was not under arrest and had been taken into “preventative custody” in view of threats of secretarian violence under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance. The police had insisted that there were no criminal charges against the engineer.

However, later that same day, a blasphemy case was filed against Engineer Mirza under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.

Section 295-C of the PPC states that any person, whether spoken or written, who makes derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) shall be punished by death and will also be fined.

Section 11 of PECA pertains to the preparation and spread of any information through any vertical that motivates interfaith, sectarian or racial hate shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of upto seven years and or also a fine.

Read: Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza held in ‘preventative detention’

Mirza was taken into custody by Jhelum Police under Section 3 of the MPO on Monday. Under Section 3 of the MPO, the authorities have the power to arrest and detain suspects to prevent “any person from acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety” or to maintain public order.

According to the FIR, filed on Tuesday night at the Jhelum City Police Station, the complainant has alleged that there is an incriminating video of Mirza circulating online that is disrespectful to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The complainant has also accused the cleric of making incorrect statements when referring to Surah al-Nisa in the said video, also published on Mirza’s YouTube channel.

Mirza’s YouTube channel has over three million subscibers. He also runs a centre, Qur’an-O-Sunnat Research Academy, which was shut down by the police as well.

Mirza was charged with blasphemy in 2023. He was accused of insulting the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and downplaying the non-Muslim status of Ahmadis. The charges were later dropped.

Blasphemy laws have long been a contentious issue in Pakistan, with repeated calls for the state to curb their misuse.

NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik has said that nearly 210,000 people have been safely evacuated from flood-affected regions with no casualties reported, APP reports.

Speaking to the media, Lt Gen Malik said large-scale rescue efforts are being carried out in close coordination with the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Rescue 1122, Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs), and other agencies, with evacuees relocated to relief camps where they are receiving medical care, food, and other essential services.

He said the NDMA has issued early warnings for a new spell of rainfall expected between August 29 and September 9, particularly in the catchment zones of the flooded areas, adding that local administrations, NGOs, and other stakeholders have been alerted to take precautionary measures to minimise potential losses.

The chairman said the water flow at Panjnad is expected to surge between 600,000 to 700,000 cusecs in the coming days and the NDMA is actively sharing early warning information with the Sindh PDMA and other relevant authorities to ensure timely preparedness.

Pressure levels at key downstream points such as Kotri and Guddu are also being monitored closely, while evacuation from flood-affected areas along the Sutlej River will continue as water levels rise.

He said army formations are implementing evacuation measures in their respective zones under directives from the army chief with priority given to relocating vulnerable populations.

The chairman said additional rainfall is expected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, prompting the NDMA to urge citizens to stay informed through the NDMA Disaster Alert mobile application.

He reaffirmed that early warnings have been issued for the next 25 to 45 days, with a particular focus on northern Punjab, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, where heavy rainfall may lead to further flooding.

PTI lawmakers have begun resigning from membership and chairmanship of all standing committees in the National Assembly on Wednesday after instructions from party founder Imran Khan.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in July and August disqualified a large number of PTI members and leaders in relation to their involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots against Imran’s arrest, sparking protests in the National Assembly.

NA Director General (Media) Zafar Sultan Khan told Dawn.com today that Ali Asghar Khan and Faisal Amin had sent their resignations as standing committee members to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

A statement from PTI Chief Whip Aamir Dogar also said: “PTI members of the National Assembly have started acting on the instructions of founding chairman Imran Khan. PTI members of standing committees have started sending their resignations. Many members have submitted their resignations to the National Assembly Secretariat.”

He said the remaining lawmakers would send their resignations to the NA Secretariat tomorrow.

The resignation announcement took place following a meeting of PTI’s political committee that ended at 3:30am this morning, according to PTI MNA Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel.

The MNA today said that PTI members were resigning from memberships and chairmanships of all standing committees.

“PTI has resigned from the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) and other committees,” he said in a video announcement before the Public Accounts Committee meeting, adding that political matters would be handed over to the political committee for further consultation.

According to the opposition leader’s chamber, the decision on resignations had been made, and members, including Junaid Akbar, had written their resignations, but the resignations had not been formally submitted to the speaker as yet.

Confirming his move to Dawn.com, Akbar said there was no room nor desire for any other decision once Imran had ordered the resignations. “There is no use in remaining in the standing committees if there is no momentum towards further relief for Imran or his release.”

Meanwhile, Mastikhel added that the resignation from the committees was decided on the instructions of Imran after a meeting of four and a half hours, extending his thanks to the PTI founder for reposing his full trust in the political committee.

“As the decision was taken in the late hours of the night, today we also have a parliamentary party meeting … whatever Mr Khan orders, we will follow accordingly,” he said.

Mastikhel also added that the second decision made by the political committee was to field a candidate in the vacant seat of the late Mian Azhar’s constituency following his death.

The late Azhar’s son, Hammad Azhar, clarified in a post on X yesterday that the decision to boycott by-elections was due to the PTI members in those areas being “unjustly disqualified”, while the matter of Mian Azhar’s natural death was a different case, according to Imran.

“He (Imran) also said that due to the demise, someone from Mian Azhar’s family or a candidate nominated by Hammad Azhar will contest the election from here,” Hammad added.

Chairman Junaid Akbar did not attend the PAC meeting today, where the Cabinet Division, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) audit objections were under consideration. The meeting instead took place under the chairmanship of Naveed Qamar.

The political committee expressed deep concern over the daily hearings related to the Toshakhana trial in Adiala Jail, saying they would “affect the fundamental rights of the accused” and create obstacles in the delivery of justice.

“The PTI considers the members disqualified in the May 9 cases as its true representatives,” the committee added, saying it would boycott by-elections being held in the constituencies of disqualified members.

According to the announcement, elections will be held in the NA-129 constituency of Lahore.

Earlier this month, members of the opposition party staged a vociferous protest in the NA against the continuing convictions of its leaders and subsequent disqualifications of its lawmakers.

Tarar says PTI lawmakers should not resign

Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Geo News show ‘Capital Talk’ that PTI MNAs should not resign from standing committees, saying he particularly attended every session of the Senate standing committee by Barrister Ali Zafar out of respect and the government complied with his orders.

He also appreciated the input of PTI lawmakers in standing committees and said attempts were always made to engage them in dialogue and address their concerns.

“I think the standing committees have a very important role so they should review the decision to resign from them.”

Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja blamed the government as well for the decision to resign from the standing committees, saying the orders of committee chairmen were not heeded.

He also alleged there was no use to contesting the by-elections since the results were already rigged and predecided.