Category: 2. World

India fears a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet will reduce water flows on a major river by up to 85 per cent during the dry season, according to four sources familiar with the matter and a government analysis seen by Reuters, prompting Delhi to fast-track plans for its own dam to mitigate the effects.

The Indian government has been considering projects since the early 2000s to control the flow of water from Tibet’s Angsi Glacier, which sustains more than 100 million people downstream in China, India and Bangladesh.

But the plans have been hindered by fierce and occasionally violent resistance from residents of the border state of Arunachal Pradesh, who fear their villages will be submerged and way of life destroyed by any dam.

Then in December, China announced that it would build the world’s largest hydropower dam in a border county just before the Yarlung Zangbo river crosses into India.

That triggered fears in New Delhi that its longtime strategic rival — which has some territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh — could weaponise its control of the river, which originates in the Angsi Glacier and is known as the Siang and Brahmaputra in India.

India’s largest hydropower company in May moved survey materials under armed police protection near a prospective site of the Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Dam, which would be the country’s biggest dam, if completed.

Senior Indian officials have also been holding meetings about accelerating construction this year, including one organised in July by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, according to two of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive government matters.

Delhi’s concerns were described in the undated Indian government analysis of the Chinese dam’s impact, the specifics of which Reuters corroborated with four sources and is reporting for the first time.

Beijing hasn’t released detailed plans about the dam’s construction, but the analysis drew on past work conducted by Indian government-affiliated institutions like the Central Water Commission and accounted for the expected size of the Chinese project, which broke ground in July and will cost nearly $170 billion.

Delhi estimates the Chinese dam will allow Beijing to divert as much as 40 billion cubic meters of water, or just over a third of what is received annually at a key border point, according to the sources and the document.

The impact would be especially acute in the non-monsoon months, when temperatures rise and lands become barren across swathes of India.

The Upper Siang project would alleviate that with its projected 14 BCM of storage capacity, allowing India to release water during the dry season. That could mean the major regional city of Guwahati, which is dependent on water-intensive industry and farming, would see a reduction in supply of 11pc, according to the sources and the document, as opposed to 25pc if the Indian dam isn’t built.

The project could also mitigate any move by Beijing to release devastating torrents of water downstream, the sources said.

If the dam is at its minimum drawdown level — where water is stored at less than 50pc of its height — it would be able to fully absorb any excess water released from a breach in Chinese infrastructure, according to the document and the sources.

India is considering a proposal to keep 30pc of its dam empty at any time in order to account for unexpected surges, two of the sources said.

A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said in response to Reuters’ questions that the hydropower projects “have undergone rigorous scientific research on safety and environmental protection, and will not adversely impact the water resources, ecology, or geology of downstream countries.”

“China has always maintained a responsible attitude toward the development and utilisation of transboundary rivers, and has maintained long-term communication and cooperation with downstream countries such as India and Bangladesh,” the spokesperson added.

Modi’s office and the Indian ministries responsible for water and external affairs did not respond to Reuters’ questions. State-owned hydropower major NHPC also did not return a request for comment.

India’s foreign ministry has said that top diplomat S. Jaishankar raised concerns about the dam during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on August 18. A Jaishankar deputy also told lawmakers in August that the government was implementing measures to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of citizens in downstream areas, including building the dam.

India has itself been accused by Pakistan, a Chinese ally that it briefly clashed with in May, of weaponising water. Delhi this year suspended its participation in a 1960 water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and is considering diverting flows from another crucial river away from its downstream neighbour.

An international tribunal has ruled that India must adhere to the agreement but Delhi says the panel lacks jurisdiction.

Development or destruction?

When NHPC workers moved surveying materials near the village of Parong in May, angry locals damaged their machinery, destroyed a nearby bridge and looted the tents of police sent to guard the operation.

Many of them are members of Arunachal’s Adi community, who live off paddy, orange and sweet lime farms in the mist-shrouded hills and valleys nourished by the Siang.

The villagers have set up makeshift watch posts on regional roads to deny access to NHPC workers. That has forced security personnel to trek miles, often under the cover of night, to reach a prospective site of the dam.

At least 16 Adi villages are likely to be lost to the storage area of the dam, directly affecting an estimated 10,000 people, according to two of the sources.

Community leaders say more than 100,000 people will be impacted overall.

“The cardamom, paddy, jackfruit and pear we grow on this land help educate our children and support our family,” said Odoni Palo Pabin, an Adi grocer and mother of two. “We will fight the dam to death.”

The dam has the support of Arunachal’s chief minister, who is a member of Modi’s party and has called the Chinese project an existential threat.

The project will “ensure water security and provide flood moderation to counter any potential water surges,” the state government said in a statement, adding that it decided in June to engage in detailed compensation discussions with families that could be affected by the dam.

Lawmaker Alo Libang, an Adi who represents an area that would be submerged by the Indian project, said he believed locals could be convinced to move if they received generous compensation.

NHPC has plans to spend more than $3 million on education and emergency infrastructure to incentivise the villagers to move elsewhere, three of the sources said, citing instructions from Modi’s office.

In one sign of progress, three villages in the area recently agreed to let NHPC officials carry out dam-related work, according to the Arunachal government and dozens of locals.

India has a history of activist movements against large dams, which have sometimes slowed these projects by years or forced them to scale down.

Even if the Upper Siang dam gets the go-ahead, it could take a decade to build after breaking ground, according to four of the sources.

That means the project would likely be completed after China’s project, which Beijing expects to start generating power by the early-to-mid 2030s.

The delay means an Indian project would be vulnerable during construction if Beijing suddenly releases water during the monsoon season, triggering a surge that could wash away temporary dams, two of the sources said.

International experts and Adi activists have also warned that building large dams in seismically active Tibet and Arunachal could heighten risks for downstream communities.

The Chinese “dam is being built in a zone of high seismicity and in a zone that experiences extreme weather events,” said Sayanangshu Modak, an expert on the India-China water relationship at the University of Arizona.

“These kinds of extreme weather events trigger landslides, mudslides, glacial lake outburst flooding,” he said. “So that raises concerns about dam safety… it’s a very legitimate concern, and India should engage with China.”

India will continue to buy oil from wherever it “gets the best deal” in order to protect the interests of its 1.4 billion people, the country’s ambassador to Russia has said.

Vinay Kumar’s statement comes days before US President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on India, including a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons, are set to kick in.

On Sunday, US Vice-President JD Vance said that Trump had announced secondary tariffs on India to apply “aggressive economic leverage” on Russia and force it to stop the war in Ukraine.

Delhi’s increased imports of cheap Russian crude since the war began has strained its ties with the US and impacted negotiations on a trade deal.

Russian crude made up 35-40% of India’s oil imports in 2024, up from 3% in 2021.

The US has alleged that India’s purchase of Russian oil is helping fund the war in Ukraine, a charge Delhi denies.

On Sunday, Kumar told Russia’s TASS news agency that India’s trade was based on market factors and that its priority remains energy security for its population. He also reiterated India’s stand that Trump’s decision to impose secondary tariffs was “unfair, unreasonable and unjustified”.

Kumar’s statement came hours after India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar robustly defended India’s purchase of Russian crude.

“It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business,” he said on Saturday, pointing out that the US has not imposed secondary tariffs on China – the largest importer of Russian oil – or the European Union, which still conducts a huge amount of trade with Russia.

He said that India maintained strategic autonomy in its decision-making, signalling that it would not be pressured by the US into reducing oil imports from Russia.

India maintains friendly relations with Ukraine, while Russia is one of its most important allies.

Delhi has repeatedly called for a “peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy” to the Russia-Ukraine war, but has avoided public condemnation of Russia despite pressure from the West.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Ukraine in 2024, and India has expressed its willingness to “contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early restoration of peace”.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk told local media that President Volodymr Zelensky may visit India soon, though the dates haven’t been confirmed yet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to visit India sometime this year.

On Sunday, Vance expressed confidence in Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

“He (Trump) tried to make it clear that Russia can be re-invited into the world economy if they stop the killing. But they are going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing,” he said.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani foreign affairs experts on Sunday urged Islamabad and Dhaka to institutionalize their relations through increased trade and investment, terming the rapprochement between the former rivals as a “key paradigm shift” in their ties.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday concluded a two-day visit to Bangladesh, where he met senior officials of the country, including Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The two nations signed agreements to abolish visas for diplomatic and official passport holders, promote trade, investment and economic cooperation.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh. Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024.

Islamabad has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months as relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh began sea trade last year and began expanding government-to-government commerce in February.

“It [rapprochement] has a very huge strategic value as this is one of the key paradigm shifts in Pakistan and Bangladesh relations that we are witnessing now,” Dr. Sajid Amin, deputy executive director at Islamabad-based Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) think tank, told Arab News.

“Pakistan and Bangladesh must prioritize institutionalizing relations through a free trade agreement and conducive investment policies, so ties remain stable and long-term, beyond changes in government,” he explained.

Amin noted that new governments often reverse policies of their predecessors, saying the positive shift should not be person- or government-specific.

“It needs a proper mechanism through agreements and MoUs to ensure that with a change of government, it does not go back to square one,” he said, adding that increased trade between the two countries can positively impact the inter-regional South Asian trade patterns, given Bangladesh’s economic potential in the region.

On Sunday, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade, aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $1 billion in the financial year that began in July.

In 2023-24 Pakistan exported goods worth $661 million to Bangladesh, while its imports were only $57 million, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

“Bangladesh is one of the most active economies as it is expected to surpass India in GDP per capita in the next 5-10 years,” Amin said, adding that Islamabad has much to learn from Dhaka, particularly in developing a vibrant small and medium enterprises sector, promoting women’s economic inclusion, and diversifying beyond textiles and other traditional areas.

Shuja Alam, former Pakistan high commissioner to Bangladesh, agreed with Amin. He said that while Islamabad and Dhaka are “natural allies,” both must work hard to cement rapprochement in ties.

Alam said Pakistan’s longtime ally China could help ensure longevity to Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka.

“Pakistan and China are close allies and since China maintains good ties with Bangladesh, it would welcome stronger and long-term Islamabad–Dhaka relations to strengthen its regional influence and curb India’s sway,” he said.

The former diplomat said to turn this opportunity into a “long-term partnership,” Pakistan and Bangladesh must enhance engagement at the ministerial level to translate it into economic benefits.

“Many Pakistanis initially invested in Bangladesh’s textile and other sectors, but hostile policies of the Awami League hindered success,” Alam noted.

Amin believed there is ample opportunity for Islamabad to increase trade with Dhaka.

“We have a good market there, for example motorcycles, bikes and others, which were dominated by Indians earlier,” he said. “Now, Pakistan has an opportunity to fill that vacuum.”

PROCEEDING CAUTIOUSLY

But Shahid Kiani, a former Pakistani ambassador who served in the country’s mission in Dhaka, urged Islamabad to proceed cautiously, warning that Hasina’s Awami League party still holds influence in Bangladesh which shares a border with India on three sides.

“Emotions alone cannot dictate foreign policy, improved people-to-people contacts through business, student, and youth exchanges, can strengthen Pakistan–Bangladesh relations,” Kiani said.

Reconciliation has its obstacles, as calls for Pakistan to apologize for the alleged 1971 killings of Bangladeshi civilians remain popular in Bangladesh. Pakistan’s military denies it carried out any such killings.

On Sunday, Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain told reporters a after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Dar that all three unresolved issues had been raised, and Pakistan had presented its position. The three issues for Dhaka concern an official apology for the killings in the 1971 war of Bangladesh’s independence, the return of due assets, and the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis.

“Pakistan is an important neighbor of ours in South Asia. Our relationship with Pakistan is historical and diverse,” Hossain said. “In this context, at today’s meeting, we expressed a firm determination to advance our existing ties.”

During Dar’s visit, Bangladeshi media reported that enhanced ties with Pakistan need not be seen as antagonistic to India, rather they can serve as a “pragmatic” regional balancing tool.

Kiani said the previous Bangladeshi government of Hasina had suspended ties with Pakistan for too long and Pakistan has received this opportunity not because of India, but due to the historical connections and potential between both countries “despite unfortunate happenings of 1971.”

“Pakistan should capitalize on this chance by enhancing people-to-people, business-to-business, and government-to-government contacts to ensure the engagement is deep and lasting, not a one-time event,” he added.

But whether there will be significant cooperation between the former foes is not likely to be decided by the current government, Shomsher Mobin Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s former foreign secretary, told Arab News, as Yunus’s administration is expected to hold general elections in February 2026 and remains cautious in its steps.

“We know that interim government tenures are always short lived. How long will this one last — we do not know. So, Pakistan is showing its eagerness to establish its relations with Bangladesh … The signal is coming from Pakistan, and we are being typically receptive,” Chowdhury said.

“Pakistan is trying to send a political message … It is up to us to decide how we react to it in the midterm and long term. And it is for the next political government to decide what to do with it.”

Burhanul Islam, another former Pakistani diplomat, urged Islamabad to win Dhaka’s trust by respecting its people, culture and aspirations, noting that India’s ties with Bangladesh may not improve “soon.”

“I hope Islamabad and Dhaka will be able to resolve the issues of the past if they sit with an open mind, and with a positive approach to have long-term, sustainable friendly relations,” Islam said, adding that once a common text of apology is agreed upon, the question of compensation would become irrelevant.

“Both countries have to solve these issues of the past. Without it, moving ahead will face a lot of issues and hurdles.”

Tel Aviv
 — 

Nearly a week after Hamas accepted the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Israel has yet to respond – even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he is “immediately” starting negotiations to release all the hostages and end the war.

The silence reflects a fundamental shift in Israel’s approach that has befuddled mediators and families of the remaining hostages, who have accused Netanyahu of abandoning and sacrificing their loved ones.

After 18 months of agreeing only to partial, phased ceasefire deals, Netanyahu is now demanding a comprehensive agreement that would secure the release of all hostages and end the war entirely – on Israel’s terms. The policy reversal comes as the prime minister simultaneously accelerates plans for a massive military assault on Gaza City, pursuing a dual strategy of negotiating while waging war to “defeat Hamas.”

On Thursday, Netanyahu declared that he had instructed his team to immediately start negotiations for the return of all the hostages and end the war in Gaza. But he did so without once mentioning the proposal currently on the table – which calls for a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the hostages. The latest proposal is similar to the 60-day ceasefire Netanyahu agreed to last month, only with terms more favorable to Israel after Hamas showed flexibility on the number of prisoners to be released and the size of the security perimeter.

At the same time, Netanyahu made a point of continuing to advance plans for the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) massive assault and takeover of Gaza City. Israel attributes Hamas’ concessions to the threat of its imminent Gaza City offensive, and Israeli officials say they believe the renewed threat of heavy military pressure will make Hamas more flexible to accept Israel’s conditions to end the war.

Israel has long claimed that military pressure will force Hamas to the table, but the terror group, while depleted, has defied defeat despite nearly two years of fighting.

Netanyahu has not explained what caused this dramatic shift from a partial to a comprehensive negotiation framework, and his mixed messaging has left many in Israel and abroad confused: for a year and a half the government refused to discuss ending the war and only agreed to negotiate phased and partial ceasefire agreements. Now he’s opting only for a comprehensive deal and has been reluctant to respond to the mediators’ latest proposal that was accepted by Hamas,

Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, said in a statement, “The movement has presented everything necessary to reach a ceasefire agreement and is still ready to do so with all national responsibility and an open mind.” Naim said that Netanyahu has a “green light” from the Trump administration to continue what he called a “dirty game.”

According to senior Israeli sources, the answer in Netanyahu’s new negotiations strategy lies not in Jerusalem but in Washington. In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has expressed explicit public support for Israel’s renewed assault in Gaza, adopting the Israeli rhetoric aiming to destroy Hamas, instead of pushing for a temporary ceasefire.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform last week.

According to one senior Israeli source, after Hamas raised obstacles during the last round of negotiations in Qatar in July, Trump “lost patience and trust with the partial process and doesn’t believe Hamas actually wants a deal.”

This echoes remarks his envoy Steve Witkoff made after the latest round of talks collapsed, slamming Hamas as uncoordinated and not acting in good faith and saying the US would explore alternative options to secure hostage release and stabilize Gaza.

“It was too bad. Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die,” Trump told reporters outside the White House at the time. Shortly after the comments, Netanyahu’s office shifted to an “all or nothing” approach, demanding a comprehensive deal.

In the latest Israeli security cabinet meeting, during which Netanyahu’s government approved the decision to expand and deepen the operation in Gaza City, five conditions were set to end the war: disarmament of Hamas, the release of all the hostages, demilitarization of Gaza while maintaining Israeli security control, and the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

But Hamas has drawn a red line at any notion of disarming. Israeli analysts say Netanyahu’s double-messaging – pursuing war and peace – is a political tactic to buy time. It prolongs the war and his own rule.

“Netanyahu is fully aware that Hamas will never accept his conditions for ending the war – and that is precisely his point,” Chaim Levinson, a senior diplomatic commentator for Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, told CNN. Netanyahu’s demand for territorial control over large swaths of Gaza “is likely to derail any potential agreement.”

Netanyahu has demanded full Israeli security control over Gaza in any post-war scenario, a scenario in which Israel would retain the right to carry out strikes in Gaza. “Under such conditions, no one will invest in Gaza, since the territory would remain trapped in a state of ongoing conflict,” Levinson said.

While repeated polling has shown that the vast majority of the Israeli public would support any deal that would bring back the hostages – Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, adamantly oppose any ceasefire or end to the war, and have warned more than once that it could lead to the collapse of his government.

Because of that overt threat, all of the hostage deals so far were designed as phased and gradual, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the negotiations. The partial approach enabled Netanyahu to promise his coalition partners that Israel will resume the war eventually.

Netanyahu’s far-right allies have pressed the Israeli leader to expand the war and ramp up the bombardment of the devastated enclave until Hamas surrenders.

Former State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Biden administration believed Netanyahu was throwing up roadblocks to a ceasefire deal. “There were times that we very much wanted to go public and make clear that we thought the prime minister was being completely intransigent and making it tougher to get a deal,” he told Israel’s Channel 13. But the administration kept the disagreements private, Miller said, because former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar pulled back from negotiations when he saw a split between the US and Israel.

The prime minister’s latest maneuvering and perceived double messaging has escalated tensions between his government and the families of the remaining hostages in Gaza. The families, who have been ramping up public pressure since the cabinet approved the Gaza City offensive, accused the government of sacrificing the hostages by delaying or dismissing the partial agreement on the table.

After launching some of the largest anti-war protests Israel has seen since the beginning of the conflict nearly two years ago, the hostage families are scheduling another protest for Tuesday night, trying to keep the pressure on a government they feel is deaf to their cries of pain.

Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan, who is held hostage in Gaza, blamed Netanyahu for torpedoing the negotiations. “You are setting unattainable conditions to end the war, preparing the army to conquer Gaza, you will lead soldiers into death traps,” she said at a demonstration on Friday night outside the prime minister’s residence. “You will sentence Matan to death, you will cause the deceased hostages to disappear forever!”

In an attempt to brush off public criticism, Netanyahu’s office briefed Israeli reporters over the weekend that he will be sending a negotiation team as soon as a location is set for the talks.

But without a site selected for the next attempt at ceasefire negotiations – and with the US team tied up with Ukraine and Russia – Netanyahu can pursue his dual strategy: making statements about ending the war while taking military action that escalates it.

KARACHI: Sultan Muhammad, a resident of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, shuddered as he received a phone call that upended his life last week. 

On the other end was his daughter, her voice trembling as she pleaded:

“Papa, come home as soon as you can, both brothers have been electrocuted.”

Muhammad’s tragedy was among 17 deaths in electrocution, wall collapse and drowning incidents that were reported in Pakistan’s commercial capital last week, as the city’s crumbling infrastructure once again buckled under heavy monsoon rains. The disaster laid bare both the human toll and the governance failures that accompany Pakistan’s intensifying climate shocks.

For Muhammad, a father of four who works at Karachi airport, only three miles stood between him and his sons, yet choked traffic, flooded streets and paralyzed rescue services turned it into an agonizing eternity.

Soon after being informed about the accident, Muhammad left the airport for Al-Mustafa Hospital in Shah Faisal Colony where he lives, and then to Jinnah Hospital in Saddar in search of his sons, 20-year-old Murad Khan and 11-year-old Siraj Khan, walking for hours as blocked roads bogged him down.

“I was on duty when my daughter called me,” Muhammad, who is in his 50s, recalled. “The traffic was so jammed, and there was so much water, so I walked on foot and reached Jinnah Hospital.”

Siraj was electrocuted near his family’s house. Murad rushed to save his younger brother, but he too received a massive shock. Neighbors took them first to Al-Mustafa Hospital, which referred them to Jinnah Hospital due to their serious condition.

Muhammad’s sister-in-law later told him she too was stuck in traffic near Baloch Colony with the boys’ bodies. 

“There, some kind men of Allah saw them crying and mourning, so they did everything, washing, shrouding, burial preparation, and they booked a car and brought them here [home] via Qur’angi,” he said. 

By the time Muhammad returned home, his sons’ bodies had already arrived. 

A CITY DROWNING EVERY MONSOON

Muhammad’s grief unfolding against a backdrop all too familiar in Karachi, where each monsoon season exposes both human fragility and systemic neglect.

The city of over 20 million with its dilapidated infrastructure has long seen even moderate rains paralyze life. In August 2020, record-breaking rains killed more than 40 people and left neighborhoods without power for days. Last week’s downpour — more than 300 millimeters recorded between Aug. 19 and Aug. 21 — once again exposed Karachi’s vulnerabilities.

Pakistan, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, has reported 785 deaths in rain-related incidents since the monsoon season began in late June.

Meteorologists link the rising frequency of extreme weather to climate change. 

“Because of climate change, the frequency of these extreme events is increasing, and their severity is also increasing compared to before,” said Sardar Sarfaraz, a former director at the Met Office. 

“For every one-degree increase in temperature, 7 percent more moisture evaporates into the atmosphere, which then cools, forms clouds and leads to extreme rainfall events.”

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said the city’s drainage system was designed for only 40 millimeters of rain. 

“So, if 235 millimeters of rain falls in twelve hours, how can a system meant for 40 millimeters handle that,” he asked, adding that authorities had cleared major roads within hours after the rain.

He pointed to structural and political constraints, noting that key drainage channels run past commercial centers like the HBL Plaza, Pakistan Stock Exchange and Shaheen Complex, leaving no room for expansion. 

“It is easier to talk, but there are technical problems,” Wahab said.

Karachi is divided among nearly a dozen civic agencies, including cantonment boards and 28 towns, at least 12 of which are controlled by opposition parties Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. 

“There has to be one father of the city,” Wahab said, adding that the mayor controls only about 36 percent of Karachi.

CITIZENS AND THE CITY

Amber Alibhai, general secretary of Shehri-Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE), said the problem was not only governance but also residents’ behavior. 

“The government and citizens are a team,” she said. “The biggest problem in our drains, streets, and places is that the garbage that goes there, it is not thrown by any political party… We ourselves throw it.”

She criticized unplanned urbanization, with pavements laid over natural catchment areas. 

“You haven’t even left your parks open,” she lamented. “The city’s infrastructure has been pushed to a breaking point.”

For Tanveer Hussain, a bike-hailing service rider who lives near Baloch Colony, the rains turned a short commute into an ordeal. 

“The bike completely stopped,” he said. “People’s cars were submerged, swept away.”

Nearly a week later, as the city struggles to recover, Muhammad is left to mourn. His elder son had recently secured a job with a Rs45,000 ($158) salary. 

“Papa, don’t worry now, I will lessen your burden,” Murad had told him just days earlier, Muhammad said, quoting his deceased son. 

“My children are gone, right? But look, someone’s father, someone’s mother, sister, brother, children, if it rains again, an accident can happen again … My dear ones are gone, both of them, but at least someone else’s should be saved.”

 

CAIRO/JERUSALEM  –  Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city. Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighbourhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia. Fire lit the skies from the direction of the explosions, causing panic, prompting some families to stream out of the city. Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in the Jabalia area in recent days, to dismantle militant tunnels and strengthen control of the area. It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.” Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City, describing it as the last bastion of Hamas militants. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to press on with the offensive on the city where famine has been declared, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. Katz has said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to end the war on Israel’s terms and release all hostages. Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City showed it wasn’t serious about a ceasefire. It said a ceasefire agreement was “the only way to return the hostages”, holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for their lives.

The proposal on the table calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Once a temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations on a permanent ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining hostages.

On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release of all 50 hostages – of whom Israel believes around 20 are still living – and an end to the nearly two-year-old war but on terms acceptable to Israel.

‘HUNGRY AND AFRAID’

Around half of the enclave’s two million people currently live in Gaza City. A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.

“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”

Others said they will not leave, no matter what.

“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation, even if they did try to leave. “We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money.”

A global hunger monitor said on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread. Israel has rejected the assessment and says it ignores steps it has taken since late July to increase aid.

On Sunday, the Gaza health ministry said eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation in the enclave, raising deaths from such causes to 289 people, including 115 children, since the war started. Israel disputes fatality figures by the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

Israel’s military offensive against Hamas has since killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, left much of the territory in ruins and internally displaced nearly its entire population.

Typhoon Kajiki is set to make landfall along Vietnam’s northern coast on Monday, after gathering strength over the weekend as the system tracked west across warm ocean waters.

The storm was 145 kilometers (90 miles) east of Ha Tinh city and packing top sustained winds of as much as 166 kilometers per hour, according to Vietnam’s national weather agency. The typhoon is forecast to cross the coast on Monday afternoon, bringing heavy rain that could lead to flooding.