You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistan forecasts torrential rains, potential flooding this week as 172 killed since July

Pakistan forecasts torrential rains, potential flooding this week as 172 killed since July

Pakistan forecasts torrential rains, potential flooding this week as 172 killed since July
People wade through a flooded street amid heavy rainfall in Lahore on July 28, 2024. (AFP/File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/zsdut

Updated 13 August 2024
Follow

Pakistan forecasts torrential rains, potential flooding this week as 172 killed since July

Pakistan forecasts torrential rains, potential flooding this week as 172 killed since July
  • Monsoon rains have killed at least 172 people since the beginning of the season last month
  • NDMA asks the general public to take necessary precautions as the rainy season continues
Updated 13 August 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday urged relevant state institutions to take necessary precautions ahead of a fresh spell of torrential rains from Aug. 14-18, warning it may trigger urban flooding in various parts of the country and increase water flow in rivers and streams.
According to the data gathered by provincial disaster management authorities in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, monsoon rains have killed at least 172 people since the beginning of the season last month.
Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change effects. A United Nations official warned in July that about 200,000 people could be affected by the ongoing monsoon season in Pakistan.
In 2022, torrential rains and floods killed over 1,700 people and caused estimated losses of over $30 billion to the Pakistani economy.
“The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) of the NDMA has anticipated further rains in various parts of the country from August 14 to 18, 2024,” the NDMA’s statement said. “Moderate to heavy rains are expected in catchment areas of Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers, as well as in parts of southern Balochistan, and central and southern Sindh.”
The statement said areas that could be affected adversely due to torrential rains include Murree, Galiyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Nowshera, Swabi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It also said that streams and rivers in northeastern Punjab, Dera Ghazi Khan Division, Kalat, Khuzdar, Barkhan, Lasbela, and the hilly streams and torrents of Azad Kashmir could also be affected by floods.
The statement urged the authorities and general public to take necessary precautions to mitigate the potential impacts of flooding and landslides.
“NDMA issued instructions to all relevant departments to alert Emergency Response Teams and mobilized resources to ensure a swift response to any arising situations,” it continued. “Tourists are advised to avoid traveling to these areas during the forecasted period.”

Topics: monsoon rains Urban flooding

Moody’s upgrades Pakistan’s ratings to Caa2 citing improved macroeconomic conditions 

Moody’s upgrades Pakistan’s ratings to Caa2 citing improved macroeconomic conditions 
Updated 50 sec ago
Follow

Moody’s upgrades Pakistan’s ratings to Caa2 citing improved macroeconomic conditions 

Moody’s upgrades Pakistan’s ratings to Caa2 citing improved macroeconomic conditions 
  • Ratings upgrade reflects Pakistan’s decreased default risk after $7 billion IMF bailout staff-level agreement in July
  • Despite doubling since June 2023, Pakistan’s foreign reserves remain insufficient for external financing needs, says Moody’s 
Updated 50 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: International credit ratings agency Moody’s on Wednesday upgraded Pakistan’s ratings to Caa2 from Caa3 and changed the country’s outlook to “positive” citing improving macroeconomic conditions and better government liquidity and external position. 

The ratings upgrade reflects Pakistan’s decreased default risk after a $7 billion IMF bailout staff-level agreement in July.

However, despite doubling since June 2023, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves remain insufficient for its external financing needs, the agency said. 

“The upgrade to Caa2 reflects Pakistan’s improving macroeconomic conditions and moderately better government liquidity and external positions, from very weak levels,” the ratings agency said. “Accordingly, Pakistan’s default risk has reduced to a level consistent with a Caa2 rating.”

The agency said Pakistan’s Caa2 rating continues to reflect the country’s “very weak debt affordability,” saying that it drives high debt sustainability risk. Moody’s said it expects interest payments to continue absorbing about half of government revenue over the next two to three years.

“The Caa2 rating also incorporates the country’s weak governance and high political uncertainty,” it said. 

Moody’s said that sustained reform implementation, which includes revenue-raising measures, can increase the government revenue base and improve Pakistan’s debt affordability. 

It said completing IMF reviews in a timely manner would also allow Pakistan to continually unlock financing from official partners, sufficient to meet its external debt obligations and support further rebuilding of its foreign exchange reserves.

Moody’s said that while it expects Pakistan to cover its financing needs with funding from official partners, there remains “uncertainty” around the government’s ability to sustain reform implementation. 

It cautioned that a weak coalition government formed after the February election this year may not be able to take revenue-raising measures without stoking social tensions. 

“Slippages in reform implementation or results could lead to delays in or withdrawal of financing support from official partners,” Moody’s warned. 

Topics: Moody's

Pakistani top officials say Afghanistan, India’s RAW spy agency behind Balochistan assault

Pakistani top officials say Afghanistan, India’s RAW spy agency behind Balochistan assault
Updated 9 min 28 sec ago
Follow

Pakistani top officials say Afghanistan, India’s RAW spy agency behind Balochistan assault

Pakistani top officials say Afghanistan, India’s RAW spy agency behind Balochistan assault
  • This is first time senior officials have named nations behind coordinated attacks on Sunday night in which over 50 killed
  • Sindh governor, interior minister separately say militants backed by India and Afghanistan want to hurt Pakistan’s economy 
Updated 9 min 28 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani officials said on Wednesday militants were using the territory of neighboring Afghanistan and receiving support from India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) spy agency to launch attacks in Pakistan, including a string of recent deadly attacks that killed over 50 people in the southwestern Balochistan province. 

This is the first time that senior government officials have named nations behind attacks that began on Sunday night, when separatists militants in the country’s largest province took control of a highway and shot dead 23 people, mostly laborers from the eastern Punjab province. They also blew up a railway bridge that connects Balochistan to the rest of Pakistan and tried to separately storm camps of the paramilitary Frontier Corps and Levies forces in the Bela and Kalat districts respectively. On Tuesday night, militants tried to capture a key highway but were forced to retreat into the mountains after paramilitary forces arrived. 

Sunday’s assaults were the most widespread in years by ethnic militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the resource-rich province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine. The Pakistani state denies it is exploiting Balochistan and says it is working for the uplift of the region through development schemes.

“This conspiracy against us is being hatched from two places,” Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s linked to the RAW [Indian spy agency] set up in Afghanistan and all of these activities are being carried out in Pakistan through RAW’s set up in Afghanistan.

“These anarchists are after Pakistan’s economy and its armed forces,” the governor added.

 “And this narrative of hate, you can connect its series, [it becomes stronger] whenever Saudi or CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] projects gain momentum, whenever Pakistan receives investments from UAE or Türkiye or when Pakistan’s relations with Iran are headed toward improvement.”

India and Afghanistan have not yet commented on Tessori’s accusations. 

A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said militants wanted to hurt Pakistan’s economic interests, especially in resource-rich Balochistan, which is a centerpiece of China’s investments in Pakistan.

“RAW does not want CPEC projects to be completed in Pakistan,” Tessori added. “They don’t want Pakistan to improve its ties with its neighboring countries.” 

Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi met a delegation of United Nation representatives and also raised the issue of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban using Afghanistan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. In the past, Kabul has denied such accusations.

“Outlawed TTP is using Afghan soil for attacks that have to be stopped at all costs,” Naqvi said.

Pakistan’s federal government has ruled out a military operation against separatists after Sunday’s attacks but vowed a targeted response.

Topics: Balochistan

Pakistan, China to start work on five new economic corridors

Pakistan, China to start work on five new economic corridors
Updated 52 min 10 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan, China to start work on five new economic corridors

Pakistan, China to start work on five new economic corridors
  • Islamabad says it has completed more than 50 projects worth $25 billion under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 
  • CPEC projects have piled on Pakistan’s external debt and been threatened by militant attacks, especially in Balochistan 
Updated 52 min 10 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Beijing will start work on five new economic corridors with the support of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body set up by Pakistan last year to attract foreign investment, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.

Pakistan says it has completed more than 50 projects worth $25 billion under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, with more than $65 billion pledged for road, rail and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation of 241 million people.

“The second phase of CPEC has been started with the facilitation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council,” Radio Pakistan reported, adding that the two nations would “work closely” on five new economic corridors linked to CPEC.

“These economic corridors include Innovation Corridor, Livelihood Corridor, Green Energy Corridor, Regional Development Corridor and Employment Creation Corridor.”

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said the new corridors are part of CPEC Phase II. 

China and Chinese commercial banks hold about 30 percent of Pakistan’s total external debt of about $100 billion, most of which has been loaned for CPEC projects. 

The projects have also been threatened in recent years by militants, especially in the Balochistan province where China is building a deep sea port at Gwadar and runs a gold and copper mine. 

On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a series of coordinated attacks by separatist militants in Balochistan on Sunday night were aimed at stopping development projects that form part of CPEC.

The assaults, killing more than50, were the most widespread in years by ethnic militants seeking to win secession of the resource-rich province. 

Beijing has previously flagged concerns about the security of its citizens working on projects in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. Six Chinese engineers working on a dam project were killed in March in the country’s northwest. Separatist militants have also targeted Balochistan’s Gwadar port, which is run by China.

Chinese targets have previously come under attack by several Baloch militant groups, who say they have been fighting for decades for a larger share in the regional wealth of mines and minerals denied by the central government. The state denies exploiting Balochistan. 

Topics: Pakistan China Ties China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Traders across Pakistan on strike today over power bills, new taxes, inflation

Traders across Pakistan on strike today over power bills, new taxes, inflation
Updated 28 August 2024
Follow

Traders across Pakistan on strike today over power bills, new taxes, inflation

Traders across Pakistan on strike today over power bills, new taxes, inflation
  • Most public markets across Pakistan closed on Wednesday, pharmacies and grocery stores selling basic food items remained open
  • Stores were shuttered in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, partial strike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces
Updated 28 August 2024
AAMIR SAEED 

ISLAMABAD: Traders in Pakistan went on strike today, Wednesday, shutting down their businesses in all major cities and urban areas to protest a rise in electricity costs, new taxes imposed on shop owners and brisk inflation.

A major Pakistani religio-political party, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), as well as the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, have thrown their weight behind the traders’ nationwide strike call.

Most of the public markets across Pakistan were closed on Wednesday, though pharmacies and grocery stores selling basic food items remained open. Stores were shuttered in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi, as well as in the city of Lahore, the country’s culture capital, and the main economic hub of Karachi.

However, traders in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern Balochistan provinces observed a partial strike, keeping some stores open while closing others.

“We are holding a nationwide strike tomorrow [Wednesday] to …. extend relief to the public as early as possible,” top JI leader Liaqat Baloch told Arab News on Tuesday.

“If the government fails to listen to the genuine demands of the public and extend relief, we will be left with no option to start a long march toward Islamabad.”

A labourer pulls a hand cart past closed shops at a market in Rawalpindi on August 28, 2024, amid a nationwide strike by trade organizations against high electricity bills, excessive taxes and absence of business-friendly policies. (AFP)

“STRUGGLING BUSINESSES”

A two-week-long sit-in by the JI in Rawalpindi to pressure the government to cut electricity bills and retract new taxes imposed in the budget 2024-25 was called off earlier this month after the party reached an agreement with the federal government. 

As per the deal, the government promised to form a mechanism to reduce electricity prices and review contracts with independent power producers (IPPs) within 45 days. IPP agreements have come under scrutiny in recent weeks as households have received steep electricity bills. Many members of the public and independent policy analysts say Pakistan has been saddled with electricity bills it has no possibility of paying because of faulty contracts signed with IPPs, which produce expensive power. 

Tough measures that are part of a 37-month $7 billion loan program IMF bailout deal signed last month, such as raising tax on agricultural incomes and raising electricity prices, have also prompted concerns about poor and middle class Pakistanis grappling with rising inflation and the prospect of higher taxes.

Baloch said his party had given “ample time” to the federal government to negotiate with IPPs to bring down electricity prices and review other options to reduce inflation and cut taxes, especially on the salaried class.

“We postponed our fourteen-day sit-in in Rawalpindi following the government’s promise to extend relief to the public,” Baloch said. “If the government fails to keep the promise, we will resume our nationwide protests.”

A labourer sits in a closed market area during a nationwide strike called by trade organizations against the high electricity bills, excessive taxes, and the absence of business-friendly policies, in Lahore on August 28, 2024. (AFP)

Traders said they were protesting “hefty taxes” imposed on retailers through a Tajir Dost Scheme, a voluntary tax compliance program under which businesses can declare their assets and incomes and potentially receive benefits like reduced tax rates and simplified tax compliance procedures.

“Our businesses have reduced around seventy percent in a year due to the deteriorating economy while the government is imposing heavy taxes on traders who are struggling to keep afloat,” Ajmal Baloch, President of Markazi Anjuman Tajran Pakistan, a traders’ union, told Arab News.

“We have been demanding the government to withdraw these regressive tax measures that would adversely affect the economic growth in the country.”

Ajmal said traders would march toward Islamabad if their demands were not met after Wednesday’s strike.

 “Every businessman in Pakistan is already paying hefty taxes,” he added, “so the government should immediately withdraw these additional tax measures.”

The government raised power prices 26 percent during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, before tacking on another 20 percent increase on July 13. Officials say the increases were needed to meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for a $7 billion loan deal reached last month.

The government has also added a confusing bevy of taxes on top of the base price, adding up to a bill that has more than doubled for some Pakistanis.

- With inputs from AP

Topics: Pakistan traders protest Strike Inflation tax electricity bills Arab News Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami JI

Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal among world’s most polluted nations — report

Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal among world’s most polluted nations — report
Updated 28 August 2024
Follow

Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal among world’s most polluted nations — report

Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal among world’s most polluted nations — report
  • Impact of “particulate pollution” on life expectancy in these nations substantially higher than other health threats
  • South Asia tops pollution charts, accounting for 45 percent of total life years lost globally, Air Quality Life Index report says
Updated 28 August 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan are among the most polluted nations in the world, according to a new annual report by Air Quality Life Index, which said South Asia accounted for 45 percent of the total life years lost globally due to high pollution.

The Air Quality Life Index, or AQLI, produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, converts air pollution concentrations into their impact on life expectancy. From this, the public and policymakers alike can determine the benefits of air pollution policies in perhaps the most important measure that exists: longer lives.

“South Asia remains the world’s most polluted region, accounting for 45 percent of the total life years lost globally due to high pollution,” the report said. “Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan where 23.3 percent of the global population lives are among the most polluted countries in the world.”

Pakistan’s air quality has been a significant concern for years, with high pollution levels in many cities, particularly Lahore, which often ranks among the world’s most polluted. 

The country’s average concentration of PM2.5, which describes fine inhalable particles, was 14.7 times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual air quality guideline value in 2023. Breathing in unhealthy levels of PM2.5 can increase the risk of health problems like heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

To tackle the problem, the government of Pakistan has implemented measures like installing pollution monitors and also shut down factories in highly polluted districts during the winter months when the energy demand for heating is high. But experts say more needs to be done. 

The AQLI report said the impact of “particulate pollution” on life expectancy in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal was substantially higher than that of other large health threats. 

“The average resident of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan is exposed to particulate pollution levels that are 22.3 percent higher,” the report said.

There are numerous causes of pollution across the major cities of Pakistan, with some of them being more of a year-round constant, such as the pollution put out by vehicles and factories, and others being seasonal such as the stubble burning taking place in the winter months, compounded by the cold air being trapped on ground level unable to disperse. 

Other operations that emit large volumes of pollution would be Pakistan’s steel mills, which rely on fossil fuels such as coal to provide energy. The burning of fossil fuel leads to large amount of highly dangerous pollutants. The emissions from these factories are often unregulated, leading to companies and manufacturing plants running their operations with little regard for the environment, which can have catastrophic effects to not only air pollution, but also to the surrounding wildlife and water areas, with large amounts of industrial effluence making their way into bodies of water and damaging ecosystems, killing off vast swathes of vegetation and thus wreaking havoc on the environment.

Lastly, the open burning of fires on streets can add an additional level of toxic pollution, with a number of materials such as wood, garbage, synthetic and man-made materials such as plastic all being burnt and releasing a myriad of their own poisonous fumes. 

Topics: Pakistan India Bangladesh world’s most polluted nations Air Quality Life Index Arab News Pakistan

Latest updates

Afghanistan’s Taliban government bans ‘violent’ mixed martial arts
Afghanistan’s Taliban government bans ‘violent’ mixed martial arts
Madinah governor attends Fatwa Symposium at Prophet’s Mosque
Madinah governor attends Fatwa Symposium at Prophet’s Mosque
Saudi tourism launches travel roadshow in Malaysia
Saudi tourism launches travel roadshow in Malaysia
Thailand has suffered ‘judicial coup’: opposition leader
Thailand has suffered ‘judicial coup’: opposition leader
Riyadh to host 19th Internet Governance Forum in December
Riyadh to host 19th Internet Governance Forum in December

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.