ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia is looking forward to having close and fruitful relations with the newly elected government of Pakistan.
King Salman phoned Pakistan’s Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan on Monday to congratulate him on the election victory, according to a statement from Khan’s Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
King Salman invited Khan to visit Saudi Arabia, an invitation which he has accepted. Khan issued an invitation to the Saudi King to visit Pakistan.
“Saudi Arabia always supported us in difficult times and we consider the Kingdom’s security (to be) very important,” Khan told the King, according to the PTI statement.
Khan also thanked King Salman for his congratulatory message.
The PTI emerged as the single largest party in Pakistan’s general elections on July 25 and is set to form the government in the center and three of the country’s four provinces.
Khan is scheduled to take the oath as the prime minster on August 18.
Imran Khan accepts King Salman’s invitation to visit the Kingdom
Imran Khan accepts King Salman’s invitation to visit the Kingdom
- King Salman phoned Khan to congratulate him on his election victory
- Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan in difficult times. The Kingdom’s security is very important for Islamabad, the PTI said in a statement
Karachi-bound bus crashes in fog, killing five in eastern Pakistan
- Motorway closure forced the bus onto an alternate route, unfamiliar to the driver
- Pakistan weather office reports visibility as low as 30 meters in parts of Punjab
ISLAMABAD: At least five people were killed and around 28 injured early on Wednesday when a passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan in eastern Pakistan, after the driver diverted from a closed motorway due to dense fog, police said.
Poor visibility during Pakistan’s winter months frequently makes long-distance travel hazardous, prompting authorities to shut motorways and major roads during severe fog to prevent accidents. However, traffic mishaps involving both light and heavy vehicles are not uncommon during such conditions, sometimes triggering multi-vehicle pile-ups.
“A passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan, killing at least five people and injuring around 28 others,” Adeel Sarfraz, a senior police officer and station house officer in the area near Chakwal, told Arab News over the phone.
“The accident occurred at around 2 a.m.,” he added. “Since the motorway was closed due to dense fog, the driver diverted the bus onto the GT [Grand Trunk] Road. However, the driver was unfamiliar with the route, and poor visibility caused by the fog led to the accident.”
Winter fog is a recurring hazard across Pakistan’s plains, particularly in Punjab and upper Sindh, where conditions can deteriorate sharply during late night and early morning hours.
Data shared by the Pakistan Meteorological Department earlier in the day showed extremely low visibility across several districts, with levels dropping to 30 meters in Narowal and Sheikhupura, 40 meters in Gujranwala and 50 meters in Faisalabad, Sialkot Airport and Toba Tek Singh.
Levels of 100 meters were reported in cities including Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Sargodha, while some southern Punjab districts recorded relatively better conditions at around 200 meters.
The weather office warned that moderate to dense fog is likely to persist over much of Punjab, upper Sindh and plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, advising travelers — especially those driving on highways and motorways — to exercise caution during nighttime and early morning hours.
Road accidents are also common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure, speeding and limited enforcement of safety regulations, with fog-related incidents adding to seasonal risks during winter.
