PESHAWAR: Five persons, including two children, were killed while eight others were injured in two separate explosions in the volatile North and adjacent South Waziristan tribal districts late on Tuesday, officials told Arab News.
Jahanzeb Wazir, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Razmak, a town on the outskirts of Miran Shah – the headquarters of North Waziristan tribal district – told Arab News that a land mine blast in the area has injured two security personnel late on Tuesday evening.
“Two security men, including Hawaldar Hidayatullah and Muhammad Zahid, suffered multiple injuries in the blast. The victims were instantly evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment,” Wazir added.
Soon after the blast in the Dangin area of Razmak, security forces rushed to the site before cordoning off the entire area in order to nab the perpetrators. However, arrests have yet to made in the case as the search continues.
In a similar incident on late Tuesday, five people were killed and six others injured in Birmal, a rugged town near the Afghan border, Dil Nawaz Wazir, additional deputy commissioner of the South Waziristan district, said.
The victims, he added, were on their way to the jungle when their vehicle was hit by a land mine in the Gangikhel area located close to the Afghan border. Meanwhile, the injured were moved to Dera Ismail Khan, an adjacent district, for treatment.
In recent months, a series of land mine blasts have claimed the lives of several civilians and security personnel in both the tribal areas.
On August 7, Abdullah Khan, a tribesman from Dattakhel tehsil of the North Waziristan tribal district suffered serious injuries when he stepped on a land mine while grazing his cattle, resulting in the loss of a leg.
Similarly, on June 25, a child lost her life while three others were injured in Patikhel, a village close to Miran Shah.
Earlier on June 14, a security officer who was returning home from duty in the Sra Rogha area was also killed when he stepped on a land mine.
Landmine blasts kill five in Pakistan’s tribal areas
Landmine blasts kill five in Pakistan’s tribal areas
- Arrests have yet to made in the case as the search continues
- All the victims were from the North and South Waziristan districts
Pakistan terms climate change, demographic pressures as ‘pressing existential risks’
- Pakistan has suffered frequent climate change-induced disasters, including floods this year that killed over 1,000
- Pakistan finmin highlights stabilization measures at Doha Forum, discusses economic cooperation with Qatar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday described climate change and demographic pressures as “pressing existential risks” facing the country, calling for urgent climate financing.
The finance minister was speaking as a member of a high-level panel at the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum, which is being held from Dec. 6–7 in the Qatari capital. Aurangzeb was invited as a speaker on the discussion titled: ‘Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in MENA.’
“He reaffirmed that while Pakistan remained vigilant in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, the more pressing existential risks were climate change and demographic pressures,” the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has suffered repeated climate disasters in recent years, most notably the 2022 super-floods that submerged one-third of the country, displaced millions and caused an estimated $30 billion in losses.
This year’s floods killed over 1,000 people and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure. Scientists say Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Aurangzeb has previously said climate change and Pakistan’s fast-rising population are the only two factors that can hinder the South Asian country’s efforts to become a $3 trillion economy in the future.
The finance minister noted that this year’s floods in Pakistan had shaved at least 0.5 percent off GDP growth, calling for urgent climate financing and investment in resilient infrastructure.
When asked about Pakistan’s fiscal resilience and capability to absorb external shocks, Aurangzeb said Islamabad had rebuilt fiscal buffers. He pointed out that both the primary fiscal balance and current account had returned to surplus, supported significantly by strong remittance inflows of $18–20 billion annually from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions.
Separately, Aurangzeb met his Qatari counterpart Ali Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari to discuss bilateral cooperation.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic ties, particularly by maximizing opportunities created through the newly concluded GCC–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, expanding trade flows, and deepening energy cooperation, including long-term LNG collaboration,” the finance ministry said.
The two also discussed collaboration on digital infrastructure, skills development and regulatory reform. They agreed to establish structured mechanisms to continue joint work in trade diversification, technology, climate resilience, and investment facilitation, the finance ministry said.
