ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Wednesday over 2,800 people had been evacuated to safer places from 18 villages submerged after India unexpectedly released excess water into River Sutlej.
Relations between neighboring Pakistan and India, already hostile, have been further strained over India’s decision this month to revoke the special status of its portion of the Kashmir region that both countries claim. Pakistan reacted with fury, cutting transport and trade links and expelling India’s ambassador in retaliation.
Islamabad says the unexpected release of water into the River Sutlej that flows from India to Pakistan is part of an attempt by New Delhi to flout a longstanding treaty between the countries.
“1220 people were evacuated from three highly affected villages,” the NDMA said in a statement. “From other locations 1613 other were also moved to safer places.”
In a separate statement, NDMA said 81 relief camps had been set up in flood-prone areas and concerned authorities directed to ensure the timely evacuation of people. Necessary precautionary measures were also in place in Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Lodhran, Vehari, Pakpatan, Okara and Kasur districts, the statement said.
“Water level in the river Sutlej is increasing while all the other major rivers will remain in low to medium flood level,” the NDMA said.
According to NDMA spokesman Brig. Mukhtar Ahmed, India had released more than 204,000 cusecs of water into the Sutlej river without prior warning. Ahmed said the water level in Ganda Singh Wala village, located in Kasur district, was around 19.30 feet, with 60,340 cusecs of water inundating the area on Wednesday.
Official data provided by the NDMA shows 221 people have been killed and 165 injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan since July this year as Pakistan continues to deal with flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season which usually runs from July to September.
India and Pakistan have long argued over water resources. A World Bank-mediated arrangement known as the Indus Water Treaty splits the Indus River and its tributaries — which 80 percent of Pakistan’s irrigated agriculture depends on — between the countries.
India, which lies upstream, threatened in February to stop sharing excess water with Pakistan after a suicide bomb attack in Kashmir killed 40 Indian paramilitary police. A Pakistan-based group accepted responsibility for the attack. Islamabad denies state complicity.
Pakistan says 18 villages submerged as India releases water into river Sutlej
Pakistan says 18 villages submerged as India releases water into river Sutlej
- Over 2800 people evacuated to safer locations, says National Disaster Management Authority
- 81 relief camps set up as 204,000 cusecs of water released into Sutlej without warning
US commits $1.25 billion EXIM financing for Pakistan’s Reko Diq mine — envoy
- Financing could unlock up to $2 billion in US mining equipment exports, create 13,500 jobs across Pakistan and US
- Move aligns with Pakistan’s push to close $3.5 billion debt package for world-class copper-gold mine in Balochistan
KARACHI: Washington has approved $1.25 billion in US Export-Import Bank financing for Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper-gold mine, Acting US ambassador Natalie Baker said in a video message on Wednesday, adding that the package could unlock up to $2 billion in US equipment and service exports for the project.
The facility, one of the largest US financing decisions in Pakistan’s minerals sector, is expected to help pave the way for US-sourced mining technology, drilling machinery and operations support, while creating jobs in both countries and accelerating development of one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits.
The $7 billion Reko Diq project, located in the mineral-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, is being developed by Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold in partnership with Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments. The mine is central to Pakistan’s effort to expand exports, attract foreign investment and open the country’s largely untapped critical minerals reserves, a segment where copper plays a key role in electric vehicles, renewable energy, AI hardware and global supply chains. Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals, a Public Investment Fund and Ma’aden joint venture, has also expressed intent to acquire a 15 percent stake.
“I am pleased to highlight the US Export-Import Bank recently approved financing of $1.25 billion to support the mining of critical minerals at Riko Diq in Pakistan,” Baker said.
“In the coming years, EXIM’s project financing will bring in up to $2 billion in high-quality US mining equipment and services needed to build and operate the Riko Diq mine, along with creating an estimated 6,000 jobs in the US and 7,500 jobs in Balochistan, Pakistan.”
The envoy added that the deal reflects the strategic direction of US commercial diplomacy.
“The Riko Diq project serves as the model for mining projects that will benefit US exporters as well as local Pakistani communities and partners by bringing employment and prosperity to both our nations,” Baker added. “The Trump administration has made the forging of deals exactly like this one central to American diplomacy.”
SECURITY CHALLENGES
Speaking to Arab News last month, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the broader debt package for Reko Diq was nearly complete, anchored by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and expected to total about $3.5 billion.
“The financial close, from my perspective, is around the corner,” he said, adding that EXIM participation had been delayed only due to a temporary US government shutdown restrictions, now lifted.
If financing closes on schedule, Reko Diq is projected to generate $2.8 billion in export potential in its first year of shipment, nearly 10 percent of Pakistan’s existing export volume, and could embed the US as a long-term strategic investor alongside Canadian and Saudi partners. The project added 13 million ounces to Barrick’s gold reserves in 2024 and is expected to produce 200,000 metric tons of copper a year in its first phase, doubling after expansion, with projected free cash flow of more than $70 billion over 37 years.
Lenders including the International Finance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank among others are assembling a financing package exceeding $2.6 billion.
Balochistan suffers frequent attacks by separatists and other militants, making security a major concern for the mining scheme. The project also requires a railway line upgrade to transport copper concentrate to Karachi for processing abroad.
Barrick returned to Pakistan in 2022 after a years-long legal dispute was settled, and the mine has since become a flagship investment for the country as it seeks to draw more capital into its minerals sector.
