PESHAWAR: Pakistani police say a bus has fallen off a mountainous road into a river, killing at least 24 passengers and injuring two in the country’s northwest.
Senior officer Raja Abdul Saboor says all those aboard the bus were members of an extended family from Upper Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
They were returning after attending a wedding ceremony when the accident happened on Friday in Kandian area of the district.
Saboor says police and volunteers faced difficulties in rescue and search efforts in the remote mountainous terrain due to unavailability of equipment and necessary resources.
Such road accidents often took place in Pakistan where motorists largely disregard traffic rules and safety standards on battered roads, particularly in the mountainous terrain in the north.
Bus plunges into river, killing 24 in northwest Pakistan
Bus plunges into river, killing 24 in northwest Pakistan
- All those aboard the bus were members of an extended family
- They were returning after attending a wedding
Pakistan forms committee to negotiate financial advisory services for Islamabad airport privatization
- Committee to engage Asian Development Bank to negotiate terms of financial advisory services agreement, says privatization ministry
- Inaugurated in 2018, Islamabad airport has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities and operational inefficiencies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Privatization Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has formed a committee to engage the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to negotiate a potential financial advisory services agreement for the privatization of Islamabad International Airport.
The Islamabad International Airport, inaugurated in 2018 at a cost of over $1 billion, has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities, and operational inefficiencies.
The Negotiation Committee formed by the Privatization Commission will engage with the ADB to negotiate the terms of a potential Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) for the airport’s privatization, the ministry said.
“The Negotiation Committee has been mandated to undertake negotiations and submit its recommendations to the Board for consideration and approval, in line with the applicable regulatory framework,” the Privatization Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Islamabad airport operations will be outsourced under a concession model through an open and competitive process to enhance its operational efficiency and improve service delivery standards.
Pakistan has recently sought to privatize or outsource management of several state-run enterprises under conditions agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $7 billion bailout approved in September last year.
Islamabad hopes outsourcing airport operations will bring operational expertise, enhance passenger experience and restore confidence in the aviation sector.
In December 2025, Pakistan’s government successfully privatized its national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), selling 75 percent of its stakes to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.
The group secured a 75 percent stake in the PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after several rounds of bidding, valuing the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said this week the government has handed over 26 state-owned enterprises to the Privatization Commission.
