ISLAMABAD: At least 33 people have been killed and another 46 injured in various rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the last six days, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Thursday.

The rains that began last Friday have completely destroyed 336 houses and partially damaged another 1,606 in different districts across the province, according to the PDMA.

The incidents occurred in Khyber, Upper and Lower Dir, Upper and Lower Chitral, Swat, Bajaur, Shangla, Karak, Tank, Mardan, Peshawar, Charsadda, Hangu, Battagram, Dera Ismail Khan and other districts.

“The deceased include 17 children, eight men, eight women, while the injured included 32 men, six women and eight children,” the PDMA said in its daily situation report on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the authority warned of another spell of heavy rains in the province from April 17 till April 21, which could trigger landslides and flash floods.

“The district administrations should take proactive and immediate measures before the second spell of the rains begins … and ensure the availability of small and large machinery,” it added.

The PDMA said it had issued Rs50 million to the administration of 12 affected districts for financial assistance to families of those who lost their lives in the recent rains.

“Rs80.1 million have been released by the PDMA since March 29 to the administration of various districts to deal with the emergency situation,” the authority added.

Pakistan has received heavy rains in the last three weeks that have triggered landslides and flash floods in several parts of the South Asian country.

The eastern province of Punjab has reported 21 lighting- and roof collapse-related deaths, while Balochistan, in the country’s southwest, reported 10 deaths as authorities declared a state of emergency following flash floods.

In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild. Balochistan saw rainfall at 590 percent above average that year, while Karachi saw 726 percent more rainfall than usual.

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday met with his Emirati counterpart and expressed his country’s desire to re-engage with Middle Eastern banks to boost investment in Pakistan, the Pakistani finance ministry said.

Aurangzeb’s meeting with UAE’s Minister of State for Financial Affairs Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini came on the sidelines of his visit to the United States to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank officials.

The Pakistani finance minister acknowledged long-standing brotherly ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and appreciated the Gulf country’s support to help Pakistan deal with its economic challenges.

“He highlighted Pakistan’s firm resolve to address economic challenges and create a conducive environment for sustainable growth and investment,” the Pakistani finance ministry said in a statement.

“He also expressed Pakistan’s keen interest to re-engage with Middle Eastern Banks to revive their interest in potential investment opportunities in the country.”

He said his government intended to continue with reforms initiated under a $3 billion IMF program in priority areas of taxation, energy and privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), according to the statement.

Aurangzeb arrived in Washington on Sunday to participate in spring meetings organized by the IMF and World Bank. His tour is an important one for the South Asian country as the ongoing nine-month, $3 billion loan program with the IMF designed to tackle a balance-of-payments crisis, is set to expire this month.

With the final $1.1 billion tranche of that deal likely to be approved later this month, Pakistan has begun negotiations for a new multi-year IMF loan program worth “billions” of dollars, according to the finance ministry.

Pakistan seeks at least a three-year IMF program and plans to continue with necessary policy reforms to rein in deficits, build up reserves, and manage soaring debt servicing.

On Wednesday, Aurangzeb attended the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Ministers and Governors meeting with the IMF managing director and highlighted geo-economic fragmentation and its impact on Pakistan.

“He thanked IMF, MDBs (multilateral development banks) and its time-tested sincere bilateral partners for their support in helping the country respond to unprecedented challenges,” Aurangzeb’s ministry said in a separate statement.

“He further underscored aggressive reforms including broadening the tax net, privatizing loss making SOEs, expanding social safety net and facilitating the private sector.”

The minister underlined the importance of rechanneling special drawing rights (SDRs), reviewing surcharges policy, and prioritizing the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) in view of climate vulnerabilities.

“The minister called for a more proactive and responsive Global Financial Safety Net to tackle the elevated risks,” the statement read.

“He welcomed the renewed emphasis of the Fund on Capacity Building through Regional Capacity Development Centers (RCDCs).”

During the engagements, Aurangzeb also met with Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) Executive Vice President Hiroshi Matano and appreciated the Agency’s continued support to Pakistan in attracting foreign investments.

“The minister discussed the ongoing economic reforms, investment climate and measures to enhance investor confidence in Pakistan,” his ministry said.