In unusual turn of weather, heatwave to bake Karachi this week

FILE: Pakistani relatives of heatstroke victims, their heads covered with wet towels, wait outside a hospital during a heatwave in Karachi on June 29, 2015. (AFP)
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Updated 12 October 2020
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In unusual turn of weather, heatwave to bake Karachi this week

  • Temperatures are expected to soar to 42 degrees Celsius which is unusual for October
  • A June 2015 heatwave killed about 1,500 people in Karachi and left over 70,000 hospitalized

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned against hot and dry weather conditions across Karachi throughout this week, with temperatures expected
to soar to 42 degrees Celsius starting today, Monday.
Heatwaves, which kill dozens of people in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi each year, are unusual in October when temperatures in the densely populated city
normally rise no higher than 35 degrees.
“High pressure area formed over central Asia inducing wind flow from North to Northwest over Sindh including Karachi,” a statement released on Sunday said. “Under
its influence, heatwave condition is likely to prevail over Karachi during next 6-8 days with day temperatures rising to 40-42ºC.”
In 2015, a June heatwave killed about 1,500 people in Karachi, which is Pakistan’s largest city, and left over 70,000 hospitalized, most with heat stroke.
Officials say they are working to try to avoid a repeat of that heat disaster – a particular challenge as climate change brings ever-hotter years, particularly
in already broiling South Asia.


Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling

Updated 14 December 2025
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Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling

  • Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
  • Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network. 

The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia. 

Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said. 

“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said. 

The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone. 

It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.

“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said. 

“Further investigation is underway.”

Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean. 

Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.

Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.