ISLAMABAD: At least 14 people were killed and several others wounded in incidents related to heavy rains in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in the last 24 hours, provincial authorities and local media reported on Saturday.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) earlier this week predicted heavy rains and snowfall across the South Asian country.
A strong westerly wave entered Pakistan’s western and upper parts earlier this week, producing rain and snowfall. It was forecast to grip the areas until Sunday.
Over a dozen people, including children, were killed as torrential rains damaged multiple houses in Punjab’s Gujranwala and Kasur, and Upper Dir, Peshawar, Charsadda and other parts of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Six people were killed and 13 others wounded in different [rain-related] incidents,” the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement.
“The downpours partially damaged eight houses in the province,” it said, adding that relief goods were distributed among the affected people in Charsadda and Upper Dir.
In Punjab’s Gujranwala district, two children were killed and their father and another child injured after the roof of their house collapsed due to rain, the Express Tribune reported.
In Kasur district, six people were killed and 10 others wounded in similar incidents.
Late Friday, the South Asian nation met with a calamity as 22 stranded tourists froze to death in their vehicles during a snowstorm in Murree, 64 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Islamabad.
Rescue efforts to get people and vehicles out of the resort town were still ongoing on Saturday evening.
14 killed as rains wreak havoc in Pakistan’s Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
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14 killed as rains wreak havoc in Pakistan’s Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
- Roofs of multiple houses collapsed in Gujranwala, Kasur, Upper Dir, Peshawar and Charsadda
- Late Friday, Pakistan met with a calamity as 22 tourists froze to death during a snowstorm in Murree
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
