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 minister orders measures to ease port congestion, speed up sugar and cement handling
- Meeting in Islamabad reviewed congestion at Port Qasim and its impact on export shipments
- Ports directed to enforce first-come, first-served berthing and penalize unnecessary delays
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday directed authorities to streamline sugar and cement operations at Port Qasim after reports of severe congestion caused by the slow unloading of sugar consignments disrupted export activities.
The government has been working to ease port bottlenecks that have delayed shipments and raised logistics costs for exporters, particularly in the cement and clinker sectors. The initiative is part of a broader effort to improve operational efficiency and align port management with national trade and logistics priorities.
“Improving operational efficiency is vital to prevent port congestion, which can cause delays, raise costs, and disrupt the supply chain,” Chaudhry told a high-level meeting attended by senior officials from the maritime and commerce ministries, port authorities and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan.
The meeting was informed that sugar was being unloaded at a rate below Port Qasim’s potential capacity. The minister instructed the Port Qasim Authority to optimize discharge operations in line with its daily capacity of about 4,000 to 4,500 tons.
Participants also reviewed directives from the Prime Minister’s Office calling for up to 60 percent of sugar imports to be redirected to Gwadar Port to ease the load on Karachi terminals.
Officials said all vessels at Port Qasim and Karachi Port would now be berthed on a first-come, first-served basis, with penalties to be applied for unnecessary delays.
The TCP was told to improve operational planning and coordinate vessel arrivals more closely with port authorities.
Chaudhry commended the engagement of all participants and said consistent adherence to performance standards was essential to sustaining port efficiency and preventing a recurrence of logistical disruptions.
