ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Sunday warned of urban floods in multiple cities as it predicted monsoon rains in the country starting July 3.
Moist currents from the Arabian Sea are likely to penetrate upper parts of the country and a westerly wave was also likely to enter in these areas on the evening of July 3, according to the Met Office.
Under the influence of these weather systems, rains with few heavy falls or hailstorm are expected to hit Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and central Punjab until July 8.
“Heavy rain may cause urban flooding in low lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Lahore and may trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 04th to 07th July,” the PMD said in its advisory.
Similarly, rains or thundershowers have been predicted in Barkhan, Loralai, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Kalat, Khuzdar, Zhob, Lasbella, Awaran, Musakhel, D.I Khan, Bannu, Karak, Waziristan, D.G khan, Rajanpur, Multan, Bhakkar, Layyah, Kot Addu, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Sahiwal and Okara from July 5 till July 8.
Monsoon showers with isolated heavy falls are also expected in Sukkur, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Mithi, Chhor, Padidan, Nagarparkar, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Mirpur Khas, Dadu, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad and Karachi on July 7-8.
“Heavy falls may cause flash flood in hill torrent areas of D.G. Khan and adjoining areas of northeast Balochistan from 06th to 08th July,” the PMD said.
It advised farmers to manage their activities keeping the weather forecast in view and tourists remain cautious to avoid any untoward situation during this period.
“Loose structures like electric poles, solar panels etc may damage during dust storm/wind-thunderstorm & heavy falls and general public is advised to stay at safe places during the period,” the Met Office added.
Last year, Pakistan witnessed one of worst monsoon rains and floods that submerged a third of the South Asian country at one point.
The deluges killed more than 1,700 Pakistanis, affected 33 million and caused $30 billion losses.
Met Office warns of urban floods as monsoon rains to lash Pakistan from Monday
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Met Office warns of urban floods as monsoon rains to lash Pakistan from Monday
- Moist currents from Arabian Sea are likely to penetrate upper parts of Pakistan
- The showers, with few heavy falls, will continue with occasional gaps until July 8
Pakistan says India, Israel pushed false narrative linking Sydney attack suspects to Islamabad
- Ata Tarar says Indian police and foreign authorities have confirmed the suspects are of Indian origin
- Minister commends Australia for a professional investigation and for refraining from assigning blame
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday criticized India and Israel for running a disinformation campaign to falsely link suspects in a deadly shooting incident on Sydney’s Bondi Beach to Pakistan, saying the allegations were baseless and aimed at maligning the country.
Tarar’s briefing came after a mass shooting on Dec. 14 in which two gunmen opened fire on a crowd, killing 15 people and injuring dozens, in what Australian officials described as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community. Soon after, media reports claimed the attack was carried out by a father and son named Sajid and Naveed Akram.
Subsequently, Indian news channels and social media accounts started circulating unverified claims the suspects were Pakistanis, amplifying images of a Sydney resident with the same name — Naveed Akram — wearing a Pakistan cricket team shirt, a claim later denied by the man in a video in which he said he feared for his life after receiving threats.
“This campaign was launched from hostile countries trying to malign Pakistan,” Tarar said while briefing foreign journalists in Islamabad. “In Israel, in India, this campaign was proliferated and posted on social media platforms as well as electronic media platforms, which is very, very sad because Pakistan has been a front line state in the war against terrorism.”
He said Pakistan condemned the Sydney attack and expressed solidarity with Australia, noting that it understands the pain of such incidents as a country that has suffered decades of militant violence.
“There was no verification, no documentation, no evidence whatsoever,” he said. “Yet a false campaign was launched, and even reputed media outlets failed to uphold basic journalistic standards.”
He said Indian police later confirmed the father involved in the attack was from India’s Telangana state and that his passport had been issued by the Indian embassy in Sydney, adding that Philippine authorities had also confirmed the suspect had recently traveled to their country on an Indian passport.
Tarar praised Australian authorities for what he called a professional investigation and for refraining from assigning blame until facts were verified.
He questioned whether legal action or apologies would follow for what he described as reputational damage to Pakistan, saying the country had lost more than 90,000 lives in its fight against terrorism, including schoolchildren killed in the 2014 Army Public School attack in Peshawar, which Pakistan commemorates annually on Dec. 16.
The minister reiterated Pakistan’s long-standing accusations that India supports militant activity inside Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claims New Delhi has repeatedly denied.
Pakistan, he said, would continue to condemn terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations” and urged international media to verify information before publishing unsubstantiated allegations.
