Pakistani PM honors rescuers who freed 8 from broken cable car in northwest

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar embracing the rescuers of Battagram chairlift incident and handing them certificates at a ceremony in Islamabad on August 24, 2023. (PID)
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Updated 24 August 2023
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Pakistani PM honors rescuers who freed 8 from broken cable car in northwest

  • Six schoolchildren, two adults were rescued after 16-hour operation on Tuesday in Battagram, KP
  • In televised ceremony, Kakar embraces rescuers, hands them certificates to acknowledge bravery

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday paid tribute to the commandos and volunteers who rescued six schoolchildren and two adults after they were trapped in a broken cable car dangling over a valley in the northwest.

Tuesday's 16-hour rescue operation in Battagram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was widely hailed for its successful outcome.

Initially, one of the youngest was grabbed by a commando attached to a helicopter by rope, while others were lowered to the ground with the help of volunteers using a makeshift chairlift built by villagers from a wooden bed frame and ropes.

During the ceremony in the capital, Islamabad, Kakar embraced the rescuers and handed them certificates in acknowledgment of their actions, saying he was proud of them. The eight rescued people were also in attendance.

In televised remarks, Kakar said when he heard the news about the incident, he felt as if his own son was among those trapped in the broken cable car.


Pakistan’s Balochistan establishes threat assessment center amid surge in militant attacks

Updated 14 sec ago
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Pakistan’s Balochistan establishes threat assessment center amid surge in militant attacks

  • Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Center brings police, CTD, intelligence agencies together on one platform, says official
  • Says center helps disrupt terror financing, narcotics trafficking, organized crime and enables action against unregulated communication networks

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province has established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said on Monday amid a surge in militant attacks recently. 

Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on social media platform X that the Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Center (PIFTAC Balochistan) brings police, the counter-terrorism department (CTD), intelligence agencies and civil administration together on one platform for real-time information sharing and joint analysis. 

“PIFTAC strengthens early warning and prevention against terrorism, helps disrupt terror financing, narcotics trafficking, and organized crime, and enables coordinated action against illegal spectrum and unregulated communication networks,” he wrote.

“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur.”

https://x.com/beyondfiles/status/2010444397163532547

The development takes place amid a steep rise in combat-related deaths in Pakistan during 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.

These deaths included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the local think tank said. 

Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry last week highlighted Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts in 2025, saying that security forces had conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) and killed 2,597 militants last year. He also said Pakistan reported 5,397 “terrorism incidents” last year. 

Pakistan frequently accuses Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to operate from its soil, charges Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Islamabad also accuses India of backing these militant groups against Pakistan. New Delhi rejects the allegations.