ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan battled forest fires in multiple areas, including the capital Islamabad, on Friday as the country grappled with heat waves and dry weather.

Officials are yet to confirm if the fires are related to the high temperatures or due to arson.

Parts of Pakistan have seen temperatures as high as 52.2 degrees Celsius (126 F) over the last week with South Asia sweltering in a hotter summer this year — a trend scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change.

Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from a raging fire in the hills of Islamabad with temperatures hitting 41 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon.

“It is difficult to get a fire brigade there; rescue officials are trying how to douse the fire,” a police official in Islamabad, Sohail Khan, told Reuters, adding that it was not certain if the fires were heat-related or cases of arson.

A spokesman for the Islamabad police said they were investigating the reasons for the fire and a special team had been formed for the probe by the city’s police chief.

A member of the Islamabad Wildlife Board, Waqar Zakaria, said the fire could be a case of “wilful arson,” adding that high temperatures have continued longer than usual and May has been drier than normal, leading to fires spreading faster because of dry vegetation.

An area in Punjab close to Islamabad, Kallar Kahar, also saw fire engulf 25 acres of grassland, the province’s disaster management (PDMA) said, adding that the flames, which had spread rapidly, had been contained.

“The Kalar Kahar forest fire might be a heat-related eruption,” PDMA spokesman Mazhar Hussain told Reuters.

Forest fires were also seen in Lower Dir, 250 km (155 miles) northwest of Islamabad, local resident Mohammad Jalil told Reuters by phone, adding that the flames had begun engulfing hundreds of trees four days ago and were yet to be controlled.

Pakistan is seen as by global organizations as one of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather and climate change. In 2022, floods wreaked havoc in the country, killing over 1,700 people and displacing millions.

In India, at least 15 people died of suspected heat-stroke on Thursday with the region gripped by a debilitating heat wave expected to continue until Saturday.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged automakers to start local manufacturing of vehicles and exporting them to contribute to the country’s development, Sharif’s office said, amid Pakistan’s efforts to reduce import bills.
Sharif made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation of Pakistani automakers, comprising Toyota Pakistan Chief Executive Officer Ali Jamali, representative of the auto parts industry Amir Allahwala and others.
Pakistan, which has been facing low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation, averted a sovereign default last year, thanks to a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
The South Asian country is currently making desperate efforts to cut its import bills, increase exports and to boost foreign direct investment to address its macroeconomic crisis.
“Auto sector should manufacture vehicles locally in Pakistan,” Sharif said. “Auto sector should export a substantial part of its products and play its role in the country’s development.”
He urged the Pakistani automakers to become a part of the global value chain by exporting their products.
Pakistan last year averted a default after it secured a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program. Islamabad says it is seeking a new loan over at least three years to help achieve macroeconomic stability and execute long-overdue reforms.
The $350 billion South Asian economy faces a chronic balance of payments crisis, with nearly $24 billion to repay in debt and interest over the next fiscal year — three-time more than its central bank’s foreign currency reserves.
Pakistan’s finance ministry expects the economy to grow by 2.6 percent in the fiscal year ending in June, while average inflation for the year is projected to stand at 24 percent, down from 29.2 percent the previous fiscal year.