PESHAWAR: A Pakistani province has issued a flood alert due to glacial melting and warned of heavy loss of life, officials said Saturday.
The country has witnessed days of extreme weather, killing scores of people and destroying property and farmland. Experts say Pakistan is experiencing heavier rains than normal in April because of climate change.
In the mountainous northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been hit particularly hard by the deluges, authorities issued a flood alert because of the melting of glaciers in several districts.
They said the flood could worsen and that people should move to safer locations ahead of any danger.
“If timely safety measures are not taken, there is a possibility of heavy loss of life and property due to the expected flood situation,” said Muhammad Qaiser Khan, from the local disaster management authority.
Latest figures from the province said that 46 people, including 25 children, have died in the past five days due to rain-related incidents.
At least 2,875 houses and 26 schools have either collapsed or been damaged.
The southwest province of Baluchistan has also been battered by rainfall. It said it had limited resources to deal with the current situation but if the rains continued, it would look to the central government for help.
In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point inundated one-third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damage.
Pakistan’s monsoon season starts in June.
Pakistani province issues flood alert and warns of heavy loss of life due to glacial melting
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Pakistani province issues flood alert and warns of heavy loss of life due to glacial melting
- The country has witnessed days of extreme weather, killing scores of people, destroying property
- Experts say Pakistan is experiencing heavier rains than normal in April because of climate change
Pakistan says durable South Asia peace 'impossible' until Kashmir dispute is resolved
- Pakistan marks Feb. 5 as Kashmir Solidarity Day to support right of self-determination for people of disputed Kashmir
- Himalayan territory remains disputed between India and Pakistan, with both claiming it in full but administering only parts
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that durable peace in South Asia will be impossible to achieve unless the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan is resolved, urging the international community to stop India from its alleged human rights violations in the territory.
Pakistan marks Feb. 5 every year as Kashmir Solidarity Day to support the right of self-determination for the people of Kashmir. The Himalayan territory has remained contested between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, with both claiming it in full but administering only parts of it. Various groups across Pakistan mark the day with rallies and hold seminars on Feb. 5, which is a public holiday, to express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
The two countries have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory. On Aug. 5, 2019, India unilaterally revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir that it administers, stripping it of the limited autonomy it enjoyed. The development was followed by Pakistan’s decision to downgrade its diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
"The dangerous military escalation initiated by India in May 2025 serves as a stark reminder that true and durable peace in South Asia remains impossible unless the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved," Zardari was quoted as saying by his office.
Tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi persist after both countries engaged in the worst fighting between them in decades in May 2025. The conflict stemmed from India's accusations that Pakistan had supported an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left several tourists dead. Islamabad denied the allegations and called for a credible probe into the matter.
Zardari urged the international community to persuade India to stop its alleged rights violations in Kashmir and allow "unfettered access" to rights observers in the territory.
Pakistan accuses India of jailing Kashmiri leaders, subjecting the media to restrictions in the Himalayan territory and oppressing the people of Kashmir. India has always denied these allegations and accused Islamabad of stoking militancy in the region.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his message on Kashmir Day, said India's actions on Aug. 5, 2019, were in violation of the UN Charter and also constitute a "blatant disregard" of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
"Today, on Kashmir Solidarity Day, I assure my Kashmiri brothers and sisters that Pakistan will continue to extend its full moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people’s struggle for freedom until they realize their right to self-determination through the promised free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations," Sharif said.
