ISLAMABAD: A 4.7 magnitude earthquake jolted the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and parts of the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistani state media reported on Wednesday.
Tremors were felt in various areas, including Peshawar, Swat, Malakand, North Waziristan, Parachinar, Lower Dir, Hangu, Charsadda and Swabi, at around 4:17am Pakistan time.
“The center of earthquake was region of South-East Afghanistan and depth was 98 kilometers,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing the National Seismic Monitoring Center in Islamabad.
However, no loss of life or property was reported in its wake.
Earlier this month, an earthquake of 3.2 magnitude jolted parts of the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi.
Its epicenter lied 15 kilometers northeast of the city at a depth of 22 kilometers, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Center.
4.7-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
https://arab.news/y7vk8
4.7-magnitude earthquake jolts Islamabad, parts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- Tremors were felt in Peshawar, Swat, Malakand, Dir and other areas at 4:17am
- However, no loss of life or property was reported in the wake of the earthquake
Pakistan urges revival of long-paralyzed SAARC as bloc marks 40th charter anniversary
- PM Sharif says political rifts have stalled regional collaboration, calls for economic and digital connectivity
- He mentions regional challenges requiring collective responses based on mutual trust, spirit of cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for reviving the long-paralyzed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), saying deeper economic collaboration and collective responses to shared challenges were essential as the bloc marked the 40th anniversary of its founding charter.
SAARC has been effectively dysfunctional since 2016, when its planned Islamabad summit collapsed after India withdrew following a militant attack it blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied involvement, but New Delhi’s decision prompted Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan to pull out, leading to the indefinite postponement of the summit.
Beyond the immediate rupture, SAARC was widely believed to have already become stagnant because of structural issues, including the India-Pakistan rivalry and New Delhi’s pivot toward alternative regional groupings.
Sharif extended his greetings to the peoples and the governments of “all SAARC member states” in a statement circulated by his office.
“When SAARC was established, over four decades ago, it was meant to provide an essential platform, to promote dialogue, foster cooperation and strengthen the bonds that bring our nations together,” he said.
“While these goals have, regrettably, remained elusive due to political considerations within the region, I commend the SAARC Secretariat for striving hard to provide its dedicated assistance as well as for its efforts to advance the organization’s goals and create opportunities for meaningful collaboration among the member states,” he added.
The prime minister noted his administration remained committed to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter.
“We believe that genuine cooperation, guided by sovereign equality, mutual respect and constructive engagement, can unlock South Asia’s vast potential and ensure a better tomorrow for all,” he said.
Sharif maintained the region needed stronger economic, digital and people-to-people connectivity to expand trade, investment, innovation and cultural exchange, adding that South Asian states faced shared pressures from poverty, climate-induced natural disasters, food and energy insecurity and public-health vulnerabilities.
These, he continued, required “collective responses based on mutual trust, goodwill and a spirit of cooperation.”
His statement did not directly mention India, though last week, his deputy, Ishaq Dar, urged a “reimagining” of South Asia’s fractured regional architecture, saying an 11-year freeze in dialogue with New Delhi had eroded prospects for long-term stability in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Dar criticized the paralysis of SAARC, saying “artificial obstacles” needed to be removed for it to resume its role as a platform for economic cooperation, and argued the region would only achieve its political and economic potential if countries committed to cooperation and a future “where connectivity replaces divisions.”
