ISLAMABAD: At least 27 people were killed and 18 wounded in rain-related incidents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and eastern Punjab provinces in the last three days, official statements revealed on Thursday, as heavy monsoon rains with flash floods lashed parts of the country.
The monsoon season is crucial for the region, providing essential water for agriculture, which is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. However, unprecedented cloudbursts driven by climate change have increasingly turned this vital weather pattern into a threat.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority warned earlier this week on Monday strong monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal would trigger heavy rains and flash floods in Punjab, Azad Kashmir, Sindh and KP province.
“As a result of accidents due to recent rains, 24 people died and 17 people were injured during the last three days in KP,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of KP said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Punjab PDMA also mentioned the death of three people in Lahore in the last 12 hours and injuries to one.
A total of 150 houses were damaged in KP due to gusty winds and heavy rainfall of which 77 were partially damaged while 73 were destroyed, it said.
In Punjab, the eastern city of Lahore recorded the most amount of rainfall measuring at 337 millimeters with local media channels showing footage of roads, houses and even hospitals being inundated by floodwater.
“In the last 24 hours, Lahore recorded 337 mm, Gujranwala 123mm, Narowal 70mm, Kasur 62mm, Hafizabad 23mm and Sialkot 11 mm of rain,” the Punjab PDMA said.
Warning that monsoon rains would continue till August 6, it informed arrangements were in place for vulnerable districts with a high risk of flooding. The statement said there was also a high risk of flooding in the Indus and Chenab Rivers.
The top Punjab PDMA official, Irfan Ali Kathia, reaffirmed that control rooms were monitoring the situation.
He requested people to take precautionary measures and avoid touching electrical wires or poles.
“The public should stay away from mud houses and dilapidated buildings,” Kathia said. “Take special care of children and do not allow them near accumulated water in low-lying areas.”
Rains leave 27 dead, 18 injured during ongoing monsoon spell in Pakistan
https://arab.news/mbuqq
Rains leave 27 dead, 18 injured during ongoing monsoon spell in Pakistan
- Lahore receives record rain of 337 millimeters, with floodwaters inundating roads, houses, hospitals
- Authorities ask people to take precautions, stay away from electric poles and dilapidated buildings
Pakistani student launches ‘Urdu ChatGPT’ AI model
- Developer says “Qalb” is largest large language model built exclusively for Urdu
- Project highlights push to localize artificial intelligence for non-English users
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani student studying in the United States has launched an artificial intelligence model designed exclusively for the Urdu language, a development its creator says could help bridge longstanding gaps in access to advanced digital tools for millions of speakers worldwide.
The project, called Qalb, is positioned as an Urdu-first large language model at a time when most generative AI systems are primarily trained on English and other widely used global languages. Supporters of language-specific models argue they can improve accuracy, cultural relevance and accessibility for users in education, business and public services.
Urdu is spoken by more than 230 million people globally, including in Pakistan, India and diaspora communities, but remains under-represented in advanced AI systems. Efforts to localize artificial intelligence have increasingly been seen as critical for widening participation in digital economies, particularly in developing countries.
“Qalb is now recognized as the world’s largest Large Language Model created exclusively for the Urdu language,” Taimoor Hassan, the project’s developer, was quoted this month in a report in state-run news agency APP.
“Trained on a massive dataset of 1.97 billion tokens and benchmarked across seven-plus international evaluation frameworks, Qalb outperforms existing Urdu-focused AI models on key real-world performance indicators, setting a new standard for natural language processing in Pakistan,” Hassan said.
“This is a development model and in the next phase we would soon launch App for mobile and web so that people could use and benefit from Qalb ChatGPT.”
Hassan completed his undergraduate degree in computer science at FAAST University’s Peshawar campus and is currently studying for a master’s degree in computer science and software engineering at Auburn University in the United States. According to APP, he is a serial entrepreneur who has previously launched and exited multiple startups and has represented Pakistan at international technology forums.
“I had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to a much bigger mission for the country,” Hassan said.
“Together with my undergraduate roommates and teammates, Jawad Ahmed and Muhammad Awais, we are committed to continuously fine-tuning localized models for niche industries, which we believe can become a major breakthrough for Pakistan.”
Both collaborators are also graduates of FAAST University Peshawar Campus and are currently studying in Germany, APP reported.
The team behind Qalb said the model is intended to support local businesses, startups, educational platforms and voice-based digital services, arguing that meaningful innovation is no longer limited to large technology firms.
“Technology is no longer locked behind big budgets or big teams. With the right mindset, even a small group can build products that educate, automate, and serve millions,” Hassan told APP.
