ISLAMABAD: Torrential monsoon rains have killed 215 people in Pakistan and injured 405 since July 1, the country’s top disaster management authority said this week, as the South Asian nation braces for more downpours.
Heavy monsoon rains since July have triggered flash floods and landslides in many parts of the country, especially its most populous Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, which have reported the highest number of casualties.
According to a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) report released on Monday, Punjab has reported 86 deaths and 224 injuries from rain-related incidents since July 1. KP has reported 65 deaths and 112 injuries while Sindh has reported 37 deaths and 42 injuries in the same time period. Balochistan has reported 18 deaths and 10 injuries, Gilgit-Baltistan four deaths and one injury while Azad Kashmir has reported five deaths and 15 injuries since July 1.
“Scattered thunderstorm rain of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls is expected over upper catchments of rivers Kabul, Jhelum and Indus along with Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Gujranwala,” the NDMA said in its situation report.
It also predicted rainfall for Lahore, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Larkana, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Zhob Sibbi, Nasirabad, Loralai, Kalat and Makran divisions on Tuesday.
The NDMA has directed authorities to alert emergency response teams and mobilize resources to ensure a “swift response” to any arising situations. It has also advised tourists to avoid traveling to northern areas susceptible to floods and landslides during the ongoing monsoon season.
Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects. This year, the South Asian country recorded its “wettest April since 1961,” with 59.3 millimeters of rainfall while some areas of the country faced a severe heat wave in May and June.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered flash floods in many parts of Pakistan, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people. Scientists have attributed Pakistan’s erratic weather patterns to climate change effects and called on countries around the world to take urgent steps to tackle the crisis.
Pakistan monsoon rains kill 215 since July — disaster authority
https://arab.news/6dpvm
Pakistan monsoon rains kill 215 since July — disaster authority
- Pakistan’s Punjab reports highest number of casualties, 86, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 65 deaths
- Country’s disaster management body warns tourists against unnecessary traveling during ongoing monsoon season
Pakistan urges UN Security Council to sanction separatist BLA group after recent attacks
- Separatist BLA launched attacks in multiple Balochistan cities last week, killing over 50 as per official figures
- Pakistan envoy says since Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, BLA, other militant groups have a “new lease of life“
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmed this week urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group and designate it as a “terrorist” group, after its recent coordinated attacks in southwestern Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it has concluded security operations in Balochistan against separatists that was launched since Jan. 29, killing 216 militants. The military launched counteroffensive operations in Balochistan after the BLA said it launched coordinated attacks in several parts of the province last Friday and Saturday.
The attacks killed 36 civilians and 22 law enforcement and security forces personnel, Pakistan’s military said. Pakistan’s government has accused India of being involved in the attacks, charges that New Delhi has dismissed.
“We hope the Council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Iftikhar said on Wednesday during a UNSC briefing on the topic ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts.’
The 1267 sanctions regime is a UNSC program that seeks to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with “terrorism.”
The regime seeks to impose travel bans, freeze assets and impose an arms embargo on individuals and groups primarily associated with Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.
Ahmad said that after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, “externally sponsored and foreign-funded proxy terrorist groups” such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the BLA have got a “new lease of life.”
“Operating with virtual impunity from Afghan soil and with the active support of our eastern neighbor, these groups are responsible for heinous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he said.
The Pakistani envoy said it has become imperative to prevent billions of dollars of sophisticated weapons and equipment, which were left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan, “from falling into the hands of terrorists.”
“There must be accountability of external destabilizing actors who support, finance and arm these groups, including their proxies in Afghanistan,” Ahmad said in a veiled reference to India.
Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, mineral-rich Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to China’s investment in the Gwadar deep-water port and other projects.
Balochistan has been the site of a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of its natural resources.
They accuse the state of denying locals a fair share of the province’s mineral wealth, charges that are denied by the Pakistani government.
