ISLAMABAD: A cyclonic storm, ASNA, that developed in the Arabian Sea has steered away from Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi, but it may cause “more severe” rains in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday, citing a top weather official.
The weather system, which developed over India’s Rann of Kutch coast, intensified into the cyclonic storm on Friday. It had drifted westward and was lying at about 230 kilometers southwest of Karachi on Saturday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Chief Meteorologist Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz said despite the cyclone’s trajectory toward Oman, it could cause heavy rains and thunderstorms in the Sindh province, where Karachi is located, but the neighboring Balochistan could face more severe consequences.
“Despite Cyclone ASNA’s trajectory toward Oman, its effects on Pakistan will still be significant,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency. “Balochistan, in particular, can expect more severe consequences than Sindh, with intense rainfall.”
In Sindh, the cyclone could impact Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Matiari and Jamshoro, while heavy rains and thunderstorms could hit the coastal districts of Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech and Gwadar in Balochistan.
Earlier on Saturday, airport authorities in Karachi directed relocation of all aircraft at the Jinnah International Airport amid a cyclone warning.
Pakistan has already been witnessing monsoon rains, which have claimed 29 lives in Balochistan, 88 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 106 in Punjab, 50 in Sindh, four in Gilgit Baltistan and eight in Azad Jammu Kashmir, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. No loss of lives has been reported in the capital city, Islamabad, so far.
Heavy rains triggered flash floods in Karachi on Friday, causing power outages and closure of schools in the city. A PMD alert on Saturday said heavy rains could inundate low-lying areas of the Makran coast in Balochistan, with sea conditions likely to remain rough.
Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns in recent years that scientists have blamed on climate change. 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 deadly heat waves in May and June.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
Cyclone ASNA steers away from Karachi, may cause ‘more severe’ rains in Balochistan — official
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Cyclone ASNA steers away from Karachi, may cause ‘more severe’ rains in Balochistan — official
- The weather system has drifted westward and lies at about 230 kilometers southwest of Karachi
- It may cause heavy rains, thunderstorms in Balochistan’s Hub, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech and Gwadar
Pakistan reports current account surplus in Jan. owing to improved trade, remittances
- Pakistan’s exports crossed the $3 billion mark in Jan. as the country received $3.5 billion in remittances
- Last month, IMF urged Pakistan to accelerate pace of structural reforms to strengthen economic growth
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of more than $120 million in January, the country’s finance adviser said on Tuesday, attributing it to improved trade balance and remittance inflows.
Pakistan’s exports rebounded in January 2026 after five months of weak performance, rising 3.73 percent year on year and surging 34.96 percent month on month, according to data released by the country’s statistics bureau.
Exports crossed the $3 billion mark for the first time in January to reach $3.061 billion, compared to $2.27 billion in Dec. 2025. The country received $3.5 billion in foreign remittances in Jan. 2026.
Khurram Schehzad, an adviser to the finance minister, said Pakistan reported a current account surplus of $121 million in Jan., compared to a current account deficit of $393 million in the same month last year.
“Improved trade balance in January 2026, strong remittance inflows, and sustained momentum in services exports (IT/Tech) continue to reinforce the country’s external account position,” he said on X.
Pakistan has undergone a difficult period of stabilization, marked by inflation, currency depreciation and financing gaps, and international rating agencies have acknowledged improvements after Islamabad began implementing reforms such as privatizing loss-making, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and ending subsidies as part of a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan program.
Late last month, the IMF urged Pakistan to accelerate the pace of these structural reforms to strengthen economic growth.
Responding to questions from Arab News at a virtual media roundtable on emerging markets’ resilience, IMF’s director of the Middle East and Central Asia Jihad Azour said Islamabad’s implementation of the IMF requirements had been “strong” despite devastating floods that killed more than 1,000 people and devastated farmland, forcing the government to revise its 4.2 percent growth target to 3.9 percent.
“What is important going forward in order to strengthen growth and to maintain the level of macroeconomic stability is to accelerate the structural reforms,” he said at the meeting.
Azour underlined Pakistan’s plans to privatize some of the SOEs and improve financial management of important public entities, particularly power companies, as an important way for the country to boost its capacity to cater to the economy for additional exports.
“This comes in addition to the effort that the authorities have made in order to reform their tariffs, which will allow the private sector of Pakistan to become more competitive,” the IMF official said.
