ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday warned of flooding in the Punjab and Balochistan provinces, informing that 320 people have lost their lives since the beginning of the monsoon in July, while anticipating more rain in the next 24 hours.
Monsoon rains are crucial for Pakistan’s agrarian economy, providing essential water for crops and replenishing water reservoirs. However, the country has been experiencing increasingly erratic weather patterns, including heatwaves, droughts and flooding, which are widely attributed to climate change.
The unprecedented rains during the 2022 monsoon season were a stark reminder of these changes, resulting in nearly 1,700 deaths and causing estimated losses of over $35 billion.
The NDMA anticipated more rains, gusty winds and thundershowers in most parts the country on Wednesday.
“Scattered thunderstorm rain of moderate intensity with isolated heavy falls is expected over the upper catchments of all major rivers along with Islamabad & Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, DG [Dera Ghazi] Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, DI [Dera Ismail] Khan, Zhob, Loralai, Sibbi, Mirpur Khas, Larkana, Sukkur, Nasirabad and Kalat divisions,” the NDMA said in its situation report.
FLOODS
Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab Irfan Ali Kathia said local administrations were put on alert and asked to take citizens living near the areas that could be affected by floods to safe places in advance.
“In the next 24 hours, there is a possibility of rain in most of the districts of Punjab, and due to the rains in the upper areas, there is a fear of increasing the flow of water in the rivers,” the PDMA statement said.
“There is a risk of low-level floods in the Indus River, while there is a risk of flooding in the rivers adjacent to the River Chenab and Ravi,” it added.
Meanwhile, Younus Mengal, head of the PDMA Balochistan’s control room in Quetta, said flash floods had been reported from various districts, including Qila Abdullah, Chaman, Qila Saifullah, Kach, Kalat and Khuzdar.
Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also warned of heavy downpours, windstorms and lightning, saying they could affect daily routines and lead to the collapse of weak structures, including rooftops, walls, electric poles, billboards and solar panels.
The provincial administration also informed that due to heavy rains and landslides, the Thal to Kumrat road in Upper Dir had been closed to all types of traffic at various locations.
The monsoon currents are still penetrating Pakistan as the regional meteorological center in Karachi said during the day, saying they were entering eastern parts of the Sindh province.
“As a result, thunderstorms with moderate to isolated heavy rainfall are likely in the districts of Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Jamshoro, Dadu, Matiari, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Khairpur,” the center said in a statement.
Pakistan’s disaster body warns of more rain, flooding as monsoon death toll hits 320
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Pakistan’s disaster body warns of more rain, flooding as monsoon death toll hits 320
- Authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province warn of flooding in Ravi, Chenab and Indus rivers
- An official in Balochistan also reports flash floods in districts like Chaman, Qila Saifullah, Kach and Kalat
Pakistan Supreme Court halts trial of prominent lawyer over alleged anti-military tweets
- Top court orders lower court to pause proceedings after lawyers allege due-process breaches
- Mazari-Hazir, husband face charges under cybercrime law that carry up to 14 years in prison
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday halted the cybercrime trial of prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, after their lawyers argued that a lower court had recorded witness testimony in their absence, violating due-process rules.
Mazari-Hazir, one of Pakistan’s most outspoken civil liberties lawyers, and Chattha are being prosecuted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that authorities say incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as involved in “terrorism.” Both reject the allegations. If convicted under the relevant PECA provision, they face a prison term of up to 14 years.
The case has drawn broad attention in Pakistan’s legal community because Mazari-Hazir, who has been repeatedly detained over her criticism of the security establishment, argues that the trial court ignored basic procedural guarantees despite her medical leave request. The case also comes as Pakistan faces sustained scrutiny over the use of PECA against activists, journalists and political dissenters, with lawyers arguing that lower courts often move ahead without meeting minimum fair-trial standards.
The couple’s lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, said his clients filed a petition in the Supreme Court because the lower court had moved ahead improperly.
“Today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has stayed the lower court proceedings, the trial court proceedings and has said that the [Islamabad] High Court should decide our pending revision petition for which a date has already been fixed,” he told reporters.
Azad said the violation was clear under Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires evidence to be recorded in the presence of the accused.
“Yet, on that very day, evidence of four witnesses was recorded in their absence, and a state counsel was appointed to conduct cross-examination on their behalf,” he said. “All these things are against the right to a fair trial under Articles 10 and 10-A.”
A three-judge bench led by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar ordered the trial court to pause proceedings and instructed the Islamabad High Court to hear the couple’s pending criminal revision petition first.
The trial had been scheduled to resume on Dec.15, but the Supreme Court’s stay now freezes proceedings before both the additional sessions judge and the special PECA court.
The Islamabad High Court is expected to hear the criminal revision petition next week.
Chattha, who is also a lawyer, said the SC ruling underscored the need for procedural safeguards.
“It is a victory for the constitution and the law,” he said, arguing that the trial court had ignored their request to re-record witness statements in their presence.
