ISLAMABAD: A magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolted several cities in northern Pakistan on Saturday morning, state-run media reported, with no reported casualties or damages.
As per the National Seismic Monitoring Center, the earthquake’s epicenter was the border region between Afghanistan and Tajikistan and was measured at a depth of 94 kilometers.
“The National Seismic Monitoring Center reported that the earthquake’s tremors were felt in numerous cities at 11:48 a.m. including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Abbottabad, Attock, Haripur, Mansehra, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Haripur, Swat, Chitral, Shangla, Malakand, Muzaffarabad and several other cities,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
As per the APP, alarmed citizens ran out of their homes and started reciting verses from the Qur’an after feeling the tremors.
“No loss of life and property was reported from any part of the country so far,” it added.
Pakistan sits on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates and is prone to seismic activity.
The country’s northern and western regions are home to mountain ranges such as the Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Karakoram.
Among the most devastating earthquakes in Pakistan’s history was the 2005 Kashmir quake, which measured 7.6 in magnitude and killed more than 86,000 people.
In 2013, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Balochistan, killing over 800 people and flattening entire villages.
Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts northern Pakistan with no reports of casualties
https://arab.news/csv2k
Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts northern Pakistan with no reports of casualties
- Pakistan’s seismic monitoring center says quake’s epicenter was Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region
- Tremors felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Abbottabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s various cities
Pakistan plans $3,500 locally made electric car to lure motorcycle users
- Government-backed program aims to speed shift to electric transport
- Lithium battery plants and possible tax cuts seen lowering EV costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to launch a locally manufactured low-cost electric vehicle (EV) priced at Rs1 million ($3,556), aimed at helping motorcycle users transition more easily to cars, an official from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) told Arab News on Monday.
The country has seen a gradual rise in the adoption of EVs in a market traditionally dominated by Japanese automakers. The development comes as major cities across Pakistan face some of the world’s highest levels of air pollution, leading to dense smog in winter, with road transport being a major contributor.
In June last year, Pakistan introduced its Electric Vehicle Policy 2025–30, announcing more than Rs100 billion ($353 million) in subsidies over five years to support electric bikes and rickshaws and accelerate the shift toward cleaner transport.
“The car will be fully made in Pakistan and a local company is working on it,” Zeeshan Ashraf, a spokesman for the Engineering Development Board, a government body, told Arab News. “Its full price will be Rs1 million while the government is planning to give extra subsidy on this.”
Chinese and Korean electric vehicle brands have increasingly entered Pakistan’s market in recent years, making EVs a more common sight in cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
Ashraf said the vehicle will be launched under the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) Program, a public-sector initiative designed to promote an eco-friendly and economical transportation system in the country.
The locally manufactured low-cost EV is expected to become available across the country within the next few months, he added.
Earlier, Engineering Development Board Chief Executive Hammad Mansoor was quoted by local media as saying that Pakistan could see its first fully electric, locally manufactured car enter the market by June 2026, with an estimated price of around Rs1 million.
Speaking to journalists during an iftar dinner in Karachi this month, Mansoor also signaled that the government may lower vehicle taxes in the upcoming federal budget to make hybrid, electric and conventional fuel vehicles more affordable.
He said Pakistan’s first lithium battery manufacturing facility is expected to begin production by May, while a second plant could start operations in September.
According to him, about 74 percent of battery components will be produced locally, which could significantly reduce the cost of EVs by relying on domestically manufactured parts.
