ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said this week that rainfall in the upper and central parts of the country this week would likely cause the ongoing heatwave to subside.
The ongoing heatwave across Pakistan is expected to intensify this week, with temperatures in central and southern Pakistan likely to surge to 50°C this week, a report in American newspaper The Washington Post said on Wednesday.
Pakistanis have been sweltering from an ongoing heatwave that has troubled citizens in several parts of the country, especially its southern cities. Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change, grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events from deadly heatwaves to devastating floods. The 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone while the 2022 floods left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.
“Wind, thunderstorm (isolated hailstorm) predicted in upper/central parts from May 1-4, 2025,” the NDMA said in a weather advisory on Tuesday. “Heatwave conditions are likely to subside.”
It added that in Punjab and Islamabad, rainfall could trigger landslides in hilly areas, while hailstorms might damage infrastructure and vehicles.
“A westerly wave is likely to approach the upper parts of the country on April 30,” NDMA said. “Moist currents are likely to penetrate Northeast Punjab from May 1.”
The NDMA said that heavy downpours could cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of the southwestern and northwestern provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively, as well as in the Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions.
Warning of the possibility of hailstorms, the NDMA urged citizens to remain safe by seeking shelter, staying away from windows, covering vehicles and equipment and avoiding open fields and hilltops.
NDMA also advised people to exercise precautionary measures, especially tourists visiting mountainous areas.
In April, an intense hailstorm and heavy rainfall battered Pakistan’s capital and its surrounding areas, leaving several vehicles damaged and house windows smashed.
Footage on social media showed hailstones falling from the sky in Islamabad, with several residents posting videos of their car windscreens smashed and others sharing images of house windows damaged by the hail.
Pakistan says rainfall in upper, central parts this week likely to ease ongoing heatwave
https://arab.news/zf3nn
Pakistan says rainfall in upper, central parts this week likely to ease ongoing heatwave
- Pakistan’s southern cities have recorded high temperatures this week due to an ongoing heatwave across country
- Disaster management authority warns of thunderstorm, isolated hailstorm in upper/central parts of Pakistan
Pakistan says defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated brotherly ties to ‘new heights’
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed strategic defense pact last year pledging aggression against one will be treated as attack on both
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form vital pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated its brotherly ties with the Kingdom to “new heights,” stressing that close ties with Arab and Islamic nations form a key pillar of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on Sept. 17 last year, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, enhancing joint deterrence and formalizing decades of military and security cooperation.
Both nations agreed in October 2025 to launch an economic cooperation framework to strengthen trade and investment ties.
“In the Middle East, our landmark Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia has elevated our brotherly ties to new heights,” Dar said while speaking at the Pakistan Governance Forum 2026 event in Islamabad.
The Pakistani deputy prime minister was speaking on the topic “Navigating International Relations Amidst Changing Geo-Politics.”
Dar noted that Pakistan has reinforced partnerships with other Middle Eastern nations such as the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain. He said these partnerships have yielded “concrete agreements” in investment, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
“Our enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form a vital pillar of our foreign policy, and we will continue to expand our partnerships across Asia, Latin America, and Africa,” he said.
Dar pointed out that the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have undertaken visits to Pakistan in recent months, reflecting Central Asian nations’ desire to boost cooperation with Islamabad.
On South Asia, the Pakistani deputy PM said Pakistan has successfully transformed its fraternal ties with Bangladesh into “a substantive partnership.”
“Similarly, the trilateral mechanism involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has been launched with a view to expanding and deepening regional cooperation and synergy,” the Pakistani minister said.
He said Islamabad has strengthened its “all-weather” partnership with China via the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement and “unwavering support” from both sides for each other’s core interests.
Dar said Pakistan had also reinvigorated its partnership with the US, advancing cooperation in trade, technology, investment, and regional stability.
“This calibrated approach has enhanced our ability to navigate complexity with skill and confidence, ensuring that our national interests are served without compromising our core foreign policy principles,” he said.
