Afghanistan, Pakistan have been hit by a spate of quakes in recent years

In this photo released by a set-run news agency Bakhtar, Afghans look at destruction caused by an earthquake in the province of Paktika, eastern Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Bakhtar News Agency via AP/File)
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Updated 03 November 2025
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Afghanistan, Pakistan have been hit by a spate of quakes in recent years

  • A 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes near Mazar-e-Sharif city in Afghanistan, killing 7 and injuring about 150 people 
  • Afghanistan-Pakistan region, which experiences frequent quakes, lies at intersection of Indian, Eurasian tectonic plates

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least seven people and injuring about 150, just months after a quake and strong aftershocks killed more than 2,200 people at the end of August.

Here are some recent quakes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region which lies at the intersection of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

2025

A magnitude 6.2 quake struck southeastern Afghanistan just before midnight on August 31. It was followed by a series of strong aftershocks over the next week, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring thousands.

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck central Pakistan on June 29.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Pakistan on May 10, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center said.

Quakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.8 hit the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan-Tajikistan border regions on April 16 and 19, respectively.

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Pakistan on April 12.

Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi was hit by several moderate or minor tremors in March and June.

2024

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on October 17.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.75 struck Pakistan on September 11.

Earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and 5.8 struck Pakistan between March 19 and March 20.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 hit northwestern Kashmir on February 19.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on January 11.

A magnitude 5 earthquake hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on January 5.

2023

An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on November 15.
Around 1,000 people died as multiple earthquakes rattled Afghanistan in October.

On August 6, an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.

Earthquakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.7 hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on May 3 and on August 5, respectively.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit northern Afghanistan in late March, killing at least 13.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on January 5.

2022

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit southeastern Afghanistan on December 16.

Over September 5 and 6, at least two earthquakes struck Afghanistan, killing at least eight people.

A magnitude 5.6 quake struck Pakistan’s southwestern region on August 1.

A magnitude 6 earthquake in Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people in June.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on February 5.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit western Afghanistan on January 17.

2021

At least 15 people were killed after an earthquake struck southern Pakistan on October 7.

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook Afghanistan on May 19.


‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match

Updated 04 February 2026
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‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match

  • Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
  • Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh. 

Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15. 

Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns. 

During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports. 

“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks. 

“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”

Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. 

Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament. 

The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game. 

The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions. 

Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists. 

Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.