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Pakistan approves $20.8 million flood aid as nearly 400 dead in latest monsoon spell

Pakistan approves $20.8 million flood aid as nearly 400 dead in latest monsoon spell
Relief personnel use an excavator to clear rubble of collapsed houses as they search through the debris for victims, a day after a cloudburst at the Dalori village in Swabi district, in Pakistan’s mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 19 August 2025

Pakistan approves $20.8 million flood aid as nearly 400 dead in latest monsoon spell

Pakistan approves $20.8 million flood aid as nearly 400 dead in latest monsoon spell
  • Top economic body directs immediate release of $14.4 million to support victims of heavy rains and floods
  • Approval comes as death toll in monsoon season rises to 707, with 356 killed in KP province alone since Friday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top economic body on Tuesday approved a relief package worth Rs5.8 billion ($20.8 million) to support people affected by recent rains and flash floods in the country’s northwest, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.

The announcement comes as nearly 400 people have been killed during the latest spell of monsoon rains in northern Pakistan that began late last week. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that of the 400 deaths since Friday, 356 were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has been lashed by cloudbursts, flash floods, lightning strikes and landslides in the deadliest downpour of this year’s monsoon season.

In total, 707 Pakistanis have died in monsoon rains since June 26, according to the NDMA.

“Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet has approved a relief package worth 5.8 billion rupees as federal assistance for the rain and flood affected people,” Radio Pakistan said in a report after a meeting of the ECC was held in Islamabad with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in the chair.     

“The ECC directed the Finance Division to immediately release 4 billion rupees of the approved package to mitigate the sufferings of affected people.”

Earlier in the day, while addressing a joint news conference on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army and government spokesmen and the chief of the NDMA said coordinated relief and rescue operations had been stepped up in affected parts of KP and the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.

“Currently, there are eight units of the infantry and eight units of the FC [frontier constabulary] directly involved in search and rescue and flood relief operations,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, told reporters in Islamabad.

“In the search and rescue work, 6,903 of children and adults have been rescued by the army units,” the army spokesman said, adding that over 6,300 people had also received medical treatment.

Chaudhry said logistics bases had been set up in Kanju and Daggar to supply food, tents and medicines, while helicopters were flying emergency aid to remote areas.

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said 70 percent of the region’s power supply had also been restored, including in districts like Buner, Shangla, Swat and Bajaur, where electrical grids, poles and transformers were destroyed.

He said ministers for energy, communications and Kashmir affairs were deployed in the field to monitor relief operations.

“In Malakand division, the N-90 highway has been fully reopened after clearing all blockades,” Tarar added.

More than 1,200 tents, 3,000 kilograms of medicines and 40 tons of food rations have been dispatched to the flood-hit regions, with over 500 medical camps operational in the area.




Volunteers walks with umbrellas to avoid rain as they survey the damaged areas, following a storm that caused heavy rains and flooding in Bayshonai Kalay, in Buner district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on August 18, 2025. (REUTERS)

Chairman of the NDMA, Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, who also addressed the news conference, said at least 25,000 people had been rescued in total in the last four days.

He warned of continued risks from localized flooding and cloudbursts in KP, GB, and northern Punjab, with a new monsoon spell expected in the last week of August.

“A complete survey has been launched, which has been started to assess the damage of houses and public infrastructure,” Malik said, adding that its findings would be ready by early September.

Malik said more than 50 percent of landslides had been cleared and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved a special ration package for affected districts.

Aid convoys to Swabi, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Shangla and Swat were also underway, with support from military formations and non-governmental organizations

“All arms of the state are mobilized in this national response,” he added.

TRAVEL ADVISORY

Separately, the NDMA issued a travel advisory on Tuesday warning of road closures and damage in the country’s north due to floods and landslides.

According to the advisory, tourists have been told to avoid travel on vulnerable stretches of the Karakoram Highway and connecting routes, including Torghar, Batagram, Shangla, Lower Kohistan, Tattapani, Gilgit and Hunza.

Road blockages due to floods and landslides were reported at several points on the Karakoram Highway, as well as at multiple locations along the Mingora–Swat road.

The NDMA also listed a number of damaged or closed bridges and roads in Gilgit-Baltistan, Skardu, Ghizer, Hunza and Astore.




Men retrieve a motorbike from a thick layer of mud, following a storm that caused heavy rains and flooding in Pacha Kalay Bazar, in Buner district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on August 18, 2025. (REUTERS)

“Surmo Bridge, Ghanche: damaged; no alternate … Baghecha, Skardu: damaged; alternate: temporary causeway but unsafe,” the advisory said.

It added that the Astak Bridge on the Jaglot–Skardu road was partially open, while major routes such as Shandur, Ishkoman, Gulmit in Gojal, Hoper in Nagar, and the Skardu–Kargil road in Kharmang district were closed with no alternate routes available.

The advisory urged travelers to check updates regularly and avoid unnecessary movement in the affected areas until roads are cleared and safe for traffic.

PUNJAB ALERT

The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Tuesday also issued a fresh alert for heavy monsoon rains across much of the province from Aug. 19–22.

“Severe thunderstorms are forecast in most districts, including Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, Gujrat and Sialkot,” the PDMA spokesperson said, adding that downpours were also expected in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Rajanpur.

PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said all commissioners and deputy commissioners had been directed to remain on alert in line with instructions from Punjab’s chief minister. He warned of rising water levels in rivers and streams, flash flooding in hill torrents, and the risk of urban flooding in major cities.




In this aerial picture, volunteers remove debris from a resident's home, after flash floods hit Buner district in northern Pakistan's mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 18, 2025. (AFP)

“Citizens are urged to adopt precautionary measures during bad weather,” Kathia said. “Stay in safe places during storms, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep children away from low-lying areas and electricity poles and wires.”

The DG added that health, irrigation, communications, local government and livestock departments had all been placed on high alert. In case of emergency, people were advised to call the PDMA helpline at 1129.


Rabi Al-Awwal moon not sighted, Pakistan to mark Eid Milad-un-Nabi on Sept. 6

Rabi Al-Awwal moon not sighted, Pakistan to mark Eid Milad-un-Nabi on Sept. 6
Updated 24 August 2025

Rabi Al-Awwal moon not sighted, Pakistan to mark Eid Milad-un-Nabi on Sept. 6

Rabi Al-Awwal moon not sighted, Pakistan to mark Eid Milad-un-Nabi on Sept. 6
  • Muslims mark the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal as the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad
  • In Pakistan, the day dawns with a 31-gun salute, followed by Seerat-un-Nabi conferences

ISLAMABAD: The crescent for the Islamic month of Rabi Al-Awwal could not be sighted in Pakistan, the religious affairs ministry announced on Sunday, with the country now due to mark Eid Milad-un-Nabi on Sept. 6.

Rabi Al-Awwal is the third month in the Islamic calendar. The month holds special significance for Muslims around the world as they observe the 12th of the month as Mawlid Al-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In Pakistan and some other countries in Asia, it is referred to as Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

On Sunday, the central moon-sighting committee held a session in the southern port city of Karachi, presided over by its chairman, Maulana Abdul Khabeer, to sight the Rabi Al-Awwal moon.

“The moon of Rabi Al-Awwal 1447 AH has not been sighted,” the religious affairs ministry said, citing a decision of the moon-sighting committee. “Therefore, the 1st Rabi Al-Awwal 1447 AH shall commence from Tuesday.”

Consequently, the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal will fall on Saturday, Sept. 6.

In Pakistan, the day dawns with a 31-gun salute in the Pakistani federal capital of Islamabad and a 21-gun salute in all provincial capitals.

The religious affairs ministry organizes the annual Seerat-un-Nabi Conference on the day to encourage research and discussion on various aspects of the life of the Prophet (PBUH) and their application in modern times.

Various conferences and events are held across the country, at which religious scholars highlight the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) to enlighten the daily lives and strengthen the moral fabric of society.


Bahrain extends condolences to Pakistan as monsoon deaths rise to nearly 800

Bahrain extends condolences to Pakistan as monsoon deaths rise to nearly 800
Updated 24 August 2025

Bahrain extends condolences to Pakistan as monsoon deaths rise to nearly 800

Bahrain extends condolences to Pakistan as monsoon deaths rise to nearly 800
  • Deadly rains and floods have swept several parts of Pakistan, raising fears about a repeat of the cataclysmic 2022 deluges
  • Authorities say monsoon showers, expected to last until Sept. 10, can trigger floods on the scale of those witnessed in 2010

ISLAMABAD: Bahrain’s Interior Minister, Lt. Gen. Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa on Sunday held a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi and extended condolences over the loss of nearly 800 lives in Pakistan this monsoon season, Pakistani state media reported.

Deadly rains and floods have swept several parts of Pakistan, particularly its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, killing 798 persons since Jun. 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

KP has reported the highest number of deaths, 479, followed by Punjab with 165, Sindh with 54, GB with 45, Balochistan with 24 and Azad Kashmir with 23 casualties while Islamabad has reported eight deaths.

During his telephonic conversation with Naqvi, the Bahraini interior minister expressed sorrow over the devastation caused by monsoon rains and conveyed his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Bahrain stands with the Pakistani brothers and sisters in this difficult hour and is ready to help the flood victims,” he was quoted as saying.

Naqvi thanked his Bahraini counterpart for expressing solidarity with flood victims, according to the report. He shared the devastation caused by floods, rains and cloudbursts could not be “expressed in words.”

Pakistani authorities have warned that monsoon showers, expected to last until Sept. 10, can trigger floods on the scale of those witnessed by the country in 2010.

“The prime minister directed all concerned authorities to be fully prepared for relief operations in the lower parts of the country in view of the flood situation in the coming days,” PM Shehbaz Sharif’s office said in a statement.

Pakistan ranks among the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change, despite contributing less than 1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2022, unusually heavy rains and the melting of glaciers triggered flash floods that at one point inundated one-third of the country, killed over 1,700 people and inflicted losses of over $30 billion as per government estimates.


Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to revive ‘old connections,’ enhance trade and youth linkages

Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to revive ‘old connections,’ enhance trade and youth linkages
Updated 24 August 2025

Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to revive ‘old connections,’ enhance trade and youth linkages

Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to revive ‘old connections,’ enhance trade and youth linkages
  • Both countries sign several agreements during Pakistani deputy PM’s high-profile visit to Dhaka
  • The visit comes as Islamabad, Dhaka move to reset relations scarred by the bloody 1971 conflict

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh have resolved to revive their “old connections” and enhance trade and youth linkages, the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday, following Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s meeting with Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka.

Dar arrived in Bangladesh on a high-profile visit on Saturday in a bid to reset relations, which were scarred by the bloody 1971 conflict but have been reshaped by shifting regional power balances in recent months.
Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal has been in Dhaka this week, discussing trade and agricultural collaboration, while Pakistan’s foreign secretary Amna Baloch held in April the first bilateral consultations with Bangladesh in 15 years.

Dar met Yunus on Sunday and apprised the Bangladeshi chief adviser of his engagements in Dhaka and the key outcomes of his two-day visit, thanking for the “warm hospitality” extended to him and his delegation, according to the Pakistani foreign office.

“The discussion covered revival of old connections between the two countries, promoting youth linkages, enhancing connectivity, and augmenting trade and economic cooperation,” the foreign office said after the meeting.

“The recent developments in the region and the prospects of regional cooperation were also discussed.”

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh. In the years since, Bangladeshi leaders, particularly ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, chose to maintain close ties with India.

Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August, witnessing a marked improvement. Both countries began sea trade last year, expanding government-to-government commerce in February.

Dar also met Khaleda Zia, a former Bangladeshi prime minister and head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), at her residence in Dhaka. Zia, who ruled Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006, has liver disease, diabetes and heart problems, according to her doctors. She has largely remained away from politics for many years.

“The DPM/FM expressed his best wishes for her speedy recovery and well-being,” the foreign office said. “He also conveyed to Begum Sahibah the greetings from the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He lauded her services to Bangladesh as Prime Minister of the country.”

Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar (left) calls on former Bangladeshi prime minister and head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda Zia, at her residence in Dhaka on August 24, 2025. (Pakistan's Foreign Office)

Earlier on Sunday, Dar held wide-ranging talks with Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain during which both sides discussed bilateral ties, people-to-people contacts, and cooperation in education and capacity building as well as regional and global issues.

“Regional and international issues, including rejuvenation of SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] and resolution of Palestine and the Rohingya issues were also discussed,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

This handout photograph taken on August 24, 2025 and released by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Foreign Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh's interim government Mohammad Touhid Hossain (R) posing alongside Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during a bilateral meeting in Dhaka. (AFP/Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affair)

Following the delegation-level talks, the two sides signed six agreements relating to visa abolition for diplomatic and official passport holders, Joint Working Group on Trade, foreign services academies of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation and Bangladesh Sangbad

Sangstha, the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, and a cultural exchange program.

“These agreements will institutionalize and further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in trade and economics, training of diplomats, academic exchanges, media cooperation and cultural exchanges,” the Pakistani foreign office added.

Prior to that, the Pakistani deputy premier, along with Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, met Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin and other senior officials of Bangladesh’s state-owned institutions to discuss bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two sides.


Pakistan deputy PM to attend OIC meeting on Palestine today

Pakistan deputy PM to attend OIC meeting on Palestine today
Updated 24 August 2025

Pakistan deputy PM to attend OIC meeting on Palestine today

Pakistan deputy PM to attend OIC meeting on Palestine today
  • The development comes days after Israel approved a plan to seize full control of Gaza City
  • Islamabad says the OIC meeting will focus on coordinated response to developments in Gaza

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will travel to Ƶ to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on Aug. 25-26, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The statement comes as Israeli leaders vow to press on with a planned offensive in Gaza, with Israeli planes and tanks pounding the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday.

Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City, describing it as Hamas’ last bastion. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks between the sides.

Dar, who is currently in Dhaka on a most high-profile visit by any Pakistani official to Bangladesh in recent years, will travel directly to Jeddah to attend the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.

“The high-level meeting will bring together foreign ministers and senior officials from OIC member states to deliberate upon coordinated responses to the escalating developments in Palestine, resulting from ongoing

Israeli military aggression, its proposed plans for full military control over Gaza and the continued egregious violations of Palestinians’ rights,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

Headquartered in Jeddah, the OIC is the second-largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations, with a membership of 57 states across four continents. It serves as a collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their interests in economic, social, and political spheres. 

Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israel’s war on Gaza that has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians since Oct. 2023, left much of the territory in ruins and internally displaced nearly its entire population.

Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering support for Palestine and reiterate its principled stance at the OIC meeting, according to the Pakistani foreign office.

“The DPM/FM will advocate for total withdrawal of Israel from all the Occupied Palestinian Territories; reject the outrageous Israeli plan for extending full military control over Gaza and further displacement of Palestinians; emphasize the urgent need of unhindered humanitarian assistance; and call for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people — most notably, the establishment of an independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-June 1967 borders,” it said.

“​On the sidelines of the OIC-CFM, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from key OIC member states.”


Pakistan Railways announces 2030 Karachi-Lahore bullet train project

Pakistan Railways announces 2030 Karachi-Lahore bullet train project
Updated 24 August 2025

Pakistan Railways announces 2030 Karachi-Lahore bullet train project

Pakistan Railways announces 2030 Karachi-Lahore bullet train project
  • State media says bullet train project to reduce travel time from cities to five hours from 20
  • Lahore-Karachi bullet train project to be completed with Chinese assistance, says state media 

Islamabad: Pakistan Railways has announced its plans to introduce a bullet train project between the provincial capitals of Lahore and Karachi, state-run media reported on Sunday, with the initiative to cut travel time from 20 hours to just five by 2030. 

Quoting Railways Minister Hanis Abbasi, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said the 1,215-kilometer-long high-speed rail line is part of the ML-1 project. The ML‑1, a $6.7 billion upgrade of Pakistan’s 1,687-kilometer Karachi–Peshawar rail artery first agreed upon in May 2017, is central to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. 

In its report, Radio Pakistan said the upgrade would be carried out under the CPEC project with Chinese support. 

“The trains will run at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, with major stops in Hyderabad, Multan, and Sahiwal,” Radio Pakistan reported. 

The report said that the China Railway Construction Corporation will be part of the project, which would include upgrades such as new double tracks, rebuilt bridges and modern signaling systems.

“Beyond faster travel, the project is projected to create thousands of jobs during construction and operation, boost regional trade, and increase Pakistan’s freight rail share from 4 percent to 20 percent by 2030,” the report said. 

Radio Pakistan said the project is also expected to reduce reliance on costly road transport, saving billions in fuel imports.

Rail transport remains a critical but underfunded part of Pakistan’s public infrastructure. The Pakistan Railways network stretches over 7,700 kilometers and connects major cities, yet it has struggled for decades with outdated technology, frequent delays and safety issues due to a lack of investment and mismanagement.

In recent years, successive governments have pledged to revitalize the sector. Recent initiatives have included track rehabilitation, procurement of new locomotives and the expansion of digital ticketing systems.