Manchar Lake started overflowing from its embankments, posing a serious threat to nearby localities. Screenshot of a Twitter video
SEHWAN: Manchar Lake's water level has risen to a dangerous level, giving rise to the fear of the dyke breaking down at any moment. The city administration has ordered residents of nearby localities to move to safer areas.
Capt. (Ret.) Farid-Uddin-Mustafa, Deputy Commissioner Jamshoro, said that the water level in the Manchhar lake is steadily rising. He warned that the lake's embankment may collapse at any time. As a result, he advised that the union councils of Wahar, Bobak, Jaffarabad, and Chana be vacated.
Manchar Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan and is one of the largest lakes in Asia. It is situated west of the Indus River, in the Jamshoro and Dadu Districts, 18 kilometres from Sehwan Sharif.
The Deputy Commissioner further directed the people to avoid visiting Manchar Lake unnecessarily as its dyke, RD54 to RD58, is withstanding huge pressure.
The official said the dyke will not be breached and a last-ditch effort will be made [to keep the embankment intact]. "The next 24 to 48 hours are crucial for the Manchhar Lake," he cautioned.
According to a Geo News correspondent, the water has started overflowing from the lake's banks at some points, triggering panic among the local population of Sehwan.
Citizens in Bobak and surrounding areas of the lake demand the city administration breach the embankment at Yousuf Bagh so that hundreds of villages can be saved from inundation.
Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb. File photo
Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the country is drowned in flash floods but Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is mired in his ego.
On September 3, Imran Khan, speaking in front of a public gathering in Bahawalpur, accused the PML-N leadership of embezzling money from the nation.
According to Marriyum Aurangzeb, Imran Khan was obsessed by Maryam Nawaz and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif even as he was touring the South Punjab region that had been affected by the floods.
The information minister lambasted Imran Khan for using politics for his personal benefit. Instead of providing food to the starving people in the flood-affected areas, she stated, "Imran Khan has again stuffed his stomach with phoney politics."
Imran Khan does not want the rule of justice in Pakistan as he intends to impose the PTI's "revenge system" on Pakistan, she added.
Imran flays PM Shehbaz for corruption
Addressing the public rally in Bahawalpur yesterday, Imran Khan expressed grief over the loss of lives and properties in the massive flash floods across the country. He said that PM Shehbaz steals the nation's money and takes it abroad while the nation is working hard.
“You should never follow a leader who begs from other countries,” the PTI chief said. “Ten years ago, I asked them from where they got the money to buy such expensive properties, but they didn't answer."
Criticising PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, the PTI chief said that she denies having property in Pakistan, let alone in London.
“Poor Maryam does not even own property. She can't afford two meals a day," he said, adding that the Sharif and Zardari families have been looting the country’s money for the last 30 years.
Taking a dig at dissenters, Khan said that the nation has awakened and it’s the end of turncoats.
“Those who sold their conscience have been left in the old Pakistan,” he added.
Government of Balochistan on Saturday announced the decision to resume classes across all educational institutions in the province from September 5.
The province's Education Minister Mir Naseebullah Khan Marri made the announcement to reopen schools schools and colleges on the said date.
The minister stated that the government will later decide whether to open schools in Naseerabad and Jafarabad, as these areas have been the most affected by recent catastrophic flooding.
Following torrential rainfall in the province, all educational institutes were shut down on August 22.
While universities resumed classes on August 29, decision to reopen schools and colleges was yet to be made.
Mureed Hussain sits with the dowry furniture of his daughter Nousheen, which was damaged by flood waters at his house in Fazilpur, Rajanpur district of Punjab province on September 3, 2022. — AFP/File
ISLAMABAD: Death toll following the catastrophic flooding across Pakistan nears 1,300 with 26 lives lost in the last 24 hours and 12,588 people injured, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) stated in its latest monsoon situation report on Saturday.
Affected population across provinces has increased to 33,046,329. Around 169,831 people have been rescued, while 633,091 affectees have been residing in relief camps across the country.
According to NDMA, 492 people lost their lives in Sindh. The province has reported the most number of flood-related deaths since June, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 286, Balochistan with 259, Punjab with 188, Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 42, Gilgit Baltistan with 22, and one person killed in the federal capital Islamabad.
Loss of livestock due to floods has reached 875 in the last 24 hours, while the total number has skyrocketed to 736,459.
Reporting on the damages of infrastructure and private properties, NDMA stated destruction of 40,980 homes across Pakistan in the last 24 hours, while the total damage has increased to 1468019. Around 5,563 roads, 243 bridges, and 173 shops have been destroyed.
In its latest report, NDMA further shared that around 695,856 victims have benefitted from the Benazir Income Support Programme, while 415,873 victims are yet to receive the relief amount.
Rescue by Pakistan Army
Briefing the media on rescue and relief efforts by the armed forces, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Babar Iftikhar paid rich tribute to Balochistan Corps Commander Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali and others who were martyred in a helicopter crash while serving the nation amid floods.
Corps commander conferences held in July and August reaffirmed commitment to provide all possible help to flood affectees and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa gave special directions in this regard, he added.
“The army chief visited flood-affected areas and monitored the rescue operations,” the spokesperson said, adding that the army officials rescued people despite bad weather and other challenges.
“Army set up 147 relief camps across the country [to facilitate the flood victims],” Babar Iftikhar added. He maintained that 50,000 people were given relief in the camps.
Pakistan Air Force rescued over 1,521 people trapped in the floods, the military’s spokesperson said.
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party and Federal Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari advised former prime minister Imran Khan to become a human being in the first place before becoming a politician.
Taking to Twitter, Bilawal censured Imran Khan for holding public rallies as the country faces devastating flooding.
voiced exasperation over Imran Khan who addressed a public gathering in Gujrat on September 2, saying that Pakistan is facing the most tragic calamity of its history as one-third of the country is submerged under floodwaters.
He said that about 35 million people were affected in the country, which is one-seventh of the country's total population.
Bilawal said that the former prime minister is holding a concert in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are busy organizing the concerts of the former prime minister instead of helping the flood victims, he said.
Under such circumstances, this behaviour by the PTI leadership is shameful, he added.
The PPP chairman advised them to "be human" in the first place, saying, "First become a human being, then become a politician."
Gold rate in Kuwait recorded a decrease of KWD 533.370 per ounce on 03 September 2022.
These rates are given in 1 tola, 1 gramme, and 10-gramme increments in Kuwait. Every day, the local gold and bullion markets in the Kuwait provide live rates.
Live international today gold rate in Kuwait and its converted price of gold Kuwait Dinar facilitates to the Kuwaiti gold souk, gold investors, and individuals for fresh updates.
Today’s Gold Rate in Kuwait
Check the updated gold price in Kuwait on, 03 September 2022.
The rate of 24 karat/gram decreased to KWD 17.150 from the previous day’s KWD 17.350.
The gold rate (22 karat/gram) decreased to KWD 16.500 from the previous day’s KWD 16.800.
Date
Ounce
24 Carat
22 Carat
21 Carat
18 Carat
September 03
533.370
17.150
16.500
14.970
12.830
Gold rates change almost every day worldwide including Kuwait. Get the updates about today gold price in Qatar, and get rates of 18 karat, 20 karat, 21 karat and 22 karat gold. These rates are given in 1 tola, 1 gram and 10 grams formats in KWD currency. Live Rates are provided by the local gold markets and bullion markets of Saudia every day.
Disclaimer: The gold prices have been quoted on the basis of average prices prevailed in the Kuwait jewellery market and quoted by Kuwait Gold & Jewellery Group. The rates are only meant for information and not for trading. It is advised that people intending to trade the commodity should consult their legal counsel before making any venture. The rates are indicative and the website is not responsible for any loss.
A man randomly bumped into his doppelganger while swimming in a pool during his vacation in the United States. Watch ARY News live on live.arynews.tvA foreign news agency reported that Sean Douglas McArdle was swimming in the Flamingo pool in Las Vegas. He saw a “group of strangers were pointing [and] laughing.”He said he “got really self-conscious” and as his friends had spotted his doppelganger.“I was just swimming by in the pool and a big group of strangers were pointing at me and laughing,” he said as quoted in the report. “I got really self-conscious, looked back at my friends and they were all pointing and laughing at him. That’s when I saw him.”
Related – Bollywood’s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan doppelganger videoThey were wearing caps and eyeglasses similar to his.“I wasn’t convinced until now…. we are definitely in a simulation. Today I randomly swam past my Doppelseäner at the Flamingo pool in Vegas,” Sean wrote on Reddit while sharing a picture of himself with his doppelgänger,” he said. He added the first thing he thought was: “‘Holy s**t that guy looks like the dude I see in the mirror.’ And my second thought was: ‘He looks cooler than me. Probably has real Club Master Ray Bans unlike my Zenni knock-offs.'”
Islamabad police on Friday announced to take action against officers performing repeated ‘Hajj’ on government money taking up spots of other deserving people, ARY News reported.
According to orders issued by the Inspector General Islamabad police Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, action will be taken against officers who perform multiple Hajjs on government money.
The department has prepared a list of such officers who have performed repeated Hajjs on government allowances. At least 20 officers have been named in the list at the initial stages of inquiry, police sources said.
The list includes one Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who performed 8 pilgrimages to Makkah at government expense, and a sub-inspector performing 5 hajj. The close staff of officers from administration offices are also on the list.
Also Read: Hajj pilgrims to receive Rs150,000 in subsidy from today
The IG said that action would be taken against such officers as soon as the inquiry completes.
Jason Roy is expected to be the high-profile omission from England's T20I squad for next month's tour of Pakistan, and thereafter the T20 World Cup in Australia in October, after failing to emerge from a season-long form slump.
Roy, 32, was an integral influence within the white-ball dressing-room under Eoin Morgan's leadership, and a mainstay of the side from the moment of his debut in the wake of the 2015 World Cup. His uncompromising aggression at the top of the order has yielded nearly 5,500 white-ball runs in 171 appearances, including 1,522 at 24.15 and a strike rate of 137.61 in T20Is, and has been crucial in dictating the team's proactive approach - one that ultimately delivered glory at the 2019 50-over World Cup.
However, Roy has struggled for form this summer, with just 78 runs at 12.66 in six T20Is, and at a subdued strike rate of 77.55. A century in the third ODI against Netherlands in Amstelveen in June boosted his ODI numbers, but he failed to reach fifty in five further appearances against India and South Africa.
England's T20I squads are due to be announced on Friday. Jos Buttler - Morgan's successor - is still recuperating from the calf injury he sustained during Manchester Originals' Hundred captain, and will only come into contention for the second half of the tour, with Moeen Ali likely to deputise at the start of the series. Roy, however, is understood to have informed his Oval Invincibles team-mates that he has missed out on selection.
Given the huge regard with which Roy is held in England's white-ball set-up, he could have rescued his place in the team with a strong showing for Invincibles in this year's Hundred. However, he began his campaign disastrously with three ducks in four innings, while his haul of 51 runs at 8.50 culminated in a tortuous 21 from 19 balls against Birmingham Phoenix.
He missed Invincibles' last two matches of the competition after suffering stiffness in his lower back, including Wednesday night's decisive loss to Originals at Old Trafford, and finds his place in the England squad for the Pakistan tour taken by his domestic opening partner, Will Jacks, whose impressive run of form included a century against Southern Brave. Another of Roy's Invincibles team-mates, Jordan Cox - a star of Kent's T20 Blast victory last summer - is also understood to be under consideration as a potential bolter for that trip.
Will Smeed, who scored the Hundred's first century - also against Brave - is another name in the frame but it is Phil Salt who seems most likely to get first crack at replacing him, initially in Pakistan and then in Australia.
Among the current incumbents, Dawid Malan's stellar returns at the top of the order for Trent Rockets - a tournament-high 358 runs at 59.66 and a strike-rate of 172.11 - are likely to earn him a promotion to open at some stage of the Pakistan tour after his prolonged run at No. 3 in England's T20I side.
Alex Hales, Malan's opening partner at Rockets, and a player who has been blackballed by England ever since he failed two recreational drugs tests on the eve of the 2019 World Cup, has also been mentioned for a recall. After several years of impressive displays on the global T20 circuit, Hales this summer became the first English player to pass 10,000 runs in the format.
However, even with Morgan - his most ardent critic - now retired, a rapprochement under the new regime of Buttler and Matthew Mott seems an outside bet. It is understood no discussions have taken place between Hales and the England set-up, and there is little appetite for Hales to be recalled among senior players in the group.
Another likely absentee from the Pakistan squad will be England's Test captain, Ben Stokes, who retired from ODI cricket this summer in a bid to focus on the other two international formats. His immediate priority, however, is the forthcoming Test series decider against South Africa at the Kia Oval next week, which concludes just days before the team is due to depart for their seven-match tour of Pakistan.
On the bowling front, the uncapped left-arm quick Luke Wood is likely to make his England debut in Pakistan, having been an unused squad member in the Netherlands earlier this year. He has bowled with pace and penetration throughout Rockets' run to the Hundred final, with nine wickets at 24.33, and is likely to be among an abundance of seam options in an enlarged, 19-man squad.
Mark Wood, who has missed the whole English summer through injury, is also in line for his comeback and will train with the Test squad at the Kia Oval this week as part of his preparation. A 19-man squad to tour Pakistan will be named on Friday morning, along with a 15-man squad (plus three reserves) for the T20 World Cup and the three Australia T20Is which precede it. Among those reserves will be Tymal Mills, who featured in the last T20 World Cup in the UAE but has been out of action since undergoing toe surgery earlier this month.
BERLIN: Germany can next week start using COVID-19 vaccines which have been adapted for the Omicron variant and got approval for use in the European Union on Thursday, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said.
He said approval of the BA.1 vaccine was a quantum leap in the fight against the pandemic as vaccines were now available that work well against all previously known virus variants.
“From next week, vaccinations can begin with the new doses. Now is the optimal time to close the gaps in vaccination for the autumn,” he said in a statement.
On the other hand, Britain’s medicines regulator on Friday approved Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 12 and 17 years.
Read more: Britain approves Novavax COVID vaccine for 12-17 year-olds
The mRNA vaccines made by Moderna as well as the partnership between Pfizer-BioNTech are also cleared for use by this age group, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
In the 12 through 17 year-old population, the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine has been granted authorization in the U.S., India, the European Union, Australia, Japan, Thailand, and New Zealand, and is actively under review in other markets.
Maryam Nawaz criticized Imran Khan over his remarks ragarding the 'cheap diamond necklace'. Twitter
Vice-President Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz criticised Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, over his remarks regarding "cheap diamond necklaces".
"He doesn't leave even a cheap thing," she said while retweeting a post from a journalist, who tagged a video of Imran Khan.
In the video, Imran Khan can be heard interacting with journalists as he walks to his vehicle. This is after a local court in Islamabad granted his bail application in a terrorism case.
As the journalists followed him, they tossed him a variety of questions. In response to a question, the PTI chief said he is becoming more dangerous every day. Imran also said that he would reveal to whom the message regarding him becoming dangerous was intended.
A journalist asked him if Bushra Bibi had taken a diamond necklace. Khan, in a lighter mood, asked the journalist to talk about something expensive as necklaces are cheap.
In his tweet, PML-N leader Pervaiz Rasheed also slammed Imran Khan over his necklace remarks. "Diamonds are very cheap. Talk about some expensive thing," he quoted Imran Khan as saying.
On September 1, the anti-terrorism court extended the interim bail of Imran Khan till September 12 in the terrorism case about his controversial remarks regarding the female sessions court judge Zeba Chaudhry and the capital city police.
The court directed the ex-prime minister to submit Rs100,000 as surety against the bail.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif addressing the party's National Assembly and Provincial Assembly members in Islamabad on September 1, 2022. — YouTube screengrab/Hum News Live
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif Thursday announced that the households consuming electricity up to 300 units will be exempt from fuel charges adjustment (FCA).
His comments came during a meeting with PML-N's National Assembly and Provincial Assembly members in the federal capital.
Taking a dig at the former government, the premier said that it destroyed the economy by reducing the prices of petroleum products through subsidies.
Earlier, the federal government announced that only households that consume electricity up to 200 units will be exempt from FCA.
PM Shahbaz said that 75% of the consumers have been exempted from the FCA, adding that it was increased in March due to a hike in fuel prices.
"The incumbent government represents all the political parties of Pakistan," said the prime minister.
Talking about the previous government, the premier said that it allowed the export of sugar so it could earn dollars and also subsidised it. "By proving subsidies worth billions of rupee, the previous [PTI-led] government has embezzled hard-earned money of the Pakistanis," he added.
He continued to berate the Imran Khan-led government and said that it exported wheat first and then imported it at higher prices, adding that the former government did not buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) when it was being sold at cheaper rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prime minister said that the current government had to buy fuel at higher rates because of the Russia-Ukraine war, however, "we provided the consumers with electricity at lower rates."
Shedding a light on the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) deal, PM Shahbaz said that the current government did not make any commitments with the fund. "IMF told us to fulfil the conditions of the previous governments," he added.
The premier said that it was one of the conditions of the IMF that the provinces write a letter to the federal government, assuring them of a budget surplus during the fiscal year.
He said that this should be the last IMF programme if the nation wants to stand on its own feet. "We still fear that the agreement with IMF may break," added PM Shahbaz.
A representational image of flood-affected women standing in a queue looking for aid. — AFP/File
LAHORE: As aid organisations mobilise to provide relief for victims of Pakistan's catastrophic floods, one group of women is focused on a necessity that is frequently taboo in the conservative Islamic nation — menstrual hygiene products.
Over 30 million people have been affected by floods that cover a third of the country following record monsoon rains, with hundreds of thousands made homeless.
Half of the victims are women and girls.
"Periods do not stop during floods. Women need this assistance," said Bushra Mahnoor, a university student in eastern Lahore who founded the Mahwari Justice campaign to provide help.
Mahnoor recalled her experience with floods that hit Pakistan in 2010 when she saw a young girl with period stains on her clothes.
She learned that women "were using leaves" to manage their periods, so decided to take action.
Since June, Mahnoor and colleague Anum Khalid have mobilised friends and volunteers to raise money to buy, pack and distribute emergency sanitary kits containing pads, underwear and soap.
Each kit costs just 200 rupees ($0.90) but can make an enormous difference for women trying to retain their dignity in desperate times.
Calls to the manufacturers of period products went unanswered, so Mahnoor haggles with wholesalers in Lahore's bazaars to get the lowest possible rates for the kits.
Mahwari — which means "period" in Urdu — has already sent thousands of kits to some of the worst-hit areas, but their reach is set to get even bigger.
Dozens of volunteers
After a social media appeal, dozens of girls and women volunteered to help pack the kits.
"I put myself in their place and thought this would have been such a huge problem for me if I didn't have these things," said volunteer Nyle Imtiaz, describing her motivation.
Similar meet-ups are happening in other cities — including Multan, where the transgender community has taken the lead in the local effort.
Mahnoor says she met resistance when she first spoke to men about the kind of specialised help she wanted her group to provide and asked for help in distribution.
"Menstruation is a big taboo in Pakistan and it was not easy," she said.
Much of Pakistani society operates under a strict code of honour and speaking openly about women's issues such as menstruation and sexual health is rare.
The reach of the floods includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — the most conservative part of Pakistan, where women are rarely seen in public and often wear the all-covering burqa or shawls.
For many flood victims who have fled their homes for makeshift camps, women are mixing with men who are not their relatives for the first time. The camps have no showers and only a few shared toilets.
Public conversations and campaigns invoking menstruation often provoke disgust and draw public anger.
On social media, the campaign has been accused of pursuing a "liberal agenda", taking away funds from more worthwhile causes such as food and medicine.
"I don't understand what is there to hide, and what's there to be ashamed of," said Nimra Akram, another Lahore volunteer.
"It would be more shameful in my opinion to see a girl who has her period and doesn't have this kit."
Mahnoor said even her own family has tried to stop her from being so public.
"My mother tells me I'm being such a shameless woman for even talking about menstruation so openly," she said.
SARGODHA: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan will address a public gathering in Sargodha, Punjab, today (Wednesday), ARY News reported.
According to details, the former premier will address a public gathering in the Sports Stadium in Sargodha. Preparations for the public meeting have been finalised and a large stage has been set up for Imran Khan and other party leaders.
Boards and banners have been installed in Sargodha to welcome Imran Khan upon his arrival in Sargodha. Later in the day, the former premier will also address the lawyers of the District Bar at the Circuit House.
Read more: Won’t bow down to any pressure: Imran Khan
The police and the district administration has been put on high alert, while a traffic plan has been issued to ensure smooth flow of the traffic.
Moreover, Imran Khan will visit Sindh province on September 05 as the province remains most affected by the recent floods that devastated the entire country.
Head of PTI Sindh Ali Zaidi, announcing the visit, said that Khan would arrive in Sukkur on September 05.
More than two million acres of agricultural land have been flooded and government is close to a deal to import vegetables and other edible goods from Iran and Afghanistan, officials say.
This aerial photograph taken on August 31, 2022 shows a flooded residential area after heavy monsoon rains in Shikarpur, Sindh province.
(AFP)
Vegetable and fruit
prices have soared in markets across Pakistan as devastating
rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies, an early sign of how the
worst floods in decades are creating food shortages at a time of
financial crisis.
In the eastern city of Lahore, close to the border with
India and far from the worst floods in Sindh province, prices of
some vegetables have tripled.
"Last week, I sold onions for 90 rupees a kg and today the
government price is 300 per kg," said vegetable seller Ahmad
Ali. The Pakistani government sets prices for some fresh
produce, although traders often ignore the guidelines.
Tomatoes and onions are among the most common ingredients in
Pakistani cooking, and tens of thousands of tonnes of each are
consumed each month.
"The supply of vegetables and fruit to Lahore is getting
lower day by day because of the flood, rains and destruction to
roads," said Malik Salim Awan, a supplier at Lahore's fruit and
vegetable market.
"Before the current scenario, we were receiving over 100
trucks (of fresh produce) daily. Now, we receive 10 to 15 trucks
only," Awan said.
Pakistan's 220 million people are already facing rampant inflation, with consumer prices up 24.9 percent year-on-year in July. The economy is in turmoil, with fast-depleting foreign reserves and a record depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar.
That leaves the country particularly vulnerable as it counts the cost of extreme monsoon rains through August that have killed more than 1,100 people.
Damage to homes and infrastructure will run into billions of dollars, while losses in the key farming sector have yet to be fully assessed.
Officials say that more than two million acres of agricultural land have been flooded, destroying most standing crops and preventing farmers from sowing new ones.
'Rice crop has been washed away'
Hundreds of kilometres from Lahore, people must
clear up flooded homes at the same time as worry about where the
next meal will come from.
"Tomatoes were 60 rupees a kg, and now they are more than
200 ... even the price of flour is double now," said Sain Bukash
Husain, 20, whose home in the village of Garhi Yasin in the
southern province of Sindh has been badly damaged.
"What can we do?"
Sindh, with a population of 50 million, has been hardest
hit, with 697 mm of rain thus far in the monsoon period, or 466 percent above the 30-year monsoon average. Pakistan as a whole has seen
nearly 190 percent more rain than the 30-year average.
In Dera Ismail Khan, in central Pakistan along the Indus
River, warehouses storing vegetables are already emptying out.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is
scrambling to secure supplies.
"The rice crop has been washed away," Sharif told reporters
after visiting northern Pakistan. "Fruit and vegetables are
gone." He said flood waters had swept away 700,000 livestock.
Pakistan's agrarian sector powers the economy and feeds the
people, accounting for more than a fifth of the country's
output, employing up to 40 percent of the workforce and producing goods
worth around $80 billion annually.
Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar said on Wednesday that the
government was close to an agreement to import vegetables and
other edible goods from Iran and Afghanistan, and an urgent
request had gone to the cabinet to approve it.
"Prices are up already. If you go to buy onions you wouldn't
get it. If you go to buy tomatoes you will get it at a much
higher price," Qamar told a news conference, citing the fallout
of the floods.
Source: Reuters
Talal Chaudhry says ex-CJP Saqib Nisar told him to give a statement against Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz.
Says Imran is a habitual criminal.
Says the favouritism towards Imran should end now.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Talal Chaudhry levelled a number of allegations against the former chief justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar, saying the former CJP had asked him to give a statement against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and party's vice-president Maryam Nawaz.
"Saqib Nisar indirectly called upon me to issue a statement against Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam," said Chaudhry while speaking in the Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath" on Wednesday.
"I am not accusing him [ex-CJP Nisar]. I am just stating the facts." Talal said the judiciary should review all the sentences given by Saqib Nisar.
The PML-N leader pulled Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan to pieces, saying Khan is a habitual criminal. "If I was given a chance to answer again, I would probably get relief. But, I was denied any such chance," he said.
Commenting on the contempt of court case against Imran Khan, Talal said the PTI leaders present the justification for Imran's crimes by saying that he is very popular among the masses.
"I and [another PML-N leader and former privatisation minister] Daniyal Aziz were not warned. Instead, an indictment was filed against us. We kept trying to clean ourselves up in our cases, but the court did not listen," he said.
He said he submitted apologies to the court multiple times.
Imran Khan had already received a warning in contempt of court case in 2013, Chaudhry said, adding this favouritism should end. He [Imran] still today is challenging the court's jurisdiction but the court is giving him another chance, said Talal.
"It seems that Imran is untouchable and we're unacceptable," he added.
Imran avoids apology
In a response submitted on August 30 to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) over a show-cause notice, Imran Khan did not apologise for threatening the additional sessions judge of Islamabad, Zeba Chaudhry. He, however, offered to withdraw his remarks “if they were inappropriate.”
The high court had issued him a notice in the terrorism case registered against him for threatening the judge.
"As someone who believes in rule of law and a strong independent justice system, the respondent does not believe in hurting the feelings of honourable judges.
"The respondent submits with humility that if words he uttered is regarded as inappropriate, he is willing to take them back," he said, urging the court to evaluate the speech within the context it was made.
Court dissatisfied with Imran's reply
On August 31, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed Imran to resubmit a "well-considered" response within the next seven days in the contempt of court case against him for threatening a female judge.
A five-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, and Justice Babar Sattar heard the case.
The IHC CJ, during the hearing, said he was "disappointed" by the response of Khan in the case. He asked him to review his response and submit it once more.
Without asking Khan to come to the rostrum, the court adjourned the hearing and ordered that the response can be submitted through the PTI chairman's counsel.
Swaths of the country are now underwater, after what United Nation officials have described as a "monsoon on steroids" brought the heaviest rainfall in living memory and flooding that has killed 1,162 people, injured 3,554 and affected 33 million since mid-June.
The new images, taken on August 28 from NASA's MODIS satellite sensor, show how a combination of heavy rain and an overflowing Indus River have inundated much of Sindh province in the South.
In the center of the picture, a large area of dark blue shows the Indus overflowing and flooding an area around 100 kilometers (62 miles) wide, turning what were once agricultural fields into a giant inland lake.
It's a shocking transformation from the photo taken by the same satellite on the same date last year, which shows the river and its tributaries contained in what appear by comparison to be small, narrow bands, highlighting the extent of the damage in one of the country's hardest-hit areas.
This year's monsoon is already the country's wettest since records began in 1961, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and the season still has one month to go.
In both Sindh and Balochistan provinces, rainfall has been 500% above average, engulfing entire villages and farmland, razing buildings and wiping out crops.
While mostly dry weather is expected in the region in coming days, experts say the water will take days to recede.
Pakistan's climate change minister Sherry Rehman said Sunday that parts of the country "resemble a small ocean," and that "by the time this is over, we could well have one-quarter or one-third of Pakistan under water."
'Flood of apocalyptic proportions'
In a interview with CNN Tuesday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he had visited Sindh and seen first-hand how the flooding had displaced entire villages and towns.
"There is barely any dry land that we can find. The scale of this tragedy ... 33 million people, that's more than the population of Sri Lanka or Australia," he said.
"And while we understand that the new reality of climate change means more extreme weather, or monsoons, more extreme heat waves like we saw earlier this year, the scale of the current flood is of apocalyptic proportions. We certainly hope it's not a new climate reality."
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies from other areas of the country show how entire villages and hundreds of plots of verdant land have been razed by the rapidly moving floods.
Images from Gudpur, a locality in Punjab, show how the floods have damaged homes, and replaced land with snaking trails of of bare Earth.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday to inspect its flood damage.
The province has logged most of the latest deaths after water levels rose exponentially, said the country's National Disaster Management Authority.
Sharif said Tuesday the flooding was the "worst in Pakistan's history" and international assistance was needed to deal with the scale of the devastation.
A fuel station worker refills a car's petrol tank. — AFP/File
The government has increased prices of petroleum products in the country after which the new price of petrol will be Rs235.98 per litre, said a statement issued by the Finance Division early Thursday.
After revised petroleum products prices, Rs2.07 per litre has been increased in the price of petrol.
As per notification, Rs2.99 has also been increased in the price of high-speed diesel, after which the new price will be Rs247.43 per litre. The price of light diesel oil will be 201.54 per litre after an increase of Rs 9.79 per litre.
According to the notification issued by the Finance Division, the new price of kerosene oil has been fixed at Rs210.32 per litre after an increase of Rs10.92 per litre.
The new prices will be effective from September 1, the notification added.
Workers repair a suspended cradle damaged by flash floods on the banks of river Swat after heavy rains in Bahrain town of Swat valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 31, 2022. — AFP
BAHRAIN: Bahrain is a town in ruins — reduced to rubble by the incredible force of flash floods that swelled the river running through it, severing a lifeline bridge.
Hundreds of settlements in Pakistan's north have been cut off by monsoon rains that came to a head last week, causing the worst floods in the country's history.
But in the past few days, the heavily damaged road heading through the Swat Valley has slowly opened up, revealing the extent of the destruction.
In Bahrain, hotels have disappeared, the town's mosque is a bare shell, and waist-high water still gushes through the main bazaar.
"It was a heavenly place but now it is a wreckage," Muhammad Asif, a 22-year-old college student, told AFP on Wednesday.
"In the past week, everything has changed dramatically. The river added to the beauty, but now it is a threat."
The town usually bustles with more than a thousand summer tourists every day, drawn by majestic mountain views from hotels and restaurants perched on the riverbank.
It will likely take years for them to return, and with tourists gone, the fear of economic ruin is also setting in.
"My hotel is still partly under water," said Muhammad Nawaz, whose 40 employees at his various establishments are now jobless.
"I am pulling sand out of my restaurant and searching for furniture in the ruins."
The road north ends at the edge of the Swat River, where the bridge that once connected the two halves of the town is now a mass of debris.
Rickety wooden planks stand in its place, crossed by men carrying sacks of rice, flour and sugar to their villages — hours away by foot.
Further north, their valleys remain cut off.
Desperate for help
What was once a 20-minute journey by motorbike for Karim Farman is now close to a four-hour walk over crumbling roads.
No help has reached his flooded village of Balakot yet.
"We are desperate for any sort of assistance. We are in dire need of medicine, it is very tough to bring patients here," said Muhammad Amir, who is from the same village.
Flood-affected people stand in a queue as they wait to receive food packets at Bahrain town of Swat valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 31, 2022. — AFP
"There has been no electricity in our village for nearly a week, people don't even have a candle for light. Several people are sick with diarrhoea."
Bahrain's destruction unfolded late last Thursday night.
Many locals reported not receiving any warnings, but as the river rapidly rose tourists began to evacuate from hotels.
Like in many riverside villages and towns, locals believed only the homes on the banks were vulnerable.
But just hours later the full scale of the water's rage became clear.
"In a few minutes the water suddenly encircled my shop from every side," said Aftab Khan.
"I couldn't take anything with me because I had to save my life."
The army arrived on Wednesday, local residents said, to oversee the chaos of diggers clearing rubble and to manage the flow of foot traffic across the river.
Helicopters fly overhead, dropping food packages to the stranded valleys.
A district government official who asked not to be named told AFP it could be months before the road and bridge are repaired.
"Before, this place was like a paradise but now even locals want to escape," said restaurant owner Sheer Bahadur.
SIALKOT: An international airline flight narrowly escaped a major accident at the Sialkot International Airport, ARY News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
According to details, a flight en route to Sialkot from Dubai escaped an accident and entered the shoulder area from the runway.
Sources told ARY News that the Boeing 777 entered airport’s shoulder area and destroyed two runway lights. A major accident could have occurred due to captain’s negligence, they added.
Meanwhile, sources added that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sent the back the aircraft without grounding it. After landing in shoulder area, aircraft’s full inspection and alcohol test of the captain is necessary, sources added.
The CAA neither inspected the plane nor conducted a medical test of the captain. However, Aircraft Accident Investigation Board has taken notice of the incident and launched an investigation.
