ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal and provincial authorities have completed arrangements under dengue action plans to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne disease and keep people safe during the monsoon season starting next week, officials confirmed on Saturday.
There is currently no cure or vaccine for dengue fever, which can lead to death in its most severe form. Dengue fever often results in intense flu-like symptoms, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, full-body aches, high fever, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands and rashes.
Dengue fever is endemic to Pakistan, which experiences year-round transmission with seasonal peaks. This year’s first dengue-related death was reported on June 3 in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered the relevant authorities to “strictly” implement the dengue prevention standard operating procedures after about nine cases were reported in Pakistan’s capital.
“The anti-dengue plan formulated should be implemented diligently,” he was quoted in a statement as telling the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Islamabad chief commissioner earlier today. “Ensure rapid drainage of rainwater from low-lying areas.”
The CDA chairman informed Naqvi an anti-dengue working group had been established in Islamabad’s peripheries along with neighboring Rawalpindi, adding the administrations of the two cities would work “as a team” to ensure the prevention of the disease.
“The federal health ministry along with the Capital Development Authority and district administration have already started implementing preventive measures in Islamabad and its surrounding areas,” Ahmed Shah, a health ministry spokesperson, told Arab News.
He said teams were working in the field, and awareness campaigns were prepared to sensitize the public about the issue.
Similar measures have been taken by authorities in the four provinces of the country.
STEPS TAKEN BY PROVINCES
Dr. Somia Iqtadar, Secretary General Dengue Expert Advisory Group of Punjab, said the provincial dengue control program had started working on disposing of water storage places, conducting house-to-house visits, early larvaE detection, and giving special attention to hotspots such as junkyards, construction sites and graveyards.
“These areas have been categorized into high-risk and low-risk zones,” she told Arab News.
“If a case is reported in a hospital, a surveillance system ensures teams check 12 houses on each side of the affected person’s residence to identify additional cases and prevent further spread by isolating affected individuals,” she said, adding that all districts were following the same protocol and were instructed to complete their preparations under the district health officers and district administrations.
“The Punjab Information Technology Board has prepared a dashboard, where every case from the province is reported and weekly analyzes are conducted to develop future strategies,” she added.
Dr. Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, deputy director general vector-borne diseases of the Sindh government, said 2,880 public and private hospitals were prepared to handle influx of dengue patients in the province.
“So far, only one death of a 75-year-old has occurred who had already multiple health issues,” he told Arab News.
Shah added all districts and municipal administrations had been instructed to remove open water storage and display banners in public places to sensitize people.
Additionally, he said around 550 students were educated about the subject before summer vacation to help prevent the spread of dengue in their households.
“A plan for mass spraying in hotspots across different districts, headed by deputy commissioners, has also been prepared,” he added.
Discussing the measures taken by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial health ministry spokesperson, Attaullah Khan, said the authorities had held extensive trainings for the purpose.
“The dengue action program, approved in March, included training across all provincial districts, removing open water storage in public places, chemical and mechanical sweeping and indoor residual spraying (IRS),” Attaullah Khan, a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) health ministry spokesperson, told Arab News.
To prevent the spread of the disease, he said a multi-sectoral approach had been adopted, focusing on timely disposal of dengue larvae and enhancing public health services.
“The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System will monitor the outbreak, and a Dengue Control Room will be established under the Directorate General Health Services,” he said, adding that District Rapid Response Teams had been trained, communities sensitized and awareness materials prepared.
“All district headquarters hospitals have been instructed to prepare separate dengue wards to handle any patient influx,” he added.
Dr. Fahim Afridi, additional director general of health in Balochistan, said the provincial administration had prepared its dengue action plan with the help of all stakeholders, including municipal committees, livestock department and district administrations.
He said authorities were working on a multipronged strategy, and implementation was underway.
“Our districts of Kech, Gwadar and Lasbella are dengue-prone areas, and we have conducted interventions in all of these places,” he told Arab News.
“Our teams have carried out door-to-door campaigns, taken water samples and eliminated larvae wherever they were found,” he said, adding the health ministry had also provided nets to the district administration for distribution among people.
An advisory published by Pakistan’s National Institute of Health last year said a total of 52,929 cases and 224 deaths from dengue were reported in the country in 2021, while there were approximately 79,007 confirmed cases of dengue with 149 deaths in 2022, with the surge in cases following unprecedented flooding that began in mid-June 2022. In 2023, Pakistan reported 3,019 suspected cases and 8 deaths from dengue.
The virus has been surging worldwide, helped by climate change. In barely six months, countries in North and South America have already broken calendar-year records for dengue cases.
The World Health Organization declared an emergency in December, and Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency in March.
Dengue remains less common in the continental United States, but in the 50 states so far this year there have been three times more cases than at the same point last year.
Pakistan ramps up dengue prevention efforts ahead of monsoon season
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Pakistan ramps up dengue prevention efforts ahead of monsoon season

- First dengue-related death was reported in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province in the first week of June
- Authorities are trying to control the disease by ensuring rapid rainwater drainage from low-lying areas
Pakistan confers award on CENTCOM chief for promoting Islamabad-Washington military ties

- President Asif Ali Zardari confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) award on General Michael E. Kurilla
- Pakistan credits General Kurilla for deepening counterterrorism cooperation between two countries
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari this week conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) award on United States Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Michael E. Kurilla for promoting military cooperation between the two states, state-run media said.
Kurilla arrived in Pakistan to attend a rare regional defense conference on Saturday in which officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also took part.
Zardari conferred the award on General Kurilla during a formal investiture ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported, acknowledging his “outstanding contributions” to regional security and his dedicated efforts in strengthening strategic defense ties between the two countries.
“The award has been given in recognition of his exemplary service and pivotal role in advancing enduring military cooperation between Pakistan and the US,” Radio Pakistan said.
The state media credited Kurilla’s leadership for fostering mutual understanding, enhancing defense collaboration and deepening counterterrorism cooperation between Pakistan’s armed forces and CENTCOM.
Radio Pakistan said during his visit, Kurilla held detailed meetings with senior Pakistani civil and military leadership,which included Zardari and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
“Discussions encompassed regional security, military-to-military engagement, and joint efforts to combat terrorism and emerging transnational threats,” the statement said.
Pakistan has recently sought a diplomatic reset with Washington after years of estrangement between the two countries, particularly during the Afghan war, where diverging perspectives deepened mistrust.
High-level bilateral exchanges gradually faded as the US withdrew from Afghanistan. However, Islamabad has undertaken efforts in recent months to grow closer to the US administration, with Pakistan even nominating President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for brokering a ceasefire between Islamabad and New Delhi on May 10.
Monsoon floods hitting key crops, says farmers’ body, amid risk to Pakistan’s growth target

- Cotton arrivals fall 33 percent as rains hit production, according to the country’s ginners’ association
- Pakistan’s Met department forecasts more monsoon rains in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
KARACHI: Deadly monsoon floods are devastating Pakistan’s standing crops, with cotton the worst hit, a leading farmers’ representative warned on Saturday, raising concerns about a potential setback to the government’s ambitious 4.2 percent growth target this fiscal year.
Over 270 people, mostly children, have died and hundreds more have been injured since June 26 as intense monsoon rains battered Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Around 1,200 houses, 12 bridges and 18 kilometers of road have also been damaged, along with more than 360 livestock killed.
“Cotton is the worst-hit crop, besides rice, maize and mango orchards,” Khalid Mehmood Khokhar, president of the Kissan Ittehad Council (KIC), told Arab News. “While most of the rice has already been sown, floods have disrupted the remaining cultivation.”
Agriculture contributes nearly 23 percent to Pakistan’s GDP and underpins key export sectors. Cotton, in particular, is a vital raw material for Pakistan’s textiles, which fetched $18 billion in exports last fiscal year. Pakistan also exported $3.4 billion worth of rice and $308 million in fruits, including mangoes.
The government aims to produce 10.1 million bales of cotton across Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan in the ongoing financial year. But progress has been uneven.
In Sindh, the biggest cotton-producing province, only 65 percent of the sowing target has been met. Punjab, the second-largest grower, has achieved 90 percent of its target.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector grew just 0.6 percent during the last fiscal year, dragging overall GDP growth down to 2.7 percent.
Economists warn the impact of the floods could again weigh heavily on national output.
“These floods will definitely impact Pakistan’s growth target this year,” Sana Tawfik, head of research at Arif Habib Limited, said. “This is a serious concern.”
She projects GDP growth to be closer to 3.4 percent this year.
“Agriculture may once again be a major drag,” she added.
Khalid Abdullah, Pakistan’s former cotton commissioner, said rainfall was already affecting crop quality.
“Rains and cloudy weather have been consistent in some areas,” he said. “This not only increases weeds but also flares up fungus attacks. If this weather continues, the cotton seed may start germinating inside the boll, which would mean the crop is gone.”
As of July 15, cotton arrivals were down 33 percent year-on-year, according to Pakistan Cotton Ginners’ Association data, with only 297,751 bales entering markets nationwide.
The government has still not shared estimated economic damages from the ongoing monsoon season, though they may run into billions of dollars once again.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. According to the Economic Survey 2024–25, it has suffered 224 extreme natural disasters, 109 of them floods, since 1980, in which more than 100 million people were affected, causing $36.4 billion in economic losses.
Three years ago, Pakistan experienced heavy monsoon rains that killed about 1,700 people and caused widespread destruction of houses, farms and public infrastructure.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast further rainfall in parts of Punjab and KP over the coming days, as the monsoon season continues in the country.
Glacial floods alert issued for northwest Pakistan with more heavy rain forecast

- Pakistan is seeing above-normal monsoon rains, raising fears of a repeat of the 2022 floods
- Despite low emissions, the country remains among the most climate-vulnerable nations
PESHAWAR: Pakistan on Saturday warned of glacial flooding in the northwest with more rain forecast for the area in the coming week.
Downpours are heavier in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province than the same period last year, prompting weather adviseries and alerts for flooding from glacial lake outbursts, said Anwar Shahzad, a spokesperson for the local disaster management authority.
A letter from the authority sent out mid-July said “persistent high temperatures may accelerate snow and glacier melt and subsequent weather events” in vulnerable parts of the region.
Dr. Abdul Samad, from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department, said rescue teams evacuated more than 500 holidaymakers from Naran after a cloudburst overnight Friday caused a road closure. Authorities deployed heavy machinery to remove debris and restore access.
In the neighboring Gilgit-Baltistan region, the government said it had distributed hundreds of tents, thousands of food packets, and medicine to flood-affected communities.
Spokesperson Faizullah Firaq said Saturday there was “severe destruction” in some areas and damage to houses, infrastructure, crops, and businesses.
Search operations were underway to find missing people on the Babusar Highway, where flooding struck nine villages. Helicopters rescued tourists stuck in the popular spot of Fairy Meadows, he added.
Pakistan has received above-normal rainfall this monsoon season, raising concerns of a repeat of the devastating 2022 floods that submerged a third of the country and killed 1,737 people. Some 260 have died across Pakistan so far this season, which runs through to mid-September.
Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, but one of the lowest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Pakistan PM pledges sustained diplomatic push to end Gaza aid blockade

- Israel’s blockade has drastically restricted access of food, water and medical supplies
- UN, aid groups warn of mass starvation and malnutrition, especially among children
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday vowed to continue diplomatic efforts to challenge Israel’s aid and humanitarian blockade in Gaza, as he spoke by phone with Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, which has been actively supporting deliveries of basic necessities to Palestinians.
In recent weeks, Gaza has faced a worsening humanitarian crisis, as Israel’s blockade, imposed since the beginning of March, has drastically restricted access of food, water and medical supplies.
The United Nations and aid groups have warned of mass starvation and malnutrition, especially among children, with only a few aid trucks allowed to enter Gaza, which is home to about two million inhabitants.
“Pakistan will continue vigorous diplomatic efforts to end Israel’s suspension of aid to Gaza and restore delivery of food and essential supplies to starving Palestinian brothers and sisters,” Sharif said, as per a statement shared by his office.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral and diplomatic support for the people of Palestine, commending JI and its charitable arm, Al-Khidmat Foundation, for their domestic campaigns to raise and send relief aid to Gaza.
The JI chief urged Sharif to lobby the international community to help facilitate a ceasefire and humanitarian corridor into Gaza, saying that Palestinians and the entire Muslim world look to Pakistan for leadership.
US, Central Asian defense chiefs join Pakistan for rare regional security talks in Islamabad

- Pakistan’s army chief calls for military-to-military cooperation, strategic dialogue amid hybrid and transnational threats
- The participants expressed commitment to upholding peace and confronting challenges like militancy, cyber insecurity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hosted a rare regional defense conference on Saturday, with officials from the United States joining their counterparts from four Central Asian republics to discuss enhanced military cooperation and counterterrorism coordination in the neighborhood.
The US maintained a significant military presence in the region through Afghanistan until the withdrawal of international forces in August 2021. The conference in Islamabad marked the first multilateral defense engagement of its kind hosted by Pakistan amid a gradual thaw in relations between Islamabad and Washington, with participation from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Many of the participating Central Asian states share borders with or lie close to Afghanistan and remain exposed to the spillover effects of militant violence, narcotics trafficking and regional instability.
Pakistan, which shares a porous frontier with Afghanistan, has repeatedly called for deeper security cooperation to confront shared threats in the aftermath of the Afghan conflict.
“In an era defined by transnational threats and complex hybrid challenges, the imperative for deeper military-to-military cooperation, strategic dialogue and mutual trust is paramount,” Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said during his opening address, according to a statement released by the military’s media wing.
“Pakistan remains fully committed to working with partner nations to build a secure and prosperous regional environment,” he added.
Earlier, the army chief welcomed the participants of the Regional Chiefs of Defense Staff Conference, held under the theme “Strengthening Bonds, Securing Peace.”
The event focused on strengthening regional security partnerships, expanding joint training efforts and improving crisis response mechanisms.
Delegates also discussed the strategic landscape in South and Central Asia, with emphasis on evolving threats, sovereignty concerns and military diplomacy.
The official statement said the participants reaffirmed their commitment to upholding peace, respecting national sovereignty and confronting common challenges including militant violence and cyber insecurity.
Delegates praised Pakistan’s role in convening the meeting and commended its leadership, hospitality and efforts to promote regional defense diplomacy.