ISLAMABAD: The provincial administration of Punjab expressed interest in leveraging American expertise and technology to address environmental issues on Friday as pollution levels in the eastern city of Lahore has hit dangerous highs in recent weeks.
The idea of collaborating with the United States over the issue came up for discussion during a meeting between Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) amid Lahore’s consistent ranking among the world’s most polluted cities.
The Punjab administration has decided to tackle the issue head-on, rolling out several initiatives aimed at reducing the city’s hazardous smog such as implementing mandatory face masks, suspending outdoor school activities and a ban on fireworks for about three months.
The Punjab government also introduced “green lockdown” earlier this week to bolster these efforts, limiting pollution-heavy activities in the city’s worst-affected areas, though local media reports say the enforcement of these measures remains inconsistent.
The issue of air quality in Lahore was one of the focal points during Sharif’s meeting with the USAID officials at her office, according to a statement from the provincial government.
“During the discussion, matters of mutual interest, strengthening US-Pakistan relations and enhancing cooperation in various fields were addressed,” the statement said.
“Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed Pakistan’s intent to benefit from the US expertise in green energy and advanced technology to combat climate change and environmental pollution,” it added.
Both sides also agreed to deepen collaboration in other areas, including trade, renewable energy, women’s economic empowerment, health care and education.
Sharif highlighted her government’s initiatives for women’s safety, such as the “panic button” and virtual police stations.
She noted that modern internships are being provided to nurture a skilled workforce within the province.
The chief minister emphasized that Pakistan, particularly under the present government, has made strides toward becoming safer and more peaceful, setting new benchmarks in governance and transparency.
She praised the country’s achievements in combating extremism and militancy, stressing the importance of further enhancing collaboration between Washington and Islamabad in the area.
The discussion also included opportunities to boost investment to meet future demands of the two countries and strengthen connections between their people.
Pakistan’s Punjab seeks US expertise to combat Lahore’s growing smog crisis
https://arab.news/w5myq
Pakistan’s Punjab seeks US expertise to combat Lahore’s growing smog crisis
- Maryam Nawaz Sharif discusses the issue with USAID officials, urges bilateral cooperation
- Punjab CM also seeks collaboration in trade, renewable energy, health care and education
Seven killed, six injured as landslide strikes volunteers restoring water channel in northern Pakistan
- Thirteen volunteers were working to restore water channel from Danyor nullah to Danyor town in Gilgit district, says rescue official
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expresses sorrow over loss of lives, directs best medical treatment for those injured in the incident
KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: At least seven people were killed while six others were injured in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region when a massive landslide struck local volunteers restoring a water channel for their town, rescue and police officials confirmed on Monday.
The incident took place late Sunday night when 13 local volunteers were attempting to restore the water supply in the main water channel from Danyor nullah to Danyor town in Gilgit district. The water channel had been damaged due to the floods in the area triggered by heavy rains in July, according to Gilgit Station House Officer Imtiaz Hussain.
“During late night, the mudslide hit them,” Engineer Tahir Shah, Gilgit district’s rescue officer for Rescue 1122 emergency service, told Arab News. “Thirteen people were buried under the debris initially. Resultantly, seven people were killed and six others were injured,” he added.
Hussain said the bodies were recovered and shifted to a nearby hospital, adding that the injured were in stable condition.
Locals said the water channel was damaged last month, when torrential rains struck the region and triggered flash floods in several parts of northern territory.
“The water supply for both drinking and irrigation was disconnected on July 22 as a flood damaged the water channel,” Tanveer Abbas, a resident of Danyor town, told Arab News over the phone.
He said the flood damaged four water channels out of which two were restored temporarily.
“The third one was [being] restored when the [landslide] incident occurred, “Abbas told Arab News. “The whole village is in deep sorrow after the incident. Funeral prayers were offered and all seven have been buried.”
GB Chief Minister Hajji Gulbar Khan expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.
“The families of those who died in the incident will receive compensation as per the government policy,” Khan said in a statement. He also directed health officials to provide full medical facilities to the injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow in a statement, urging authorities to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured.
“We pay tribute to the volunteers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of humanity,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 305 people in Pakistan and injured 734 people since June 26. Deadly floods swept the popular tourist route Babusar on July 21, triggering landslides and damaging infrastructure.
GB has reported 12 deaths in total since June 26 and six injured, according to data provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). A dozen tourists have been reported missing in the region due to flash floods last month.
Pakistan, which produces less than 1 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases, has suffered disproportionately from extreme weather patterns over the past couple of years.
In 2022, torrential monsoon rains killed more than 1,700 people and caused damages over $30 billion to the nation.
Pakistan suspends train services after railway bombing in insurgency-hit Balochistan
- Separatist BLA claimed responsibility for bombing railway track in Mastung district on Sunday
- Railway attack took place as Pakistan prepares to mark its Independence Day on August 14
QUETTA, Pakistan: Pakistan’s railways on Monday suspended all train services to and from an insurgency-hit southwestern province for four days after separatists blew up a railway track, derailing six cars of a passenger train, officials said.
No one was harmed in the attack Sunday in Mastung, a district in Balochistan, said railways spokesman Ikram Ullah. Engineers were repairing the damaged track, he said.
The Jaffer Express was traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital, to the northern city of Peshawar when assailants targeted it with a bomb, Ullah said.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army, in a statement, claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes months after BLA fighters hijacked a train in the same district, killing 21 hostages before security forces were able to kill 33 assailants.
The attack came as Pakistan prepares to mark its 79th Independence Day on Aug. 14.
Balochistan has long been the scene of insurgency by separatists seeking independence from the central government. The province is also home to militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban.
Nearly half of Pakistani businessmen confident in country’s direction — Gallup
- Survey of 524 firms shows optimism at highest since 2021 as political and economic uncertainty eases, inflation and energy costs remain top concerns
- Net confidence score rises sharply from last year’s deep pessimism amid signs of economic stabilization, but businesses warn reforms must continue
KARACHI: Nearly half of Pakistani businessmen believe the country is moving in the right direction, a Gallup Pakistan survey published on Monday showed, with sentiment climbing to its highest level since late 2021 amid signs of political and economic stabilization.
The “direction of country” score — the percentage of respondents who think Pakistan is on the right track minus those who think it is headed the wrong way — rose 62 points in the second quarter of 2025 to –2 percent from –64 percent a year earlier, according to the Gallup survey, whose results are based on interviews with 524 businesses in the manufacturing, services and trade sectors conducted between July 23 and 27.
The improvement comes after Pakistan secured a $7 billion IMF bailout in September 2024 to avert a sovereign default and began implementing fiscal and structural reforms aimed at stabilizing its crisis-hit economy.
“46 percent of businessmen rated the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s management of the economy as better than its predecessor, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), compared to just 24 percent a year ago,” the Gallup report said.
“While the score remains marginally negative, it marks the highest level of confidence in national direction since Q4 2021,” it added. “This uptick suggests a moderate easing of political and economic uncertainty from the perspective of the business community.”
Sixty-one percent of surveyed businessmen rated their ongoing operations as “good” or “very good,” up six percentage points from the previous survey wave. The manufacturing sector showed slower signs of recovery than trade and services.
Top concerns were rising prices, high energy costs and taxes. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said controlling inflation should be the government’s highest priority.
Pakistan’s consumer inflation rose to 4.1 percent year-on-year in July, up from 3.2 percent in June, driven by higher food, fuel and medicine prices.
High utility costs were cited by 18 percent of respondents, while 11 percent pointed to taxation.
The survey also recorded a notable decline in reported bribery, with 15 percent admitting to paying a bribe in the past six months, down from 34 percent in Q4 2024. Traders reported the highest bribery rate at 20 percent, followed by 13 percent among service providers and 12 percent among manufacturers.
Gallup Pakistan Executive Director Bilal Ijaz Gilani described the results as reflecting a “cautiously improving mood” among businesses.
“While the shift is incremental, it reflects a growing sense of stabilization among economic actors,” he said. “As always, sustained momentum will depend on continued macroeconomic reforms, policy consistency, and greater institutional responsiveness, especially toward businesses operating outside the formal sector.”
Gilani said the most notable change was improved perceptions of the country’s direction and growing trust in the government’s economic management.
While the survey points to a rebound in business confidence, analysts say Pakistan’s long-term economic trajectory will depend on its ability to sustain reforms, rein in inflation, and ease the cost of doing business in the $375 billion South Asian economy.
Pakistan issues flood alert for River Sutlej over possible water discharge from India
- River Sutlej, one of five rivers flowing through Punjab, runs from Himalayas through India into eastern Pakistan
- Water levels in Indian dams have risen unusually during past week, warns Punjab Disaster Management Authority
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province issued a flood alert for River Sutlej and its adjoining tributaries on Monday over the possibility that India would release water from its dams within the next 72 hours.
River Sutlej is one of the five rivers that flow through Pakistan’s Punjab and runs from the Himalayas through India into eastern Pakistan. The flood alert by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab comes as monsoon rains continue to batter parts of Pakistan, killing 305 people and injuring 734 since June 26. Punjab has reported the highest casualties from rain-related incidents, 164.
In a press release, the PDMA Punjab said there is a risk of low-level flooding at the Ganda Singh village on the banks of River Sutlej over the possibility that India may release water within the next 72 hours.
“Water discharge from upstream reservoirs may increase the flow in River Sutlej,” the PDMA Punjab said. “Water levels in Indian dams have risen unusually during the past week.”
The PDMA Punjab said it has issued alerts to the commissioners of Lahore, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan cities due to the rising water levels in the river. It said alerts have also been sent to the deputy commissioners of Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan cities.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said India’s Bhakra Dam located on River Sutlej has reached 61 percent of its storage capacity while the Pong Dam and Thein Dam have reached 76 percent and 64 percent of their storage capacities, respectively.
PDMA Punjab said it was monitoring the water levels in the river continuously.
“Alerts have been issued to local government, agriculture, irrigation, health, forest, livestock, and transport departments,” Kathia was quoted as saying by the PDMA.
The PDMA director general instructed all departments to stay on high alert, telling them to complete all precautionary arrangements in advance.
“Emergency control room staff should remain on 24-hour alert,” he said. “Rescue 1122 disaster response teams should also remain on high alert.”
He advised the masses to remain updated about the situation, adhere to safety precautions and avoid bathing or swimming in rivers, canals, streams, or ponds.
Pakistan, one of the worst-affected countries due to climate change effects, has experienced erratic weather patterns over the past couple of years. These irregular weather patterns include droughts, torrential rains and heat waves.
Unusually heavy rains in June 2022 triggered flash floods across the country, killing 1,700 and inflicting damages more than $30 billion as per estimates. Weather experts linked the rains and melting of glaciers to climate change.
Pakistan face fifth bowler dilemma ahead of West Indies decider
- Pakistan’s part-time Saim Ayub, Salman Agha dup conceded combined 66 runs in seven wicketless overs
- Pakistan, who won preceding T20 series 2-1, are currently tied with West Indies in three-match ODIs 1-1
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged a dilemma over the fifth bowler and said they would take a late decision on their team combination for Tuesday’s series decider following their defeat in the second one-day international on Sunday.
Pakistan, who won the opening ODI by five wickets, posted a competitive 171-7 in 37 overs in a rain-truncated match but West Indies prevailed by five wickets to draw level in the three-match series.
Pakistan’s part-time duo of Saim Ayub and Salman Agha conceded a combined 66 runs in seven wicketless overs as West Indies cruised home.
“You could say our fifth bowler gave away too many runs but in recent years, Salman Agha and Saim Ayub have both bowled well for us,” Rizwan said after the match.
“Saim didn’t have the best day today, but he performed well in the T20Is. That’s just part of the game.”
Rizwan said they could not read the conditions and several rain delays did not help their cause.
“Honestly, the weather forecast has been completely different from expectations, and it’s hard to read.
“We’re keeping our options open and will finalize the XI after assessing the conditions.”
Pakistan had won the preceding Twenty20 series 2-1.
