Tag: Balochistan

  • Torrential rains predicted in the coming week

    Torrential rains predicted in the coming week

    Torrential rains have been predicted in the country from August 14 to August 18.

    The weather department shared details of the new spell, saying monsoon winds from the West, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal will affect the country. Heavy rains will descend in some places in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir.

    There is a possibility of light rain in the coastal areas of Sindh during the evening or night of August 15 to August 18, according to the meteorological department.

    Additionally, rain continues in various districts of Balochistan, and the Meteorological Department has predicted a new spell of rain with wind and thunder in 16 districts from August 15.

    Meteorologists have also warned of strong winds and thunderstorms in the coastal areas of Khuzdar, Lasbela, Awaran, Kalat, Zhob, Barkhan, Musa Khel, Mastung, Sibi, Shirani, Kohlu, Bolan, Harnai, Nasirabad, Jafarabad and Makran during August 15 to 18. Intermittent rain and heavy rain in some places have been predicted.
    6.6 mm of rain was recorded in Barkhan and Kalat during the last 24 hours.

    Besides this, Monday was the hottest day in Nokundi, with a maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius.

  • Protests end as Baloch Solidarity Committee reaches agreement with government

    Protests end as Baloch Solidarity Committee reaches agreement with government

    The Baloch Solidarity Committee (BSC) has announced the end of their protest after successful negotiations with the government, concluding its sit-in in Gwadar and other cities of Balochistan on the night of August 8.

    The negotiations took place in Gwadar, with the government delegation led by Senior Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmad Bilidi and the BSC represented by Dr. Mah Rang Baloch and Sami Deen Baloch, Dawn newspaper reports.

    The Baloch Solidarity Committee organizer stated that, after ending the sit-in in Gwadar, members would travel to Turbat for a public meeting. The convoy is scheduled to leave for Turbat at 10 a.m., with a public rally planned for noon.

    Commissioner Makran Daud Khalji, Deputy Commissioner Gwadar Hamudur Rehman, SSP Najeeb Pendran, and National Party leader Hussain Ashraf were also present during the talks.

  • Flash floods in KP, Balochistan, Gilgit claim a dozen lives

    Flash floods in KP, Balochistan, Gilgit claim a dozen lives

    Heavy rainfall across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan on Sunday has resulted in at least 12 deaths and 21 injuries over the past 24 hours.

    The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed the 12 fatalities. According to PDMA, six people died in Karak district, and one each in Lower Dir, Charsadda, and South Waziristan districts. In Karak’s Lawaghar Algada area, four individuals were swept away by floods.

    In Tank district, a woman and her two children were killed, and four other family members were injured when their roof collapsed. The deceased have been identified as Asma Bibi, her daughter Sadia Bibi, and her son Waheed Ullah.

    Tank-South Waziristan road is closed due to flood conditions in local streams and nullahs. In Mansehra district, thousands of tourists and locals stranded in Kaghan and Manor valleys for six days could leave on foot after the Frontier Works Organisation constructed a temporary pavement on the Manor stream in Mahandri. Flash floods caused significant damage in the Kaghan and Manor valleys, including the destruction of the central bridge on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road. A woman and her son and approximately two dozen hotels, houses, and electric turbines were washed away in the floods.

    The district administration has advised tourists to avoid Kaghan Valley until conditions improve. An artificial lake formed at Mahandri due to large boulders blocking the Kunhar River flow is causing concerns, and authorities are debating whether to burst it or create spillways.

    In Mohmand district, a bridge on the Aqrab Daag to Shaheed Banda Daman link road near Babi Mohmand has been damaged. This has disrupted traffic between Aqrab Daag and Ekkaghund Bazaar, and authorities have closed the bridge.

    In Balochistan, the National Disaster Management Authority has warned of high to very high levels of flash flooding in several regions, including the Zhob, Kalat, Nasirabad, and Sibbi divisions and local nullahs in D.G. Khan. These floods could damage infrastructure and impact communities near these waterways.
    Northern regions, including the catchment areas of the Kabul River and its tributaries, have received substantial rainfall, potentially causing high flooding in Nowshera and its tributaries. Authorities have been instructed to prepare for the effects of these extreme weather conditions.

    In Gilgit-Baltistan, flooding from the Rahimabad nullah has damaged cultivated land, uprooted trees, and destroyed water supply channels downstream. The floodwaters have crossed the Rahimabad bridge on the KKH, though the bridge remains intact. The flood also blocked the Hunza river flow at Rahimabad village, causing land erosion in the Jutal, Nomal, and Faizanad areas. Additionally, flooding from the Jaglote Guru nullah has damaged a hotel and other properties, and the Babusar-Chilas Road at Diamer has been blocked and damaged. The Mushkay area has also significantly damaged land, private properties, and water supply channels.

  • Fact Check: Viral video of Mahrang Baloch’s arrest actually from 2020

    Fact Check: Viral video of Mahrang Baloch’s arrest actually from 2020

    A video circulated on social media on Thursday shows Baloch activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch being dragged into a police van, suggesting that she has been arrested.

    Dawn.com, however, conducted a fact check and confirmed that the video is from 2020.

    This spread of misinformation coincides with renewed unrest in Balochistan following protests by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Gwadar on July 28. The protests were against human rights violations and exploiting the province’s resources. The demonstrations led to arrests and violent clashes with security forces.

    Since then, the arrest of prominent leaders has intensified the protests.

    Currently, the BYC has signed an agreement with the provincial government to end the protest, as their demands, including the release of all those arrested, have been met.

  • More than a dozen people injured in firing in Balochistan

    More than a dozen people injured in firing in Balochistan

    More than a dozen protestors were injured on Sunday in violence in Mastung when a group headed to a planned protest in Gawadar came under fire.

    Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) had scheduled a protest in Gawadar against alleged human rights abuses in the province.

    The BYC has accused the security forces of opening fire at their supporters, while the administration emphasised that the participants attacked a Levies checkpoint near Mastung.

    “At least 14 people were injured in the firing,” said a BYC leader, Bebarg Baloch, alleging that law enforcement agencies opened fire at their supporters.

    Meanwhile, the area’s internet, mobile phones, and broadband services have been shut down.

    Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog, said, “Amnesty is alarmed at the use of unlawful and unnecessary force against the participants of the Baloch National Gathering by security forces yesterday.”

  • Vegetable, fruit prices soar by 150 per cent amid strikes, sit-ins

    Vegetable, fruit prices soar by 150 per cent amid strikes, sit-ins

    The prices of vegetables and fruits have increased by 150 per cent as strikes by trade organisations and sit-ins by political parties in the country take hold.

    Roads in Balochistan have been closed since the past four days to impede the Baloch Yakjehti Council from holding a large gathering in Gwadar, hindering goods-carrying vehicles. Consequentially, the prices of vegetables and fruits in Quetta has risen by 100 to 150 rupees per kilogram.

    Okra, previously retailing for Rs 150 per kilogram, has risen to Rs 400, tomatoes have increased from Rs 80 per kilogram to Rs 140, pumpkin has risen from Rs 120 to Rs 200 per kilogram, while peaches have increased from Rs 100 to Rs 250 per kilogram, and apples have also seen a price increase of Rs 100 per kilogram.

    On the other hand, despite the end of the transporters’ strike across Punjab, traders have been exploiting the situation, driving up food prices even further. Shopkeepers, however, are now reportedly selling spices at more reasonable rates.

    According to citizens, rice and pulse prices have increased by 20 per cent in the market due to the strike. They are calling on the government to reduce food prices.

  • More than 200 Balochistan Police personnel dismissed

    More than 200 Balochistan Police personnel dismissed

    IG Police Balochistan issued a notification revealing that more than 200 police personnel were terminated due to negligence and frequent absenteeism.

    The dismissed officials include constables, head constables, and ASIs, and they hail from various districts, including Loralai, Sabi, Kalat, Zhob, Naseerabad, Makran, and Quetta.

  • Victims of 2022 floods to be rescued after two years

    Victims of 2022 floods to be rescued after two years

    The federal and Balochistan governments are planning to rehabilitate the victims of monsoon rains after two years.

    Both the governments have started a project worth 60 billion rupees with the support of the World Bank.

    Four project directors have been appointed for the project, which will be supervised by the Federal Department of Planning and Development.

    Asfandyar Kakar, the supervisor of flood victims’ rehabilitation project in Balochistan, told Geo News that more than 30 districts were affected by floods that came after the 2022 monsoon rains in the province.

    The floods destroyed 350,000 houses as well as damaged highways, bridges and agricultural crops.

    In a joint survey of the federal and provincial governments, the damage caused by the floods in the province was estimated at 900 billion rupees, but after two years, last month ECNEC approved the rehabilitation plan for the flood victims of Balochistan.

    The 60 billion rupees project focuses on four sectors including irrigation, housing, early hood and meteorology, while the project director of three sectors has been taken from Balochistan and the project director of meteorology sector has been taken from the federal department.

    3500 houses will be constructed and given to the victims under the project in the first phase, while work will be done to restore the roads and restore the damage caused to agriculture.

  • Thousands refuse polio vaccine in Balochistan

    Thousands refuse polio vaccine in Balochistan

    Approximately 3,000 parents have been reported to have refused polio vaccination so far in Balochistan.

    July 7 marked the conclusion of a seven-day polio prevention campaign. It has been claimed that 98 per cent of the target for the anti-polio campaign has been achieved in 16 districts.

    The campaign aimed to vaccinate more than 951,000 children against polio.

  • Provinces intensify security protocols ahead of Muharram

    With Muharram approaching, security concerns loom large, exacerbated by recent terrorist activities across the country. Provincial governments have formulated plans to ensure peace.

    Punjab

    The Punjab Home Department has issued security guidelines that enforce Section 144 throughout the province. 502 locations have been identified as sensitive, with deployment of army and Rangers personnel at these sites.

    10,426 Muharram processions are scheduled across the province.

    The Punjab Interior Department has stipulated that processions and gatherings are permitted only along designated routes and locations.

    According to Punjab’s Interior Secretary, Noorul Amin Mengal, peace committees in each district are tasked with implementing all SOPs and monitoring assemblies and processions.

    Hate speech on social media is also strictly prohibited, and serious actions will be taken against violators; whereas unauthorized use of loudspeakers is also prohibited by law.

    Sindh

    The Sindh Home Department has also announced a province-wide curfew for the duration of Muharram.

    Starting from the first to the tenth of Muharram, a ban on motorcycle double riding has been imposed.

    Additionally, the display of weapons and the operation of drones are strictly prohibited.