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Rains and Floods
With the arrival of monsoon in Pakistan, heavy downpour in most areas of the country has caused havoc amid lack of arrangements by authorities to cope with the situation.
According to disaster management officials and media reports atleast 36 people have been killed and more than 250,000 people get affected due to flash floods and torrential rains while swollen rivers and water channels damage hundreds of villages across the country.
Severe weather has caused havoc in the north and south of the country, sweeping away dozens of roads and bridges in Chitral district while floods have inundated villages in south Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. In Chitral, a flood emergency has been imposed in the area as torrential rains have resulted in floods in local rivers.
The National Disaster Management Authority has forecast more rain across the country in the coming days. Severe weather is likely to persist in the northern Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral over the next four to five days, and has the potential to produce more flooding
In Sindh province, floods induced by heavy rains inundated several villages and swept away many houses. In southern Punjab, about 26,899 people have been rescued from low-lying areas affected by flood.
The administrations of these districts have directed the concerned departments to make all arrangements to help the affected people. Flash floods have also disrupted all kinds of traffic on the Pak-Afghan Highway at Torkham as the countless vehicles remained stranded for hours.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and property due to floods that hit Chitral. He has also directed NDMA to reinforce relief and increase rescue efforts in coordination other departments concerned.
Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif directed all concerned in the army to make all-out efforts to help and extend all possible assistance to the people affected in the flood-hit areas.
Judicial Commission Report on Rigging
Judicial commission report on rigging in 2013 general elections have created a stir on political front as the report has rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s claims of rigging and declared that the polling process was “largely organised and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law”.
The proceeding of the commission continued for more than two months and a total of 40 hearings were conducted in the Supreme Court building.
The commission in its findings stated that the plan to manipulate the polling has not been disclosed by the PTI or any other party with any degree of specification nor as to who and how were the same implemented.
In response to the decision by Judicial Commission, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said that he accepts the Judicial Commission report into allegations of election rigging. Meanwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reacted by saying that justly conducted, and fair general elections were made controversial which brought a bad name to the country internationally. He also said that inquiry commission report has endorsed government’s stance that problems can only be resolved in the elected assemblies and not on the roads.
Other political parties, while endorsing decision of Judicial Commission, criticized PTI chief Imran Khan and demanded an apology on behalf of the people who suffered due to the 126-day long sit- in.
Pak-India Tension
Tension is on rise between arch rivals, India and Pakistan as both sides blame each other for violating ceasefire and exchanging fires despite a recent agreement aimed at improving ties. Pakistan said Indian forces had fired small arms, rockets, mortars and heavy machine guns across the border on Eid that injured several civilians. Meanwhile Indian Border Security Force officials blamed that Pakistan was training militants to infiltrate Indian land. Pakistan lodged a protest with India over what it called a provocative act against the understandings reached at Ufa. In Russia, earlier this month, leaders from both countries agreed to maintain peace and tranquility at the Line of Control and Working Boundary in the letter and spirit.
Over the past week, at least four Pakistanis were killed in three separate incidents of cross-border firing, while Pakistani troops had shot down a spy drone along the LoC. The Pakistan Army registered a complaint with United Nations Military Observers group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) against cease fire violations by the Indian Army along the LoC and Working Boundary, after which a fact-finding team visited Saleh Pur, Chaprar and Malane in Chaprar sector.
Both countries claim all of Kashmir’s Himalayan mountains and valleys. Their shared border is among the most heavily militarised in the world and travel between the two nations is kept to a minimum.
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