BADSWAT: When a glacial lake burst in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan province in July, Sher Baz watched helplessly as the waters swept away his family home.
Residents of Badswat village, which lies in Ishkoman valley at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountain range's snow-capped peaks, were at the mercy of the flash flood that carried off homes, roads and bridges, as well as crops and forest.
"Thank God we are alive, but everything we owned was washed away by the floods when the glacial lake burst," said Baz, a 30-year old father of four.
Although there are several glaciers near Badswat village, residents said this was the first glacial outburst in living memory. The authorities said the timely evacuation of villagers meant nobody had died.
Baz said the event had left him feeling stranded.
"Surrounded by mountains and muddy water, it seems we are living between life and death," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
GLACIER CENTRAL
Pakistan has more glaciers than any other country outside the polar region – more than 7,200 in the Karakoram, Himalayan and Hindu Kush ranges, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
They feed the Indus River system, the country's water lifeline. But data gathered over the last 50 years shows that all but about 120 of the glaciers exhibit signs of melting, due to rising temperatures, meteorological officials said.
As the glaciers retreat, they leave behind lakes supported by ice dams or accumulations of rock and soil. Inherently unstable, these dams often burst, sending huge volumes of water rushing into the villages below them.
"With glaciers melting faster than before, we feel more vulnerable and it seems like we are under constant threat of a natural disaster," said another villager Shakoor Baig.
While he is used to coping with floods, the 45-year-old farmer said he had not seen anything on this scale.
Baig, who lost his home, crops and fields, joined nearly 1,000 residents in Badswat village who were evacuated to higher ground, where some are living in temporary shelters.
Trapped between mountains, receding waters and damaged roads, providing residents with enough food and tents has been difficult, said local relief group the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, which worked with the Pakistani army to air-drop aid.
FOREST LOSS
Such events are just the start, said glacier expert and PMD head Ghulam Rasul.
"The disasters caused by glacier outbursts in these areas will not stop here. They will continue in the future because there are so many glaciers at risk of bursting," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Years of deforestation, combined with climate change, have led to a spike in temperatures in the region, which has caused glaciers to melt, Rasul said.
Over the past 80 years, he said, the average temperature in Gilgit-Baltistan has increased by 1.4 degree Celsius (2.5F) compared to a rise of 0.6 degree Celsius (1F) in the lower-lying regions of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Poor government management of forests and increased demand for timber have seen trees cut down, he said - even though conserving forests is essential in order to absorb carbon emissions and fight climate change.
"Global warming has direct implications on mountainous areas in northern Pakistan because of forest loss. Deforestation happened due to the negligence of authorities since people would cut trees for construction and fuel," Rasul said.
"The essential thing to do is to grow more forests to mitigate the effects of global warming on glaciers in future."
Local authorities said rejuvenating the forest is a priority, but replenishing the area would take time.
"The provincial government has already launched a campaign to grow the forest, among other solutions, to offset the rapid increase in temperatures in these mountains," local government spokesman, Faizullah Faraq, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
With help from the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Faraq said, the authorities were also developing infrastructure in nearby areas in case residents of vulnerable villages were forced to relocate.
"This is a big challenge and not a matter to resolve overnight, but we are moving in that direction," he said.
Rasul said the PMD had installed early warning systems in three areas to notify vulnerable communities of any glacial threats, adding that more were needed so to provide sufficient advance warning ahead of the next event.
And, he said, the PMD recommends that communities be better trained in coping with emergency situations.
Meantime all that villager Baz can do, he said, was pray that his family would survive another day.
"I worry about the future and how to feed my family, since I lost my land and my job ended too. I pray that God will save us from more natural disasters," he said.
Villagers 'living between life and death' as Pakistan's glaciers melt
Villagers 'living between life and death' as Pakistan's glaciers melt
Pakistan Islamic banking assets at $40.7 billion by March end for first time — central bank
- On deposits, Islamic banks currently hold Rs. 8.4 trillion, about 25.4 percent of the total deposits in the banking industry
- Federal Shariat Court has ordered government to eliminate interest, align banking system with Islamic principles by 2027
ISLAMABAD: The governor of the Pakistani central bank said on Tuesday Islamic banking assets had for the first time reached Rs11.5 trillion ($40.7 billion) by the end of March this year, as the country actively moves toward implementing a fully Shariah-compliant financial system.
Pakistan’s Federal Shariat Court (FSC) directed the government in April 2022 to eliminate interest and align the country’s entire banking system with Islamic principles by 2027. Following the order, the government and the State Bank have taken several measures ranging from changing laws to issuing sukuk Islamic bonds to replace interest-based treasury bills and investment bonds.
“For the first time in the history of Islamic finance in Pakistan, by the end of March 2025, Islamic banking assets have reached Rs. 11.5 trillion, that’s 21.1 percent of the total banking sector assets,” central bank governor Jameel Ahmad said at a ceremony in Karachi.
“While there’s still a long way to go, this share is gradually increasing.”
On deposits, Islamic banks currently hold Rs. 8.4 trillion, about 25.4 percent of the total deposits in the banking industry.
“That means nearly one-fourth of all bank deposits are now mobilized under Islamic principles. So, the share of Islamic banking is steadily rising, and the number of Islamic banking branches has surpassed 8,000,” Ahmad added. “As a result of these achievements, we can see that access to Islamic banking services has significantly improved.”
He said to support the transformation of Islamic banking, the government of Pakistan had formed a steering committee in 2022 and launched a strategic five-year plan known as SBP Vision 2028.
Ahmad said the non-issuance of sukuk Islamic bonds was a “big hurdle” hindering the promotion of Islamic banking. He called on the banking industry, regulators and the government to play their “required role” to address underlying issues and issue more sukuk bonds and offer investors Shariah-compliant products.
“This would increase the share of Islamic banking investments in the overall industry. We all should play our respective role in this respect,” the governor added.
India to resume border ceremony with Pakistan
- For years, the ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border has been a popular tourist attraction on both sides
- Visitors from both nations come to cheer on soldiers goose-stepping in a chest-puffing theatrical show of pageantry
AMRITSAR: India said Tuesday it would resume a daily border ceremony with neighboring Pakistan which it briefly halted earlier this month following the most serious conflict between the nuclear armed arch-rivals for decades.
At least 60 people died in fighting triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing — a charge Pakistan denies.
India’s Border Security force said the sunset ceremony on its side would be open to the media on Tuesday and to the general public on Wednesday at the Attari-Wagah land border in the northern state of Punjab.
Pakistan said it never stopped the ceremony, with its troops marching on its side of the border alone.
The ceremony however is expected to be a low-key affair with diplomatic measures against Pakistan still in place, including the closure of the land border.
For years, the ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border has been a popular tourist attraction.
Visitors from both sides come to cheer on soldiers goose-stepping in a chest-puffing theatrical show of pageantry.
The frontier was a colonial creation at the violent end of British rule in 1947 which sliced the sub-continent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
The daily border ritual has largely endured over the decades, surviving innumerable diplomatic flare-ups and military skirmishes.
Thousands protest as suspected drone strike kills 4 children in northwest Pakistan
- Militants also have been using quadcopters to target troops
- Still unclear who was responsible for the drone attack in Mir Ali
PESHAWAR: A suspected drone strike killed four children and wounded five others in northwest Pakistan, prompting thousands of residents to stage a protest by placing the children’s bodies on a main road to demand justice, local elders said on Tuesday.
It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind Monday’s attack in Mir Ali, which has been a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, and there was no comment from the army.
“We are not blaming anyone, but we want justice, and the government should tell us who killed our children,” local tribal elder Mufti Baitullah said.
He warned that the protest, currently staged at one regional roadblock, could expand if authorities fail to answer.
“We will not bury the bodies until we are told who is responsible for killing our innocent children,” he said, as people chanted “we want justice.”
There have been civilian casualties in military strikes in some parts of the country in recent years. In March, 11 people, including women and children, were killed when a drone attack targeted a house in the northwestern city of Mardan.
A statement by the provincial government at the time had only said that there was “collateral damage” in an operation that was conducted to target militants in a remote village. Residents in March also rallied until the government agreed to compensate the victims’ families.
Abdullah Khan, the managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies think tank, said Tuesday that militants also have been using quadcopters to target troops, but it still was unclear who was responsible for the drone attack in Mir Ali.
The latest civilian casualties came amid ongoing military operations against the Pakistani Taliban, which have a strong presence in Mir Ali, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, and they often target troops in the region.
Nayak Muhammad Dawar, a provincial minister, condemned the attack in a statement Tuesday. He said that investigations were ongoing.
Mir Ali and nearby districts located near Afghanistan were long a base for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. The TTP have stepped up attacks in the region in recent months.
Pakistan’s Punjab orders heatwave precautions at livestock markets ahead of Eid
- Temporary sheds, animal health centers, water sprinklers and mist fans to be installed
- Despite heatwave, people are thronging to livestock markets ahead of Eid Al-Adha
ISLAMABAD: The disaster management authority in Pakistan’s largest province of Punjab on Tuesday ordered that temporary sheds and health centers be set up and water supply ensured at livestock markets as part of precautionary measures during an ongoing heatwave ahead of the Eid Al-Adha festival.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a warning that most plain areas of the country will remain under the influence of a severe heatwave from May 20-24, with maximum daytime temperatures in the Sindh, southern Punjab, and Balochistan provinces expected to remain 4°C to 6°C above normal.
Despite the heatwave, people are thronging to livestock markets to buy sacrificial animals, with Eid Al-Adha less than three weeks away.
Muslims observe Eid Al-Adha, expected to fall in the first week of June this year, by slaughtering animals such as sheep, cows and goats, with the meat shared among family and friends, and a portion donated to the poor.
“Water supply should be ensured for animals in the markets,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority Punjab said in a statement, highlighting that the heatwave was likely to continue into June.
“Establishment of temporary sheds and veterinary health centers should also be ensured at the markets.”
The government also ordered installing water sprinklers and mist fans, and said mobile medical teams and the Rescue 1122 service would also be deployed to provide medical assistance to traders and staff at markets.
Banners with information about heatwaves and safety tips should be displayed at the entrances and exits of livestock markets while loudspeakers should be used to inform visitors to stay hydrated, use shaded areas and report any emergencies immediately, the government handout said.
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has grappled in recent years with increasingly frequent extreme weather events like deadly heat waves and floods.
In June 2024, almost 700 people died in a heat wave in less than a week, with most deaths recorded in the port city of Karachi, according to the Edhi Foundation charity. A 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone while floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.
Pakistan textiles body says over 900 mills shut due to exports scheme
- Under Export Facilitation Scheme, exporters can import raw materials and inputs at 0 percent sales tax
- However, an 18 percent tax on the same inputs has to be paid if they are produced locally in Pakistan
KARACHI: Pakistan’s textiles body said this week over 900 factories, including ginning and spinning mills, had been shut down due to a government export scheme that had disrupted operations and strained finances.
The Export Facilitation Scheme was launched in 2021, with the aim of simplifying the import of raw materials, machinery and input goods for exporters by offering minimal duties and taxes. Under the scheme, exporters can import raw materials and inputs at 0 percent sales tax. However, an 18 percent tax on the same inputs has to be paid if they are produced locally in Pakistan.
The textile industry is a major player in the country’s economy, contributing significantly to exports and employment. It’s one of the largest manufacturing sectors, employing about 45 percent of the industrial workforce and accounting for a substantial portion of Pakistan’s total exports.
The industry is known for its cotton production, spinning capacity, and exports of various textile products.
“Over 800 ginning factories and 120 spinning mills have shut down and millions of livelihoods lost,” All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Chairman Kamran Arshad said on Monday in a statement, urging the government to amend the Export Facilitation Scheme.
“The crisis has reached the weaving sector, with looms shutting down and workers protesting on the streets.”
He urged the government to remove yarn and fabric from the exports scheme to halt the textile industry’s downfall.
“It’s an irrational, self-destructive policy that punishes domestic production and rewards imports,” the statement said.
Pakistani cotton was taxed at 18 percent while imported cotton enjoyed sales tax exemption through the export scheme, the statement said, adding that sales tax refunds could only be filed after a six to 10 months cycle after the product was manufactured and exported.
“Only partial refunds of 60-70 percent are issued once a month,” it added. “The remaining amount is deferred for manual processing where there is already a backlog of over $392 million and no progress on clearing it over the last four to five years.”
As the eighth largest exporter of textile commodities in Asia, the textile industry contributes 8.5 percent to Pakistan’s gross domestic product.
