KARACHI: An intense heatwave has gripped Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, particularly its commercial capital of Karachi, as the mercury rose above 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warning that the weather conditions will prevail in the region for another two days.
The warning comes amid increasingly unpredictable climate patterns across South Asia, with Karachi experiencing more frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years — a trend that climate experts attribute to broader shifts caused by global warming.
The situation underscores rising concerns over the city’s preparedness for extreme weather events, amid growing calls for stronger climate adaptation policies, increased urban tree cover and more effective public awareness campaigns.
“Prevailing heatwave condition is likely to continue in Karachi division with daytime maximum temperatures are likely 4-6°C above normal till tomorrow,” the PMD said in a statement.
“Hot/very hot and dry weather prevails over most parts of the province.”
It advised people, especially women, children and the elderly, to stay indoors, avoid direct sunlight and stay well-hydrated. The maximum temperature predicted for Tuesday was 41°C, followed by 40°C on Wednesday and 39°C on Thursday.
Zaheer Abbas, a laborer in Karachi, said the scorching heat had severely affected daily life. 
“A poor person who pushes a cart can’t even work in this weather,” he told AFP.
Experts say rising temperatures are part of a broader trend linked to climate change, straining Karachi’s infrastructure and putting vulnerable populations at risk.
Iqra Ali, a Karachi student, said she was trying not to leave home unnecessarily.
“It’s hot,” she said. “For this, the more a person stays hydrated, it will be better.”
Pakistan has witnessed frequent, erratic changes in its weather patterns, including floods, droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms, heatwaves and the slow-onset threat of glacial melting, in recent years that scientists have blamed on human-driven climate change.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion and affecting at least 30 million people.
— With additional input from AFP

ISLAMABAD: More than 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, the interior ministry said Tuesday, after Islamabad announced the widespread cancelation of residence permits.

Calling Afghans “terrorists and criminals,” the Pakistan government launched its mass eviction campaign on April 1.

Analysts say the expulsions are designed to pressure the neighboring country’s Taliban authorities, which Islamabad blames for fueling a rise in border attacks.

The interior ministry told AFP that “100,529 Afghans have left in April.”

Convoys of Afghan families have been heading to the border since the start of April when the deadline to leave expired, crossing into a country mired in a humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan’s prime minister Hasan Akhund on Saturday condemned the “unilateral measures” taken by its neighbor after Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul for a day-long visit to discuss the returns.