No tsunami evacuation plan for Pakistan’s coastal region, home to nuclear complex — official

People cool off in the Arabian sea during a hot summer day in Karachi on July 2, 2021. (AFP/File)
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Updated 15 September 2021
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No tsunami evacuation plan for Pakistan’s coastal region, home to nuclear complex — official

  • The financial hub of Karachi has been hit by major cyclones and rainstorms in the recent past
  • Pakistan conducted its last tsunami drill in 2013 after a string of such incidents occurred in the Pacific region

KARACHI: Pakistani officials and disaster management experts on Wednesday lamented the lack of an “emergency evacuation plan” or other precautionary procedures on the country’s coastal region in case of a tsunami, raising particular alarm about the port city of Karachi, home to a nuclear power complex.

Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, is the country’s largest city and financial hub and has been hit by major cyclones and rainstorms in the recent past. In 1945, a deadly earthquake that occurred 100 miles south of Karachi in the Northern Arabian Sea triggered a tsunami that killed 4,000 people.

Yet, Pakistan conducted its last tsunami drill in 2013 after a string of such incidents occurred in the Pacific region, a senior meteorological department official said.

“We have forgotten the tsunami of 1945 which killed 4,000 people in our coastal areas,” Ameer Haider Laghari, a director at the meteorological department, told Arab News. “Karachi was a small fishing town back then. Pakistani citizens along the rest of the coastal belt are also at risk, but there is hardly any preparedness.”

Pakistan’s coastline is about 990 kilometers long and, apart from Karachi, has several other population centers, including Badin, Gadani, Pasni and Gwadar.

“While we may have some reaction time in Karachi,” Leghari said, “there will be hardly 10 minutes to act in places like Pasni and Gwadar in case of a tsunami.”

Without an emergency evacuation plan, the loss of life could be very high, he said.

“We have witnessed in the past how tsunamis affected Japan and Indonesia,” Leghari said. “The intensity of the two waves was similar but the results were quite different. In Indonesia, the tsunami killed around 300,000 people while the death toll in Japan was only 20,000. It all depends on a country’s preparedness and necessary awareness among the masses.”

Leghari acknowledged that the government had tried to make the seismic center in Karachi more efficient by installing five sirens after the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. It had also installed 14 sirens in the coastal towns around the city. However, he said the government needed to do more to be better prepared.

Speaking to Arab News, Syed Shujjat Hussain, director operations at the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Sindh, said the Authority, with financial assistance from the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and the government of Sindh, was planning to install 14 Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) in the coastal belt of Sindh, including Karachi. 

"The deputy commissioners, who are heads of district disaster management authorities, are responsible for the evacuation in case of emergencies and they have been doing their work in case of emergencies, but there is a need for legislation at the national and provincial level to prepare ourselves for a tsunami,” Hussain said.

Muhammad Idrees Mehsud, a risk reduction official at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said that country already had a comprehensive law - the National Disaster Management Act  - and contingency, response and awareness plans in place that would be implemented during a disaster situation with the help of relevant agencies.

“We have urban search and rescue units," Mehsud said. "We have eight warehouses across Pakistan in which relief goods for 300,000 people are always available,” he added, saying the authority had carried out  a massive mangrove plantation drive in Thatta in 2008-9 to provide natural resistance against tsunamis. 

He said Pakistan had a "good" early warning system: “We have held drills in schools and have made tsunami guidelines with the help of UNDP."

But Osama Jadoon, a fire safety and disaster management expert, said more needed to be done, especially in Karachi given that it was home to a nuclear complex: “A tsunami can be even more devastating if proper arrangements are not in place.”

One possibility was to enhance the capacity of the city’s fire department, Jadoon said, since the institution had played a key role during disasters in other parts of the world.

“The world is prepared and has even named the sea storms which we are likely to witness in the next two decades,” Jadoon said. “However, we have no preparation at all.”

“We are not even making cosmetic arrangements,” the expert said. “But we will have to prepare ourselves and increase the capacity of our fire department besides ensuring better management by disaster management authorities.”


Family of detained Baloch rights activist moves Supreme Court against her arrest

Updated 6 sec ago
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Family of detained Baloch rights activist moves Supreme Court against her arrest

  • Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been held in a Quetta prison since she was arrested on March 22
  • She published a letter from jail in a US magazine, saying ‘speaking for justice is not a crime’

ISLAMABAD: The family of a detained Pakistani Baloch rights activists, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, filed a petition in Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking to overturn a provincial court ruling that upheld her arrest under public order laws, according to a local media report.

Baloch, a physician and a civil society activists, has been held at Quetta’s Hudda District Jail since March 22 after she participated in protests following a separatist militant attack on a passenger train in Balochistan.

She was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a move her supporters described as part of a broader crackdown on nonviolent dissent in the restive province.

The petition, filed by her sister, argues that the detention is arbitrary and aimed at silencing peaceful activism.

“Nadia Bal­och, the sister of Dr. Mah­­rang Baloch, urged the Supreme Court on Wed­­nesday to set aside the April 15 order of the Balo­ch­istan High Court that rej­ected the plea against her detention under the Main­tenance of Public Order,” the English-language newspaper Dawn quoted from the petition.

The detained activist, who leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, also published a letter from prison in the US-based Time magazine this week, in which she asserted that “speaking up for justice is not a crime.”
Pakistani authorities have accused Baloch of promoting the narrative of separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in public. However, her letter in the American magazine maintained the officials had not provided any evidence of her links with BLA or any other militant group while criticizing the authorities for blurring the line between militancy and peaceful protest.

Earlier this year, the Balochistan High Court dismissed Baloch’s initial challenge to her detention, advising her to seek administrative remedies instead of judicial relief.

Her sister’s petition has now asked the apex court to suspend that ruling and review whether constitutional protections such as habeas corpus were ignored in the previous judicial decision.
The Supreme Court has yet to announce when it will take up the case for hearing.
 


Pakistan urges global protection for Gaza’s children on World Day Against Child Labor

Updated 12 June 2025
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Pakistan urges global protection for Gaza’s children on World Day Against Child Labor

  • President Zardari says children in conflict zones need global aid, protection and justice
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif also calls for stricter enforcement of existing laws against child labor

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called for urgent international support for children in Gaza, warning that thousands face displacement, hunger and heightened risks of forced labor amid ongoing conflict.

The appeal was made by President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement issued on the World Day Against Child Labor, observed annually on June 12. He said children living in war zones must be at the center of the global child protection agenda.

“These children urgently need global aid, protection and justice,” Zardari said. “In conflict-affected regions such as Gaza, thousands of innocent children have been displaced, injured or orphaned by violence. Many face hunger, trauma and the risk of falling into child labor.”

While reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating child labor domestically, the president urged governments, rights defenders, media, religious leaders and philanthropists to come together and protect vulnerable children everywhere.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a separate message, said Pakistan “stands shoulder to shoulder with the international community in the fight against child labor,” but noted that implementation gaps still exist.

“This day is a reminder that we must continue striving toward a future where every child grows up in a safe and prosperous environment,” he said.

Officials say child labor remains widespread in Pakistan, especially in rural and informal sectors, depriving millions of education and exposing them to exploitation.

Sharif urged stricter enforcement of existing laws, which prohibit child labor under Pakistan’s constitution and several key statutes.

Zardari emphasized that while Pakistan has introduced reforms and protection systems, including the National Commission on the Rights of the Child and child welfare bureaus, lasting change requires collective action.

“Child labor is a global challenge,” he said. “Governments and societies must work together to protect children from exploitation and ensure they grow up in dignity.”


Pakistan PM heads to UAE for daylong visit, talks with president

Updated 12 June 2025
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Pakistan PM heads to UAE for daylong visit, talks with president

  • Shehbaz Sharif is undertaking the visit on Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s invitation
  • The trip comes as Pakistan strives to deepen strategic relation with Gulf nations

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday for a daylong official visit to meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and hold talks with the UAE leadership, the Pakistani government said.

The trip comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to deepen strategic and economic ties with Gulf nations, especially the UAE, which has remained a key financial and diplomatic partner.

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by a delegation, has departed from Islamabad for a one-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates,” his office said in a statement. “He is undertaking the visit on the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi,” it continued. “The Prime Minister will meet the UAE leadership during the visit.”

The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner, home to over a million Pakistani expatriates, and a critical source of investment. It played a key role in helping Pakistan avert a balance-of-payments crisis in recent years by depositing funds in the central bank, which facilitated a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to a statement issued by the foreign office a day earlier, Sharif is expected to follow up on more than $3 billion in cooperation agreements signed during his earlier visit in January 2024.

In a phone call last month, Sharif and the UAE president discussed bilateral ties and regional security following a sharp military escalation between Pakistan and India.

Islamabad praised the UAE’s “constructive diplomatic role” during the crisis.
 


‘Bellicose punchlines’: Islamabad slams India’s top diplomat over anti-Pakistan remarks in Brussels

Updated 12 June 2025
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‘Bellicose punchlines’: Islamabad slams India’s top diplomat over anti-Pakistan remarks in Brussels

  • Subrahmanyam Jaishankar accused Pakistan of sponsoring ‘terrorism,’ asserted New Delhi’s right to retaliate
  • Foreign office says India should raise the quality of its discourse instead of remaining ‘obsessed with Pakistan’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday criticized Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar for “producing bellicose punchlines” after he made a series of statements during his visit to Brussels, accusing Islamabad of sponsoring “terrorism” and asserting New Delhi reserved the right to retaliate against militant attacks.
The comments come in the wake of a recent military standoff between the nuclear-armed neighbors, involving the exchange of fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery fire. Both countries have since launched parallel diplomatic offensives, dispatching delegations to major world capitals to present their versions of events.
New Delhi suspended a longstanding river water-sharing treaty following a gun attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that it blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any involvement, calling for an impartial international probe before India decided to launch missiles to target what it called was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.
A US-brokered ceasefire was announced by President Donald Trump on May 10, followed by Pakistan’s call for a “composite dialogue” with its neighboring state which New Delhi has so far resisted.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the irresponsible remarks made by the External Affairs Minister of India during different media engagements in Brussels,” the foreign office said in a strongly worded statement.
“The discourse of top diplomats should aim to promote peace and harmony, rather than producing bellicose punchlines,” it continued. “The tone and tenor of a Foreign Minister should be commensurate with his dignified status.”
The ministry accused India of waging a years-long “malicious campaign” aimed at misleading the global community with a “fictitious narrative of victimhood,” adding that such rhetoric cannot conceal what it described as India’s own “sponsorship of terrorism beyond its borders” or its “state-sanctioned oppression” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
“India must also desist from concocting misleading narratives to justify its recent aggressive actions,” the statement said. “Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy. However, it stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any aggression, as exemplified by its robust response to India’s reckless strikes last month.”
Calling India’s recent remarks a sign of “sheer frustration” after what it termed an “unsuccessful military adventure,” Islamabad said Indian leaders should focus on improving the quality of their discourse rather than remaining “obsessed with Pakistan.”
“The history will judge not by who shouted the loudest but by who acted the wisest,” it added.


Palestinian MP accuses Israel and India of conspiring together against Pakistan’s sovereignty

Updated 12 June 2025
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Palestinian MP accuses Israel and India of conspiring together against Pakistan’s sovereignty

  • Sheikh Mamoun Asaad Al-Tamimi was speaking at the National Press Club in Islamabad during a ‘Meet the Press’ event
  • Says Pakistan’s ‘victory’ in recent military confrontation with India was a success for the entire Muslim ummah

ISLAMABAD: Palestinian lawmaker Sheikh Mamoun Asaad Al-Tamimi on Wednesday accused Israel and India of working in tandem to undermine Pakistan’s sovereignty, alleging that both nations viewed Pakistan’s nuclear capability as a threat to their regional ambitions.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Islamabad during a “Meet the Press” event, Al-Tamimi claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, encouraged by Israeli leadership, had attempted to provoke war with Pakistan.
“Modi and Netanyahu are deeply troubled by Pakistan’s nuclear strength. On Israel’s instigation, Modi tried to impose war on Pakistan but they were met with a response they never anticipated,” he said.
Al-Tamimi was referring to exchanges of drones, missiles, and artillery strikes between the two arch-rivals between May 7-10 before a ceasefire was announced. After India struck first on May 7, Pakistan vowed retaliation, saying it had downed six Indian fighter jets.
The two nations also hit each other’s military bases, airfields and other army facilities with missiles.
The Palestinian MP said Israel expected Pakistan’s leadership to be divided and weak in the face of Indian airstrikes.
“But Pakistan’s military and political leadership responded with unity and strength. This is not just a Pakistani victory, it is a victory for the entire Muslim ummah,” he said.
Al-Tamimi’s remarks come amid ongoing violence in Gaza, which he described as a humanitarian catastrophe.
Israel launched an air and ground offensive in Gaza in October 2023 in which at least 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health authorities in the coastal enclave.
“Israel has placed Gaza under siege ... There is now an acute shortage of food and medicine. If the blockade continues, two million Palestinians could die of hunger within a year,” Al-Tamimi warned.
He also drew parallels between the struggles in Gaza and disputed Kashmir, claiming both were victims of occupation and global neglect.
“The war in Gaza has unmasked everyone. Western media portrays Israel as a victim, but this war has exposed the truth. The silence of the international community is deafening.”
Calling for global protests, Al-Tamimi urged people, particularly in Pakistan, to demonstrate outside US embassies in solidarity with the people of Gaza:
“The world must pressure Israel to end its brutal campaign.”
During the press meet visit, NPC President Azhar Jatoi recalled the club’s early support for Gaza, including rallies and awards for over 150 journalists who highlighted the Palestinian cause. Secretary Nayyar Ali added that Pakistani journalists would continue speaking up for Gaza on all platforms.