ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expressed condolences to China on Tuesday after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 95 people and injuring 130. 
The earthquake struck at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT), with its epicenter located in Tingri, a rural Chinese county at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The US Geological Service put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1.
At least 95 people had been killed and 130 injured on the Tibetan side, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported, as rescue operations continue. 
“Pakistan expresses heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of lives caused by the earthquake in Xizang,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement. “We extend our support to the people and government of China in their relief efforts.”

The foreign office said Pakistan’s thoughts were with the persons who were injured or reported missing due to the earthquake.
“We also extend best wishes for the ongoing rescue operations,” it said. 
Southwestern parts of China, Nepal and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
A magnitude 7.8 tremor struck near Katmandu in 2015, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands in Nepal’s worst ever earthquake. Among the dead were at least 18 people killed at the Mount Everest base camp when it was smashed by an avalanche.
With additional input from Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram this week raised alarm at the Security Council over the worsening food security situation in Sudan, urging both warring parties to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as civil war in the African country rages on.
The UN-backed Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published a report last month outlining famine in five areas, including in Sudan’s largest displacement camp, Zamzam, in North Darfur province. The IPC’s report also warned that famine will likely spread to another five areas— Um Kadadah, Melit, el-Fasher, Tawisha and Al-Lait, by May 2025.
Sudanese people have suffered due to a 20-month war between the army and a paramilitary group that has killed over 24,000 and driven over 14 million people from their homes, according to the UN. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, to escape the horrors of the conflict. 
Akram said on Monday that Pakistan was “deeply grieved” by the current ordeal of the people in Sudan by the war. 
“We call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” Akram said. “The parties need to find a sustainable political resolution to the conflict through dialogue. It will not be resolved on the battlefield. War will only bring more death and destruction for the Sudanese people.”
He said that the worsening food security situation in the country is “alarming,” noting that over 24.6 million people in Sudan face high levels of acute food insecurity.
“We have reviewed the 24th December report of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC),” he said. “We note that the Sudanese government has questioned the IPC’s malnutrition data and assessment and its ability to collect data from conflict zones and those controlled by the Rapid Security Forces. These views need to be taken into account.”
The Pakistani envoy urged the international community to work with the Sudanese government in addressing the humanitarian crisis in the country, calling on Sudanese authorities to facilitate the delivery of aid to the needy.
“We appreciate the recent steps taken by the Sudanese authorities in opening additional air, sea and land borders for humanitarian aid and extending the Adre border crossing, which has brought some improvement in the humanitarian situation,” Akram noted. 
The Pakistani ambassador called on the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and bridge the 36 percent funding gap for humanitarian appeals relating to Sudan. 
“The international community must unite to support a common vision for return to peace and normalcy in Sudan,” he said. “Foreign interference in the internal conflict of Sudan must stop. The UNSC arms embargo on Sudan must be respected.”
As the war reached its peak in April 2023, Pakistan joined other countries in evacuating its nationals from Sudan, rescuing about 1,000 people from the African nation.