June 2023 - Page 6 of 13

Thai PM frontrunner faces election probe

Pita Limjaroenrat’s progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats at last month’s election as voters delivered a crushing rejection of army-linked parties that ran the kingdom for nearly a decade.

But he has faced a number of challenges and complaints, and the election commission has now set up a special committee to investigate whether Pita was qualified to run for office.

“There is sufficient information and evidence to warrant further investigation into whether Mr Pita is qualified to run in the election,” commission chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said.

“The election commission has set up an investigatory committee to investigate further.” It is not clear how long the investigation will take, but if found guilty, Pita could be disqualified and face up to 10 years in jail.

The probe relates to Pita’s ownership of shares in a now-defunct media company — prohibited under Thai election law. Pita says he inherited the shares in the ITV television station, which has not broadcast since 2007, from his father.

The 42-year-old denies any wrongdoing and the party says it is not worried about the allegations.

Iran says indirect talks with US continue via Oman

Iran’s nuclear programme has long been the subject of scrutiny from Western powers, resulting in sanctions that have crippled the country’s economy.

A 2015 deal granted Tehran much-needed sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme before it was torpedoed by the United States’ unilateral pullout in 2018.

In recent days, the two capitals have denied media reports that they were close to reaching an interim deal to replace the 2015 accord.

“We welcome the efforts of Omani officials and we exchanged messages with the other party through this mediator” over the lifting of US sanctions, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Monday.

Prisoner exchange with Washington could happen soon

“We have never stopped the diplomatic processes,” he added during his weekly press conference, emphasising that the talks “were not secret”.

Diplomatic ties between Tehran and Washington soured in 1980 following the 1979 Islamic revolution led by Iran’s first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have so far failed to yield results. Iran and its arch-nemesis the United States have also been involved in Oman-mediated talks over a possible prisoner swap.

Kanani on Monday said a prisoner exchange could be agreed “in the near future”, provided that Washington exhibits “the same level of seriousness” as Tehran.

At least three Iranian-Americans are being held in Iran, including businessman Siamak Namazi, arrested in October 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.

In the last few weeks, Iran has released six European citizens and recovered an Iranian diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, who was convicted of terrorism and imprisoned in Belgium. Kanani also denied that Iran had provided Russia with equipment to “build a drone factory”.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Friday warned that Russia was receiving materials from Iran to build a drone factory on its territory.

“We deny any accusations regarding the export of arms to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine,” Kanani said.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday reiterated the denial of moves towards acquiring a nuclear weapon.

He also said deals could be reached, provided they do not change “the existing infrastructure of the nuclear industry”.

“We believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal on a verifiable and durable basis, but the President has also been clear that we have not removed any option from the table,” he said, alluding to the possibility of military action.

“Accusations about Tehran seeking nuclear weapons is a lie and they know it. We do not want nuclear arms because of our religious beliefs. Otherwise, they (the West) would not have been able to stop it,” Khamenei said.

China hopes India can meet it halfway in media row

The dispute over media staff is the latest episode to highlight tension between the Asian neighbours since a deterioration in ties in mid-2020 when their troops clashed on their disputed Himalayan frontier and 24 people were killed.

“In recent years, Chinese journalists in India have been accorded unfair and discriminatory arrangements,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a Monday briefing.

“We hope that India will continue to issue visas for Chinese journalists and remove the unreasonable restrictions and create favourable conditions for media exchanges.”

China has declined to renew the visas of the last two Indian journalists based there, citing India taking similar action this month against the two remaining Chinese state media journalists in India.

One of the two Indians, a reporter for the Hindustan Times, left China on Sunday as his visa expired, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The last Indian reporter in China, from Press Trust of India news agency, will leave this month when his visa expires, the sources said.

India had four reporters based in China this year but two were barred from returning in April after being said that their visas were frozen.

That leaves India without a media presence in the world’s second largest economy.

Wang said India had not approved new visas for Chinese journalists since 2020, resulting in a drop from 14 to only one Chinese correspondent there.

“It is very unfortunate that nothing has been done on the Indian side,” he said.

A war of words has erupted between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson over the former prime minister’s attempt to give peerages to several close allies.

Mr Sunak accused his former boss of asking him to “overrule” the vetting advice on his House of Lords nominations.

But in a fiery statement, Mr Johnson accused Mr Sunak of “talking rubbish”.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) said it rejected eight of Mr Johnson’s nominations.

There has been no confirmation of who the nominees were, and why they were not included on Mr Johnson’s controversial resignation honours list.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said HOLAC did not support the peerage nominations of the MPs put forward by Mr Johnson.

The honours list was published by Mr Sunak’s government on Friday, without the names of some of Mr Johnson’s key supporters, including Conservative MPs Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams.

A few hours after his honours list was released, Mr Johnson announced he was standing down as an MP over an investigation into whether he had misled Parliament about lockdown parties.

Competing claims have now surfaced about how and why the names would not have appeared on the list.

Mr Adams and Ms Dorries have both announced they would immediately standing down as MPs, triggering by-elections to replace them.

Earlier, the row over the nominations spilled into a public spat between Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak.

Speaking at a tech conference in London earlier, Mr Sunak claimed Mr Johnson had asked him to do “something I wasn’t prepared to do” on peerage nominations.

“I didn’t think that was right. And if people don’t like that, then tough,” Mr Sunak said.

A few hours later, Mr Johnson claimed it “was not necessary to overrule HOLAC – but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality”.

Mr Sunak’s comments are the first made publicly about the dispute over peerages, and marks a heightening of tensions between the two.

Their relationship has been an uneasy one after Mr Sunak quit as chancellor in Mr Johnson’s government, setting off a wave of resignations that brought down his premiership.

The process of vetting Mr Johnson’s nominees for peerages appears to be the one of the points of disagreement between the former allies.

There has been speculation in media reports about what would happen if a serving MP was nominated for a peerage, and whether they could remain in the House of Commons until the next general election, before taking up their seats in the Lords.

But HOLAC says its vetting checks expire after six months, meaning its advice on nominations is only valid for that period.

In his statement, Mr Johnson appears to be suggesting the vetting checks for his nominees could be carried out again.

Vetting process

In an interview with TalkTV, Ms Dorries claimed Downing Street had not been “telling the truth” about her nomination for a peerage.

Ms Dorries said Mr Johnson had told her in autumn last year she had been put on his resignation honours list.

The former culture secretary said she had been vetted for the peerage, but because six months had passed, her checks had expired.

She said Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson had a meeting last week to discuss his honours list.

Ms Dorries accused the prime minister of using “weasel words” to give Mr Johnson the impression Mr Sunak would ask HOLAC to restart the vetting process.

She said Mr Sunak used those words because he “knew a situation had been engineered” in which her name would not be on the list.

When asked who she believed had stopped her from entering the House of Lords, she replied: “The prime minister – Rishi Sunak.”

Following her interview, the Cabinet Office said it would be “unprecedented for a sitting prime minister to invite HOLAC to reconsider the vetting of individual nominees on a former prime minister’s resignation list.

“It is not therefore a formality.”

Nominations convention

As a departing prime minister, Mr Johnson has the right to nominate people for seats in the House of Lords, and for other honours such as knighthoods.

By convention, current prime ministers pass on the list of nominees to HOLAC, which can recommend their names do not go forward after a vetting process.

HOLAC advises prime ministers on the suitability of candidates for peerages and usually, they accept its recommendations on appointments, whatever the outcome.

But Mr Johnson broke with this convention in 2020, when he nominated businessman Peter Cruddas for a peerage, despite his rejection by HOLAC.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the vetting commission said it had rejected eight of Mr Johnson’s nominations, but declined to name them or say why, adding it “does not comment on individuals”.

Downing Street has insisted that Mr Sunak passed on Mr Johnson’s list of nominations unaltered. It says it also accepted HOLAC’s full approved list and passed it to the King.

But on Monday, a source describing themselves as an ally of Mr Johnson accused the prime minister of “secretly” blocking peerages for “Nadine and others”.

“He refused to ask for them to undergo basic checks that could have taken only a few weeks or even days,” the source added.

“That is how he kept them off the list – without telling Boris Johnson.”

Maryam says ‘PTI can now easily fit in a Qingqi’ after defections

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz took a jibe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) saying the entire opposition party can fit in a Qingqi rickshaw following defections in the wake of May 9 violence.

“Today he himself is the president, general secretary, chief organiser and spokesperson of the party and the only candidate of his party,” she said while referring to PTI chief Imran Khan.

The ruling party leader made these remarks while addressing the PML-N’s youth convention in Punjab’s Shujabad city on Sunday.

At the rally, the PML-N stalwart was also coronated with gold tiara studded with beautiful pearls.

Unlike PTI, Maryam said the PML-N did not dismantle because “it is the people’s party and not a fake party”.

She said the PTI “which was formed after the hard work of 26 years, disintegrated in 26 minutes”.

She said the real enemy of the country was identified after May 9 tragedy which saw attacks on public and military installations in many parts of the country following the arrest of the PTI chief.

“The chapter of chaos and anarchy has ended and now the journey of progress will begin,” the PML-N leader added.

Dozens of PTI leaders including Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry, Aamir Mehmood Kiani, Ali Zaidi and other shave quit the party over May 9 mayhem while senior leaders including Asad Umar and Parvez Khattak stepped down from party positions citing the same reason.

Several PTI deserters have joined Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) launched by sugar baron Jahangir Tareen with an aim to “set new direction in the country’s politics”.

‘Best budget’

Maryam also hailed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Mnister Ishaq saying they presented the “best budget” despite difficult economic situation.

She said the PM and finance minister “saved the country” from default without the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.

“Even in difficult economic conditions, the salaries of government employees of up to grade 16 were increased by 30%,” she said.

She said the country’s economy would take off when PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who has been living London since November 2019 on medical grounds, returns to the country.

Finance Minister Dar on Friday unboxed a Rs14.46 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, introducing “no new taxes” and envisaging an economic growth of 3.5% as the crisis-riven country looks to persuade the IMF to release more bailout money.

Cyclone Biparjoy live updates: India, Pakistan on high alert

Authorities in Indian and Pakistani coastal areas were put on high alert to deal with the extremely severe cyclonic storm (ESCS) “Biparjoy” that is moving closer and likely to hit on 15th June.

The cyclone over the east-central Arabian Sea moved northwards with a speed of 05 kmph and lay centred over the same region near latitude 19.0°N and longitude 67.7°E, about 540 km west of Mumbai (India) and 660 km south of Karachi (Pakistan).

It is very likely to move nearly northward till the morning of 14th June, then move north northeastwards and cross Saurashtra and Kutch coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) by noon of 15th June as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.

Possible impacts on Pakistani coastal areas:

— With its probable approach to the southeast Sindh coast, widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied with squally winds of 80-100Km/hour likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker and Umerkot districts during 13-17 June.

— Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds of 60-80 Km/hour likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Mirpurkhas districts from 13/14 June -16 June.

— Squally (high intensity) winds may cause damage to loose & vulnerable structures (Kutcha houses).

— Storm surge of 3-3.5 meters (8-12 feet) is expected at the land falling point (Keti Bandar and around).

— Fishermen are advised not to venture in the open sea till the system is over by 17 June, as the Arabian Sea conditions may get very rough/high accompanied with high tides along the coast.

Possible impacts on Indian coastal areas:

— Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely over Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Morbi districts of Saurashtra and Kutch on 14th June.

— The intensity of rainfall would increase with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy falls at isolated places very likely over Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi and Junagarh districts of Gujarat on 15th June.

— Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over the remaining districts of Saurashtra and north Gujarat region on 15th June.

CM Murad Shah takes aerial view of coastal areas

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday took an aerial view of Badin, Sujawal and Thatta’s coastal belt amid cyclone Biparjoy threat.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall along the Sindh’s coast on June 15. The provincial authorities have planned to evacuate at least 10,000 people and shift them to safer places.

Minister for Local Bodies Nasir Ali Shah and the chief secretary were also present with the chief minister.

Sindh to begin evacuation along coastline

As the risk of tropical cyclone Biparjoy present in the Arabian Sea escalates, the government has decided to evacuate the residential areas and other human settlements near the coast of Sindh.

Karachi to receive heavy rain

Sindh Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz, talking to Geo News, forecast heavy rains in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah Sanghar, and Tando Mohammad Khan due to the storm.

He said rains might hit these areas on June 14 or 15, while heavy winds would blow at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour.

300-400mm rain in cyclone-hit areas

In conversation with Geo News, Sindh Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said that the cyclone’s direction would remain towards the northeast and hit Keti Bandar (Thatta) on June 15.

He said 300mm-400 mm of rain is expected in the areas where the storm passes. Therefore, heavy rains are expected in Thatta, Sajawal, Badin, Mirpur Khas, and surrounding areas in South East Sindh.

NDMA continuously monitoring cyclone

National Disaster Management Authority says they are continuously monitoring the cyclone and necessary instructions are being given to relevant quarters.

India Meteorological Department says Biparjoy currently lies over east-central and adjoining NE Arabian Sea about 380km SSW of Devbhumi Dwarka.

‘Nothing wrong’ with nuclear deal with West, says Khamenei

DUBAI: Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday said a deal with the West over Tehran’s nuclear work was possible if the country’s nuclear infrastructure remained intact, amid a stalemate between Tehran and Washington to revive a 2015 nuclear pact.

Months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to salvage the nuclear accord with six major powers have stalled since September, with both sides accusing each other of making unreasonable demands.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s guarded approval comes days after both Tehran and Washington denied a report that they were nearing an interim deal under which Tehran would curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

“There is nothing wrong with the agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched,” Khamenei said, according to state media.

A US State Department spokesperson declined specific comment on Khamenei’s remarks, reiterating the Biden administration stance that the United States “is committed to never allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”

“We will not characterise the nature of an Iranian leader’s remarks,” the spokesperson added.

The 2015 agreement limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms, in return for lifting international sanctions.

Then-US President Donald Trump exited the pact in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy, leading Tehran to gradually move well beyond the deal’s nuclear restrictions and reviving US, European and Israeli fears that Iran may seek an atomic bomb.

Echoing Iran’s official stance for years, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic has never sought to build a nuclear bomb.

Khamenei, who has the last say on all state matters, said the country’s nuclear authorities should continue working with the UN nuclear watchdog “under the framework of safeguards.”

However, Khamenei called on Iranian authorities not to yield to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) “excessive and false demands”, adding that a law passed by Iran’s hard-line parliament in 2020 had to be respected.

Under the law, Tehran would suspend IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites and step up uranium enrichment if sanctions are not lifted.

“This is a good law … which must be respected and not violated in providing access and information (to the IAEA),” Khamenei said.

Last month, the IAEA reported limited progress over disputed issues with Iran, including re-installing some monitoring equipment originally put in place under the 2015 pact that Tehran ordered removed last year.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf is facing calls to suspend his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon from the Scottish National Party after her arrest on Sunday.

Ms Sturgeon was questioned by police and released without charge as part of an investigation into the SNP’s funding and finances.

The former party leader said she was “innocent of any wrongdoing”.

An SNP spokesman said the party was co-operating fully with the investigation.

The force has been investigating for the past two years what happened to £660,000 of donations given to the SNP by independence activists for use in a future independence referendum campaign.

SNP MP Angus MacNeil joined opposition parties in calling for Ms Sturgeon to be suspended from the party – saying “this soap-opera has gone far enough”.

“Nicola Sturgeon suspended others from the SNP for an awful lot less,” Mr MacNeil tweeted.

Scottish Conservatives chairman Craig Hoy said Mr Yousaf must “now show some leadership and suspend his predecessor from the SNP”.

Ms Sturgeon was taken into custody and questioned by detectives at a police station after she attended voluntarily shortly after 10:00 on Sunday.

Officers had up to 12 hours from the time Ms Sturgeon was arrested before they had to decide whether to charge her with a crime or release her while their enquiries continue.

She was released from custody at about 17:25 on the same day – well before the deadline expired and just over seven hours since her arrest.

Police said a report would be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Nicola Sturgeon arrested as part of SNP finances investigation – in 80 seconds

The former first minister published a statement on Twitter shortly after police confirmed her release.

She said: “To find myself in the situation I did today when I am certain I have committed no offence is both a shock and deeply distressing.

“I know that this ongoing investigation is difficult for people, and I am grateful that so many continue to show faith in me and appreciate that I would never do anything to harm either the SNP or the country.”

She went on: “Innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to in law. I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing

It follows the arrest of her husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, on 5 April by officers who searched the couple’s home in Glasgow as part of their Operation Branchform probe.

The SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh were searched on the same day and a luxury motorhome valued at about £110,000 was also seized by police from outside the home of Mr Murrell’s mother in Dunfermline.

Almost two weeks later, the party’s treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested.

Both men were released pending further investigations, with Mr Beattie resigning as treasurer a short time later.

The arrest of the former first minister had been widely expected as she was one of the three signatories on the SNP’s accounts alongside Mr Murrell and Mr Beattie – although there was no indication of when it was going to happen.

Pakistan wants ‘deep meaningful ties’ with Russia, says Bilawal

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday reiterated that the Pakistani government was committed to enhancing engagement with Russia though deep meaningful ties.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera during his recent visit to Iraq, FM Bilawal said they wanted to maintain neutrality over the Ukraine conflict.

He maintained that the floods last year that devastated large parts of Pakistan was not only significant for the country but for the entire world.

Despite many economic and political challenges faced by country, ranging from climate change to Russian-Ukraine conflicts and domestic issues, the foreign minister said that he was confident that the people of the country would come together to overcome these ordeals and build a better future.

“It had affected 33 million people, besides causing huge financial losses which had far reaching effects upon Pakistan’s economy,” he added.

To build back climate resilient Pakistan, he said, they had arranged a conference in Geneva in collaboration with the UN, adding they were making efforts to materialise about $9 to $10 billion pledges made during the conference.

Whereas, a large chunks of finances had been arranged through bilateral engagement with the world financial institutions, confirmed the foreign minister.

He said they, however, were trying to revive International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

About PTI chief Imran Khan’s allegations, he said that he was responsible for his downfall and history would prove it.

The foreign minister said that the country had faced dictatorships in the past and the PTI chief always supported the dictatorships. It was documented and established fact that he was brought to power through rigged elections.

He said the announcement by the military top brass that the army would not get involved in politics and would remain apolitical, had definitely upset the PTI’s supporters.

The citizens were offended on the incidents of May 9 when the PTI supporters attacked GHQ and Corps commander house, he added.

He said the elements involved in those incidents would face the legal consequences.

To a question, Bilawal said “We don’t believe the change could come by overnight”, adding the only way was through the change brought about by the democratic forces in the society.

He said change should take place through civilian and political process involving the parliament. Imran Khan had paid less attention to parliament.

“The fate of the country can’t be decided on streets but by the parliament,” he stressed while underling the need for the civilian and political leadership to strengthen the democratic role, squeezing space for others.

He said the PPP was the party that always challenged dictatorship including the last one of late Musharraf and regretted that not an attack had ever been mounted by any political party in Pakistan as done by the PTI on May 9.

The foreign minister said that he did not regret returning to Pakistan to realise the vision of his mother. “Pakistan is transitioning towards democracy. We are at the fork towards road to democracy,” he added.

To a query, he said after the fall of Kabul, the international community had many expectations from the new rulers.

“Pakistan’s position is in line with the position of the international community”, he said, adding the international community wanted Taliban rulers to to do with the women’s rights and education and that the Afghan soil should not be used for terrorist activities.

FM Bilawal further stressed that engagement of the global community with the new rulers of Afghanistan was the only solution as it was in the interest of all to have a secure and prosperous Afghanistan that was at peace with itself and with its neighbours.

The world wanted the incumbent rulers to fulfil their commitment with the international community, he said.

The foreign minister, replying to a question, said that Pakistan faced security threats from terrorist outfit TTP as different terrorist incidents occurred in Pakistan after the fall of Kabul.

He reiterated that Pakistan wanted Taliban to act against these terrorists and cited hosting of a recent meeting of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan which focused on threats of terrorism.

About ties with Iran, the foreign minister said that recently a border market was established at Iran-Balochistan border to encourage bilateral trade whereas, they were also working on electricity transmission from Iran to Balochistan.

Bilawal termed the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran as a ‘positive development’.

“It is a positive news not only for the two countries, but for the whole region and for us,” he said, stressing that through engagement all the issues could be resolved paving way for peace dividends.

Pak-China cooperation based on economic prosperity

The foreign minister strongly rebuffed the allegations against China’s investment in Pakistan and said that it was unfortunately a reflection of “biased attitude”.

He said all weather strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China was based upon economic prosperity.

Pakistan was engaged with China, through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a flagship of “One belt one road’ initiative under which China was completing different energy and road infrastructure projects, he added.

The foreign minister reiterated that they were optimistic to live up to their commitment, adding “Development is the right of all countries.”

As result of CPEC, they were optimistic to further increase their economic activity between the two countries. The economy of the two countries supplemented each other.

About his visit to Iraq, he said that it would further enhance the bilateral and economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries.

They also wanted to strengthen the security and defence cooperation and share their experiences learnt from terrorism. For the promotion of cultural and religious ties, both the countries agreed to ease visas for tourism, he added.

At least 28 killed, over 140 injured as heavy rains lash KP, Punjab

At least 28 people were killed and over 100 injured after heavy rains and thunderstorms hit several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab on Saturday.

As per the provincial disaster management authority, 25 people were killed in rain-related incidents in KP’s Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Karak and Lakki Marwat while 145 were injured. It added that at least 69 houses were partially damaged by the rain.

As per PDMA’s breakdown, 15 people died and 100 were injured in Bannu. It also added that 68 houses were partially damaged in the area.

Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and 42 others were wounded in the Lakki Marwat district.

Meanwhile, in Karak, four people died and one person was injured. In, Dera Ismail Khan a child died due to the rains, two people were injured and one house was partially damaged.

A Rescue 1122 official said that all stations of their Rescue 1122 in KP are on the alert to deal with any untoward incident.

He said relief activities continued as due to heavy rain, roof collapses occurred at many places in Lakki Marwat, Bannu and other parts of the province.

He disclosed that Rescue 1122’s search and rescue operations are ongoing as all the injured are being shifted to the hospital after providing medical aid on the spot.

KP caretaker Information Minister Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah, in a statement, said that a high alert had been issued in the hospitals of the affected districts.

He said the interim government was in contact with the authorities of the affected areas.

Similarly, heavy rains along with strong winds battered several parts of Punjab including Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and other districts.

In Chan village of the Khushab district of the province, three girls died after a wall of their house collapsed due to torrential rains.

At least 10 people were injured in rain-related incidents in Gujranwala district.

Heavy rains and strong winds also disrupted electricity supply in many areas.

Heavy rain with thunderstorms was also reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Nakyal city and its suburbs.

PM Shehbaz orders urgent measures

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed regret over the loss of life and property in rain-related incidents in a telephonic conversation with Deputy Speaker National Assembly Zahid Akram Durrani, who hails from Bannu district.

“The people of Lakki Marwat will not be left alone in the hour of trouble,” an official statement quoted the premier as saying.

The prime minister directed the KP chief secretary and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to take urgent measures to deal with any untoward situation.

Month: June 2023