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ARMY, NDMA STEP UP RESCUE AS RAGING RIVERS ‘THREATEN’ PUNJAB AFTER INDIAN DISCHARGE Thursday, 28 August, 2025 | 3 Rabiul Awal, 1447
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 51 | 8 Pages | Islamabad Edition
g 29 ARMY MEDICAL CAMPS TREAT OVER g KKH REOPENED, 104 ROADS CLEARED, ARMY LAUNCH MASSIVE FLOOD RELIEF 20,700 FLOOD VICTIMS IN PUNJAB, KP, AND THREE KEY BRIDGES REPAIRED IN KP DRIVE, EVACUATED 28,000 AND GB AND AJK: LT-GEN CHAUDHRY AND GB DESPITE HARSH WEATHER: DG DISTRIBUTED 225 TONS OF RATION: DG ISPR
TWO SOLDIERS EMBRACE MARTYRDOM DURING OPERATIONS; ARMY VOWS CONTINUED NATIONAL RESPONSE
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ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI Saleem Jadoon
AKISTAN Army scaled up rescue and relief operations with all disaster management departments “put on red alert” as floodwaters swell to a “very dangerous level across all Punjab’s rivers following “discharges by India” while the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) evacuated more than 210,000 people to safer places, predicting widespread torrential rains over the next 48 hours.
PM SHEHBAZ CLOSELY MONITORING SITUATION, TO VISIT FLOOD-HIT AREAS SOON: TARAR
The fresh data released by the NDMA shows that more than 800 people have been killed across Pakistan since the monsoon season began on June 26 while the worst rains spell that began on Aug. 15, still ongoing, with the latest surge of floodwaters in the Sutlej, Chenab and Ravi rivers turning Punjab into the hardest-hit region. Large swathes of the province are inundated and the government has called for the deployment of army units in multiple districts, including Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Narowal, Okara, Hafizabad and Sargodha, for rescue and relief operations. Reuters reported
Pakistan condemns Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, voices support for Syria’s sovereignty ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
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Pakistan on Tuesday strongly denounced the deadly Israeli airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, where at least 21 people, including four journalists and a rescue worker, were killed. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as “unconscionable and heinous,” stressing that the assault on a medical facility, coupled with the continued targeting of civilians and journalists, constituted a serious breach of international human rights law, humanitarian principles, and press freedom. Islamabad reiterated its demand for the international community to hold Israel accountable for what it called “heinous crimes,” urging urgent and concrete measures to end Israel’s “impunity.” The foreign office also extended Pakistan’s criticism to Israeli military action in Syria, condemning in “the strongest possible terms” what it described as an unlawful incursion into the Syrian Arab Republic. Such actions, it said, violated international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
on Wednesday India has opened all gates of major dams on rivers in its part of the Kashmir region following heavy rains, and has warned neighboring Pakistan of the possibility of downstream flooding. Addressing a press briefing, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday said that, on the special directives of the Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), one engineer brigade along with 19 infantry and medical units had been deployed to carry out relief and rescue operations in flood-hit districts across the country. Flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and the Director General of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lt Gen Chaudhry said that Army flood response units had already been mobilized in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). So far, around 28,000 people have been rescued during ongoing operations, he added. He informed that the Army had established 29 medical camps across Punjab, KP, GB and AJK, where more than 20,700 people have received treatment, while over 225 tons of food rations had been distributed among flood-affected communities.
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ARMY TROOPS REQUISITIONED IN EIGHT PUNJAB DISTRICTS, INCLUDING LAHORE, FAISALABAD, OKARA, SIALKOT, NAROWAL, KASUR AND OTHERS
PM directs NDMA to avert urban flooding, orders swift coordination in Punjab’s flood-hit areas ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and all relevant institutions to take immediate measures to prevent potential urban flooding in Lahore, Sialkot, and Gujrat as heavy rains and rising water flows in Punjab’s rivers raised the risk of inundation, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported (APP). Chairing an emergency meeting on the evolving flood situation, the prime minister emphasized the need for stronger coordination between NDMA and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab to ensure timely warnings, early evacuations, and uninterrupted relief supplies. He stressed that effective information-sharing was critical to minimizing loss of life and property, said a statement issued from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
NDMA Chairman Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik briefed the meeting on the situation in Chenab, Sutlej, and Ravi rivers, where high inflows were being reported. He informed that preemptive evacuations had begun in vulnerable villages, safe relocation points were being established, and relief goods including tents were being dispatched to affected areas. Supplies of food, medicines, and other essentials would follow, he added. The prime minister directed the ministers for communications and energy, secretary energy, and the NHA chairman to rush to Lahore and extend full support to Punjab authorities in maintaining power supply, road connectivity, and communication channels in flood-affected districts. He assured that, as in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during recent flooding, the federal government would stand fully behind Punjab in this crisis.
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Pakistan, Belarus finalize extradition treaty, agree on counter-narcotics, police training ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan and Belarus on Wednesday finalized an extradition treaty and signed a protocol for its implementation, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Belarusian counterpart Ivan Kubrakov held wide-ranging talks in Islamabad to expand security and labour cooperation. Held at the Ministry of Interior, the two sides—accompanied by senior officials—discussed cooperation in counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, border security and institutional capacity building. Both sides described the signing of the extradition protocol as a major step towards curbing transnational crime and strengthening judicial cooperation. It was also agreed to establish a Joint Working Group between the two interior ministries to provide a structured platform for sustained dialogue. “The formation of this group will prove beneficial in
promoting relations between Pakistan and Belarus,” Minister Naqvi said after the meeting. Both countries decided to soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding on counter-narcotics, while an exchange program for police training will also be launched. Officials noted that the collaboration would enhance Pakistan’s law enforcement capacity and provide Belarus access to Pakistan’s counter-terrorism expertise. On the economic front, Naqvi welcomed the signing of a separate MoU between Belarus and Pakistan’s Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, under which thousands of Pakistani workers will be employed in Belarus. “We will ensure that only the best workforce is sent after thorough scrutiny,” he assured. Belarusian Interior Minister Kubrakov reaffirmed his country’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Pakistan, praising its people as hardworking and skilled. He extended an invitation to Naqvi to visit
Belarus, saying such an engagement would further cement ties. The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Secretary Interior, senior officials of the ministry, Commandant National Police Academy, DG Cybercrime, DG Anti-
Narcotics Force, and other concerned officers. Officials said the high-level engagement reflects Pakistan’s broader efforts to strengthen partnerships with friendly countries in Eastern Europe, diversify security collaboration, and create new opportunities for labour mobility.