Month: July 2026

Peshawar: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry is holding Business Excellence Award and Conference 2026 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

More than 75 businessmen from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are participating in this mega event starting from July 7 to 11, next, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.

President SCCI, Junaid Altaf said the investment conference would play an important role in enhancing Pak-Uzbek bilateral trade and economic relations and investment in the country.

According to him, several events, including B2B meetings, exhibition, engagements with officials and local investors and others, will be held during the sidelines of the conference.

Earlier, President Junaid Altaf arrived Tashkent and reviewed the overall arrangement for the event and participated in dinner along with Secretary General, of the chamber, Muqtasid Ahsan.

On the occasion, Trade Councillor of Pakistan in Uzbekistan, Zaheer Abbas, Furqan and Saif Group CEO, Kalimulllah Marwat were also present.

The participants during the dinner exchanged views regarding Pak-Uzbek bilateral trade, investment and mutual collaboration and promotion of business contacts.

The meeting highlighted significance of the Business Excellence Award and Conference 2026 and discussion held on prospects of building strong linkages and partnership between businessmen of the both the countries.

Meanwhile, president Junaid Altaf expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for the Business Excellence Award and Investment Conference 2026.

It is worth mentioning here that due to foreign official tour by President SCCI, senior vice president of the chamber, Muhammad Nadeem will perform responsibilities as acting preside of the chamber.

Muzaffargarh: The body of a 55-year-old shepherd who drowned in the Indus River was recovered on the sixth day of a prolonged search operation, the Rescue 1122 sources said on Tuesday.

According to Rescue 1122, the victim, identified as Mukhtiar Hussain, went missing after crossing the river near Noori Wala Nasheb, close to Khar Chowk in District, Layyah where he had taken livestock for grazing.

He failed to return, prompting authorities to launch a search operation.

A 25-member Rescue 1122 team, supported by four boats, divers and trained swimmers, continued the operation for six consecutive days.

The body was eventually recovered near Dhol Wali Bridge in the Paharpur area, approximately 54 kilometers downstream from the reported drowning site, using boating and line-search techniques, the sources added.

After completing the required legal formalities, the body was handed over to the victim’s family.

The search operation was supervised by Incident Commander, Mohammad Kashif under the overall oversight of District Emergency Officer Dr. Sajjad Ahmad.

The Rescue 1122 urged the public to exercise extreme caution near rivers and other deep-water locations and to immediately report emergencies by calling the 1122 emergency helpline.

Peshawar: As deadly floods and cloudburst-triggered disasters continue to hit parts of Pakistan, Nepal and India, scientists warn that communities across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) face an increasingly dangerous pattern this season.

‘These dangerous patterns include longer dry spells punctuated by sudden bursts of intense rainfall capable of triggering flash floods, landslides and glacier-related hazards,’ reads a statement issued by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an international organization working to address climate resilience and environmental challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

The warning follows recent cloudburst-induced flooding in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan and flooding triggered by intense rainfalls in Arunachal Pradesh, India, even as the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Monsoon Outlook 2026 projecting below-normal seasonal rainfall across much of the region.

“The biggest misunderstanding is that less seasonal rainfall means lower flood risk,” said Saswata Sanyal, Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist at ICIMOD.

Seasonal forecasts describes average conditions over several months, not what happens in a single valley. Under El Ni±o, long dry spells can be interrupted by intense local storms that triggers devastating flash floods and landslides, Sanyal added.

The contradiction lies at the heart of this year’s monsoon. While El Ni±o is expected to suppress seasonal rainfall across much of South Asia, short-lived weather systems can temporarily override that pattern, producing intense localised rainfalls capable of causing severe flooding.

The result is a monsoon that is becoming more uneven and difficult to predict, with prolonged dry conditions increasing pressure on agriculture and water supplies while isolated extreme rainfall events continue to threaten lives and infrastructure.

Above-normal temperatures are expected to further increase risks in glacier-fed river basins across the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. Warmer conditions accelerate glacier and snowmelt, adding, more water to rivers already swollen by intense rainfall while also destabilising mountain slopes and moraine-dammed lakes.

“The recent flooding in Pakistan’s Thore Valley demonstrates that hazards in the HKH are no longer occurring in isolation,” said Manish Shrestha, Hydrologist at ICIMOD.

“Heavy rainfall, glacier melt, unstable slopes and fast-rising rivers can interact to create cascading disasters. Preparedness must reflect these compound risks rather than treating each hazard separately.”

Scientists say governments should prepare simultaneously for drought, heat stress, flash floods, landslides and glacier-related hazards rather than viewing them as separate scenarios.

Particular attention is needed for settlements along riverbanks, steep mountain slopes and rapidly expanding urban areas across Nepal, northern and north-eastern India, Pakistan and other vulnerable mountain regions, where fragile geology, rising temperatures and expanding infrastructure continue to increase exposure, they suggested.

With weeks of the monsoon still ahead, experts say the greatest danger is assuming that fewer rainy days mean fewer disasters. This year’s monsoon demands preparedness for drought and floods at the same time.

Kohat: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kohat, Muhammad Nawaz here on Tuesday visited Mary Cricket Ground to inspect the designated site for proposed ‘Jawan Markaz’ (Youth Center).

During the visit, the Director of Works, Sports and Youth Affairs and District Youth Officer briefed him on scope of the project and significance of Jawan Markaz for empowerment of youth.

DC directed the concerned authorities to ensure steady progress on the project to provide the district’s youth with modern and quality facilities.

Meanwhile, taking a significant step to protect labourers from the ongoing extreme heat and harsh weather conditions, the district administration Kohat has established a dedicated shelter for daily wage workers.

The facility that been set up on Pindi Road, near the Government postgraduate College aimed to provide temporary relief and a safe environment for laborers and protect them from the intense sun and heatstroke risks.

Rawalpindi: Newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Rawalpindi, Prof. Dr. Iqbal Mehmood, on Monday said that taking effective measures to resolve employee grievances and upgrading student facilities on merit would be his top priorities.

He expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation from the Pothohar Union group led by former Employees Association President Raja Usman Shahzad, who visited the board office to congratulate him on assuming charge.

The Chairman emphasized that the administration would promote a culture of transparency, mutual respect, and equality by taking all stakeholders and different employee groups along to improve institutional efficiency.

Earlier, the delegation, which included Muhammad Shabaan Abbasi, Chaudhry Shahid Ayub, Hafeez Satti, Malik Fahad, Nawaz Abbasi, and others, extended their best wishes to the new head and assured him of their full cooperation for the development of the educational board.

Lodhran: A youth was killed while another sustained critical injuries in an accident on Bahawalpur road near BBQ Tonight hotel in Lodhran on Tuesday. According to the Rescue 1122, two persons riding on a motorcycle were going to Lodhran from Bahawalpur when suddenly another motorcycle collided with them attempting to overtake them. The collision threw both riders onto the road, where they were run over by a trailer approaching from behind. As a result, 16-year-old Kashif of Chak 97/M died on the spot after suffering a severe head crush injury. The second victim, 36 years old Amir sustained critical injuries.