Page 41 - Pakistan

Pakistan inflation hits record 47-year high before full impact of flood

Consumer prices rose 27.26% last month from a year earlier, according to data released by the government Thursday.

Amid floods, inflation, a political crisis is the last thing Pakistan needs

Accused of economic mismanagement and toppled in a no-confidence vote in April, Imran Khan has since kept up a steady stream of attacks on the coalition government that replaced him

Flood situation in Pakistan highly likely to boost disease spread: WHO

The catastrophic flood situation in Pakistan will highly likely increase the spread of disease, says the World Health Organization (WHO), as the country continues its battle against the deadly deluges

Pakistan looking into options to seek flood emergency loan from IMF

As per the initial estimates by the Ministry of Finance, the average inflation rate could sharply accelerate to up to 26 per cent due to the disruption in supply chain

Over 3 mn children at risk after massive floods in Pakistan: UNICEF

Last week, Pakistan declared a state of emergency and called on other countries and international organizations to provide assistance amid the massive floods

Saddened by loss of lives due to severe floods in Pakistan: US Official

The White House has expressed grief over the tragic loss of lives and devastation caused by severe flooding in Pakistan. Floods triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains have caused widespread havoc across Pakistan, killing over 1,100 people and displacing 33 million or one-seventh of the country's population. "We are saddened by the tragic loss of life and destruction as a result of the severe flooding in Pakistan. We send our deepest condolences to all the individuals and families impacted. The United States stands with communities in Pakistan as they experience severe flooding and landslides," White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference here on Wednesday. "Yesterday, USAID announced it is providing an additional USD30 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by the severe flooding. With these funds, USAID partners will prioritise urgently needed support for food, nutrition, safe water, improved sanitation and

Around 5 mn people may fall sick in flood-hit Pak in coming weeks: Experts

Around five million people in flood-hit Pakistan, including children, may fall sick due to the outbreak of water-borne and vector-borne diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea in the next four to 12 weeks, health experts have warned. Floods triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains have caused widespread havoc across Pakistan, killing over 1,100 people so far and destroying farmlands. Those who survived nature's fury are facing health issues, the News International reported. As the condition stays grim, health officials said that people in the flooded areas of Sindh, Balochistan, southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are likely to get diarrhea, cholera, gastroenteritis, typhoid and vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria. It is estimated that a disease outbreak would initially require medicines and medical supplies worth Rs 1 billion, they said, and urged donors, philanthropists and common people to donate these after consulting health experts and officials of rescue and welfare

Pakistan to consult coalition partners on importing goods from India: FM

Pakistan's Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Wednesday the government will consider importing goods from India after consulting its coalition partners and key stakeholders, as the cash-strapped nation seeks to stablise soaring food prices triggered by flash floods that have wrought havoc across the country. The idea to import edible goods from India was first floated by the finance minister on Monday, when the country's death toll crossed 1,100 and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, and thousands of acres of crops were destroyed. More than one international agency has approached the govt to allow them to bring food items from India through the land border. The govt will take the decision to allow imports or not based on supply shortage position, after consulting its coalition partners & key stakeholders, Ismail said in a tweet. Meanwhile, Pakistan has decided to import onions and tomatoes from Iran and Afghanistan in the wake of an impending food crisis triggered

650,000 pregnant women in dire need of care in flood-hit Pakistan

The UN agency also warned that many women and girls were at an incre­a­­sed risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as almost one million hou­ses were dama­g­­ed in the catastrophic floods

Pakistan could have averted climate catastrophe that has killed over 1,000

A changing climate will make the problems Pakistan is experiencing now even worse. Warmer air is able to hold more moisture, making extreme monsoon rainfall a more frequent occurrence

Countries should not leave Pakistan at mercy of climate change: PM Sharif

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the international community should not leave developing countries like Pakistan at the mercy of climate change

US announces $30 mn humanitarian aid to Pak as it battles deadly floods

The United States on Tuesday announced USD 30 million in humanitarian aid to Pakistan as it battles one of the worst floods in recent history. US Secretary of State Tony Blinken said, "We stand with Pakistan in this difficult time." "As Pakistan suffers from devastating flooding, the United States -- through the USAID -- is now providing USD30 million towards critical humanitarian assistance like food, safe water, and shelter," he said. The flooding has affected an estimated 33 million people and resulted in more than 1,100 deaths and over 1,600 injuries, Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the Department of State, told reporters during a conference call. "In addition, more than one million homes have been damaged or destroyed, and nearly 735,000 livestock a major source of livelihood and food have been lost, and the flooding has damaged roads and more than two million acres of agricultural land, he said. USAID (United States Agency for International Development) ...

As IMF okays Pak revival plan, Sharif says 'is not an end in itself'

As International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Pakistan's revival plan to stabilize the country's economy, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that it "is not an end in itself".Prime Minister's remarks come after IMF executive board approved the revival of Pakistan's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme on Monday with which the country will receive the 7th and 8th tranche of USD 1.17 billion.Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said that the revival of the IMF programme is a path to the reorientation of the Pakistani economy."Revival of IMF program, though critical to our economy, is not an end in itself. It offers a pathway to reorient our economy. We will have to work hard to make it self-sufficient. Pakistan must break out of the economic straitjacket, which is only possible through structural reforms," he said.Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had tweeted, "Alhamdolillah the IMF Board has approved the revival of our EFF program. We should now be getting the 7th & 8th ...

'Epochal' floods kill 380 children in Pakistan, 720 others; UN seeks aid

The deluge has killed at least 1,100, impacted 33 million; climate catastrophe in Pakistan needs world's focus, says UN Secretary-General

US announces $30 million in support for Pakistan to deal with floods

The US on Tuesday announced USD 30 million to help cash-starved Pakistan and people affected following severe rains and flooding in the country. The devastating floods caused by record monsoon rains have displaced more than 33 million or one-seventh of the country's population. The US embassy in Islamabad said in a statement that Pakistan's government has declared the floods a national emergency, with 66 districts reported to be calamity hit. The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), today announced an additional USD 30 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance to support people and communities affected by severe flooding in Pakistan, the embassy said. It further said that the US is deeply saddened by the devastating loss of life, livelihoods, and homes throughout Pakistan and in response to the Pakistani government's request for assistance, it will prioritise urgently needed food support, safe water, sanitation and hygiene improvements,

'Pak facing monsoon on steroids': UN issues appeal amid devastating floods

The United Nations issued a flash appeal on Tuesday for USD 160 million to help Pakistan deal with devastating floods that have killed over 1,000 people and affected millions of lives

Pakistan's fatal flooding has hallmarks of global warming: An explainer

The familiar ingredients of a warming world were in place: searing temperatures, hotter air holding more moisture, extreme weather getting wilder, melting glaciers, people living in harm's way, and poverty. They combined in vulnerable Pakistan to create unrelenting rain and deadly flooding. The flooding has all the hallmarks of a catastrophe juiced by climate change, but it is too early to formally assign blame to global warming, several scientists tell The Associated Press. It occurred in a country that did little to cause the warming, but keeps getting hit, just like the relentless rain. This year Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is running at more than 780% above average levels, said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan's Climate Change Council. Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region and Pakistan is not an ...

Death toll from Pakistan floods climbs to 1,136, over 33 mn people affected

The death toll from floods has crossed 1,100 in Pakistan and over 33 million -- one in every seven Pakistanis -- have been affected

Islamabad HC dismisses contempt of court plea against PM Shahbaz Sharif

The coalition government is looking to make relevant amendments that would help repeal the ban imposed on Sharif by a Supreme Court judgment in the Panama Papers case against him

Pakistan fatal flooding has hallmarks of warming induced by climate change

The familiar ingredients of a warming world were in place: searing temperatures, hotter air holding more moisture, extreme weather getting wilder, melting glaciers, people living in harm's way, and poverty. They combined in vulnerable Pakistan to create unrelenting rain and deadly flooding. The flooding has all the hallmarks of a catastrophe juiced by climate change, but it is too early to formally assign blame to global warming, several scientists tell The Associated Press. It occurred in a country that did little to cause the warming, but keeps getting hit, just like the relentless rain. This year Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is running at more than 780% above average levels, said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan's Climate Change Council. Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region and Pakistan is not an ...