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13 dead in wall collapse incidents as heavy rains lash Islamabad, Rawalpindi

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  • Rawalpindi receives highest rainfall; water level surges in Nullah Lai.
  • Buses collide on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway. 
  • Army called in to assist Rawalpindi district administration. 

ISLAMABAD: As many as 13 people were reportedly crushed to death in separate incidents of walls collapse in Islamabad on Wednesday due to heavy monsoon rains in the federal capital and Rawalpindi.

Torrential rains continue to lash the twin cities as the monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea intensified today as forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), with the highest, nearly 200 millimetres, rainfall in Rawalpindi.

Police said that 12 people were killed when the wall of an under-construction bridge came crashing down on them near Golra Mor, Peshawar Road in Islamabad.

They said the wall was 100-foot wide and 11-foot high, under which the labourers had set up a tent to live at the construction site.

The rescue teams reached the site of the incident as soon as they received the report, Rescue 1122 officials stated.

Police said that the rescue workers pulled bodies out from the wall’s debris with the help of machines. Search for more people likely to be stuck under the rubble is underway, with four being rescued alive so far.

Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl was killed in a similar wall collapse incident in Mohammadi Town within the jurisdiction of Khana Police Station of Islamabad.

In a separate rain-related incident, several people were injured when two buses travelling via Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway barreled into each other after losing control due to a slippery road amid a downpour.

Rescue 1122 said that their teams are working to aid the injured while the severely injured are being shifted to hospitals in Wah Cantt and Taxila. 

As per Met Department, Shamsabad received up to 188 millimetres of rainfall. It poured up to 110 millimetres in Chaklala, 138 millimetres in Bokra, 102 millimetres in Golra, 98 millimetres at zero-point, 79 millimetres in Kachehri, 64 millimetres at Islamabad airport, and 44 millimetres in Saidpur.

The water level in Nullah Lai rose dangerously high, 14 feet near Katarian and 11 feet near Gawalmandi due to incessant rains, with army troops called in for rain emergency services.

Authorities rang sirens of threat to alert the residents in the surroundings and advised them to evacuate. Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 has also been alerted in Rawalpindi.

Punjab CM orders water drainage from low lying areas

Taking the risks into account, Punjab’s interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi directed the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) officials to drain rainwater accumulated in the low lying areas of Rawalpindi.

He ordered emergency steps to be taken in this regard and a progress report should be submitted in the CM office.

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi was also put on high alert to cope with urban flooding while a rain emergency was declared directing the residents settled along Nullah Lai and in low-lying areas to move to safer places, WASA managing director said.

He said that WASA personnel were deployed in different city areas along with heavy machinery, particularly at low-lying areas including Raja Bazar, Bohar Bazar, Jamia Masjid Road, Murree Road, Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony, Sadiqabad, Satellite Town and other areas.

Water level in Nallah Lai was being monitored regularly, he added.

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Business

In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee modestly appreciates versus the US dollar.

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In the interbank market, the Pakistani Rupee increased by 0.03% against the US dollar during Monday’s early trading session.

The rupee strengthened by 8 paise against the dollar, reaching 278.48 as of 10:10 a.m. By ending at 278.56, the rupee had lost 9 paise the day before.

Globally, Monday saw a minor decline in the US dollar, but it was still close to its two-year high. In order to obtain additional understanding of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate strategy, traders are anticipating US economic data, namely the December non-farm payrolls report.

The Chinese yuan also garnered notice when, following a strong defense by the People’s Bank of China in December, it dropped below the psychological level of 7.3 per dollar for the first time in 14 months.

Last spotted, the offshore yuan increased by 0.15% to 7.3487 per US dollar, while the onshore yuan fell by 0.05% to 7.3252 per US dollar.

The speeches that various Federal Reserve policymakers are scheduled to give this week, in which they are anticipated to restate their positions on inflation and the continuous fight against price increases, are also attracting market attention.

Expectations of fewer interest rate reduction from the Fed have helped the US dollar gain strength, and last week it reached a two-year high. Meanwhile, the euro fell to its lowest level in more than two years.

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Drugs worth $1 million are seized by the Pakistan Navy in the North Arabian Sea.

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Pakistan Navy Ship PNS MOAWIN, according to ISPR, used naval air assets to perform a boarding operation on a suspicious boat and confiscate the drugs that were concealed in the ship’s hidden compartments.

An estimated one million US dollars is the international market value of the narcotics that were seized.

International shipping lanes were being used to deliver this shipment of drugs.

Within the region’s maritime borders, the Pakistan Navy is always engaged in stopping all types of illicit activity, ISPR continued.

A spokesperson for the ANF Headquarters stated that earlier, during seven operations, another security unit of the nation’s anti-narcotics unit (ANF) seized more than 149 kg of drugs valued at more than Rs 40 million and detained four drug dealers.

He reported that 30 capsules containing heroin had been found in the stomach of a traveler at Peshawar International Airport who was headed to Jeddah.

Another operation resulted in the arrest of a suspect after 31 inebriated tablets were found in a package close to an Islamabad park.

150 grams of ice were found in a package that was shipped to Australia via a Karachi courier service.

90 kilograms of opium and 10 kg of heroin that had been concealed for smuggling were found during an operation in the Balochistani district of Chagai.

In the fifth operation, 45 kg of hashish was found in an uninhabited part of Balochistan’s Coastal Line Pasni. Three kilograms of hashish were found in Hyderabad on a suspect.

During the seventh operation, 500 grams of ice and 1 kilogram of heroin were found in the custody of a biker who was stopped close to the Iqbal Shaheed Toll Plaza Attock.

Additional investigations are underway, and cases have been filed under the Narcotics Control Act against the arrested suspect.

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Outsourcing of Airports: Deputy Prime Minister Commits to Transforming Aviation into a Profitable Sector

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Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has instructed the implementation of all feasible measures to render aviation a viable industry and to enhance service quality for travelers.

He provided these directives while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad concerning the outsourcing of airports and the advancement of the aviation sector.

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