Diamer | Pakistan

At least twenty houses were severely damaged, while crops were destroyed and trees were uprooted due to floods in Deral Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Diamer district, authorities said on Friday. Since late July, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country, especially in its northern regions like GB, by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. The assistant commissioner of Deral, Waseem Abbas, told Dawn.com that he flood occurred at 6am on Friday due to heavy rains, which engulfed the Gamari area. “As a result of the floods, twenty houses were damaged, of which five were completely demolished,” he said. “In addition, crops and trees were also damaged.“ According to locals, many people fled when the flood hit, with dozens moving to safer places. They added that the water channel system was also severely affected by the flood, with damage to cattle sheds and livestock. The National Disaster Management Authority has ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday warned of a heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as over 200 stranded tourists were rescued from GB’s Diamer district as heavy floods battered the region. The devastating impacts of climate cha­nge have become more visible in GB as cloudburst-induced floods wreaked havoc across the region. The flood-related death toll in the region rose to five today, after four lost their lives and 15 went missing yesterday in Diamer’s Babusar area. In its alert, the PMD warned that the prevailing weather conditions increased the risk of Glofs, flash floods and landslides in vulnerable glaciated regions of GB and KP. It forecast that the wet spell was likely to continue and could affect GB and KP in the current week, adding that scattered rain and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls, were expected in both regions. The death toll in GB since yesterday currently stands at five, according to Diamer Distric...

A Federal Constabulary soldier was killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a forest checkpoint along the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, police said on Sunday. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Diamer Farrukh Rasheed said in a statement, “The deceased has been identified as Muhammad Gul Sher from Dera Ismail Khan. “The motive behind the attack is not yet known, and the police are investigating the case. The suspects fled with the gun of the deceased.” Senior Superintendent of Police Abdul Hameed told Dawn.com, “Unknown assailants opened fire at the checkpoint while the deceased was on duty and his colleagues were asleep.” He added that police teams were raiding nearby areas to look for the suspects. In his statement, he speculated that the case appeared to be related to terrorism, ruling out personal enmity or a timber smuggling attempt. The forest checkpoint was situated at the Thore Road, primarily to inspect vehicles for wood smuggling via the road, which connects the...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday taking strict notice of a polio case reported in the Diamer district, directed the relevant authorities to improve immunization further.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken strict notice of the polio case in Diamer district.

No casualties were reported when unknown men opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Diamer district, where Gilgit-Baltistan recorded its first case of the year. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation have slowed progress. According to a first information report (FIR) registered at the local police station, the incident occurred on Sunday when unknown armed men opened fire on a polio team in the village of Sheikho in Tangir Valley, the constituency of GB’s Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan. However, the polio team remained safe. According to the FIR, as soon as the polio vaccination team returned to Sheikho village after completing their duties, two unknown armed men stopped the team’s vehicle at the RCC bridge. “You all are ruining the environment here by bringing [unveiled] women from Gilgit in the name of the polio camp...