Sindh | Pakistan

Temperatures are rising across the country, with the mercury crossing 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Sindh and Balochistan, the Met Office said on Monday.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has said that no provision exists in the general and special laws in the province about blocking of computerised national identity card (CNIC) of any person in civil litigation. A single-judge bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Hasan Akber also noted that after the enactment of 18th Constitutional Amendment, the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) has become a provincial subject, whereas no such provision was available in the CPC enforceable in the province of Sindh. The bench made these observations while deciding two civil miscellaneous applications (CMAs) filed by Malik Ali Zain, one of the judgement debtors in a decree, against an order of the civil court concerned for directing the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to block his CNIC. The civil court had issued directive to Nadra in May last year on an application filed by the decree holder under Section 51 of the CPC for execution of the decree and impugned order was passed over non-service of notice or pu...

ISLAMABAD: The National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Saturday reviewed the prices of essential commodities, transport fares and directed the Sindh government to take corrective measures regarding rising fares in Karachi, according to an official statement. On April 5, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had announced that the government had secured a province-wide fare freeze after successful negotiations with transporters, even as fuel prices rose amid a global crunch caused by the now-paused US-Israeli war on Iran. However, citizens using public transport in Karachi continue to pay inflated fares while the government announced a reduction in fuel prices on Friday after falling oil prices in the international market. A meeting, chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, examined the trend in food prices across the country on Saturday, where officials from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) briefed the NPMC on prevailing price trends and market conditions. According to the official statement issue...

Temperatures continued to rise across Sindh on Saturday, with the mercury climbing to 40°C in Chhor and Mithi, while Tando Jam and Thatta recorded highs of 38°C.

• Work to begin next month; 2,314 cameras to be installed across Karachi except district Central • CM reviews proposal to expand surveillance network to other Sindh cities KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Phase-II of the Karachi Safe City Project, work on which is likely to begin next month. In the second phase, over 2,300 smart cameras and advanced monitoring infrastructure will be installed across Karachi. Presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Safe Cities Authority (SSCA) here at the CM House, the chief minister termed the project a major step towards strengthening urban security, surveillance and law enforcement capacity in the metropolis, saying ensuring public safety through modern technology remains a top priority of his government. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Inspector General of Police Javed Odho, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Iqbal Memon and others. The meeting was informed that the Phase-II of the p...

The Sindh government on Thursday constituted a high-level committee to “ensure the execution of the inquiry report” of the Gul Plaza inferno, which claimed the lives of more than 70 people in January. The deadly fire erupted on the night of Jan 17 and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished, leaving the ground-plus-three-storey building of Gul Plaza in ruins, with some of its sections collapsed. Subsequently, a one-member judicial commission was formed to probe the incident, and it handed over its report to the Sindh government on Tuesday. A statement issued by the Sindh Home Department said the decision to form a committee for the report’s implementation was taken during a meeting of the provincial cabinet’s sub-committee, where the report was reviewed. “This decision follows significant progress made after the investigation into the unfortunate fire incident at Gul Plaza Shopping Centre, Karachi,” the statement read. The commission, headed by Justice Agha Faisal of the Sindh High Court, identified the...

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Tuesday directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to expedite pending infrastructure projects across Sindh, emphasizing zero compromise on construction quality and transparency.

The Government of Sindh has launched a province-wide vaccination campaign to protect livestock from seasonal diseases ahead of the monsoon season.

ISLAMABAD: The government decided on Monday that markets and shopping malls in the country, barring those in Sindh, would close by 8pm as part of energy conservation measures. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, a statement by the PM’s Office said. It added that markets in divisional headquarters in KP would be allowed to remain open till 9pm and consultations were under way regarding business hours for markets in Sindh. Meanwhile, the meeting decided that markets and shopping malls in the rest of KP, Punjab, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would close by 8pm, the statement said. Regarding the decision to allow markets in divisional headquarters in KP, the statement said it was taken in consultation with the provincial government. The statement added that shops selling daily-use items and departmental stores would also close by 8pm. It said it had also been decided that bakeries, restaurants, tandoors and shops sell...

HYDERABAD: The Sindh government has expressed grave concern over ‘persistent delays’ in Tarbela Dam infrastructure works by Wapda, which have been causing severe operational constraints for Sindh and posing an imminent threat to the kharif crop season. Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro wrote to federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Mohammad Mueen Wattoo that Wapda had failed to complete projects within the 33-month timeline approved by Irsa in 2022. The deadline expired in June 2025, but work remains unfinished. Indus River System Authority (Irsa), whose advisory committee is scheduled to discuss water availability and shortages for the upcoming kharif season under the Water Apportionment Accord, 1991, on April 7. The minister noted that outflows from Tarbela have already been restricted to 150,000 cusecs due to constraints in Tunnel-4 and Tunnel-5, curtailing Sindh’s irrigation supplies despite adequate reservoir levels. The situation may worsen as testing of Tunnel-4’s low-level outlet (LLO) has ...

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Sunday announced that the government had secured a province-wide fare freeze after successful negotiations with transporters. Following increases in petroleum prices due to the ongoing global oil crisis, provinces have announced a host of relief measures for the public. In Sindh and Punjab, these steps include subsidies for motorcyclists, transporters and small-scale farmers. Addressing a high-level press conference at CM House, CM Murad said that following a series of consultations, transporters operating both inter-city and intra-city routes have agreed not to increase fares and to maintain rates as of Feb 28, 2026. The Sindh CM was flanked by provincial ministers, transporters’ representatives and top government officers. A press release issued by CM House quoted Murad as saying that the government had worked out a comprehensive strategy to protect citizens — particularly low-income commuters — from rising transportation costs triggered by global fuel price increases....

The Sindh and Punjab governments announced a host of relief measures on Friday, a day after the Centre announced an unprecedented increase of 43 per cent and 55pc in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), respectively, to cushion the impact of global oil price shocks amid the US-Israel war on Iran. The Sindh government also announced support for small-scale farmers and transporters. Meanwhile, the Punjab government said it was making public transport free, introducing a targeted monthly subsidy for transporters, a diesel subsidy for wheat-growing farmers and a subsidy for motorcyclists. At the same time, public transport in the federal capital was also made free for the next 30 days, starting from Saturday. Sindh announces fuel subsidy for motorcyclists In a press conference in Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced the Sindh government will provide motorcyclists Rs2,000 as part of a fuel subsidy under a scheme unveiled by the federal government a day earlier. At the outset of the p...

Amid a sharp rise in fuel prices triggered by the ongoing energy crisis, the Sindh government has unveiled a financial relief package targeting motorcyclists, farmers, and the transport sector.

Schools in Sindh and Balochistan will resume classes from April 1 (Wednesday) and follow a five-day working week amid the fuel crisis, the provincial governments said on Tuesday. On March 9, the Balochistan provincial government had announced that educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, would remain closed from March 10 to March 31 due to the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. According to a notification posted on the provincial government’s X account, it was announced that “all schools (public and private) in Balochistan shall re-open with effect from April 1 (Wednesday)”. However, it added that due to the current fuel situation, “all schools (public & private), the provincial directorate, divisional directorates and the district offices of the School Education Department shall observe a five-day working week (Monday to Friday)”. Saturday and Sunday will remain off, the notification said. “All examinations/assessments shall be conducted as per the notif...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast chances of rain and thunderstorms in Karachi on Thursday, as well as other areas of Sindh from April 2-4, as a result of a new westerly wave from Balochistan. A westerly wave is likely to approach the southwestern parts of Balochistan on April 1 and likely to persist till April 4, the Met Office said in its daily weather outlook issued on Tuesday. In its three-day weather forecast, it said that Tuesday and Wednesday would both bring partly cloudy weather in the Karachi division. The maximum temperature on Tuesday is expected to be between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius, with a minimum temperature of 22.7°C. The humidity is forecast to reach 54 per cent in the daytime, remaining around 40-50pc in the evening. A west/southwesterly wind is expected to prevail. Wednesday’s temperatures will reach highs of 30-32°C and lows of 22-24°C, according to the forecast. While the evening humidity is similar to Tuesday, a higher daytime humidity of 65-75pc is predicted, a...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast chances of rain and thunderstorms in Karachi and across Sindh on Saturday, as a westerly wave continues to affect the country. According to its three-day weather outlook issued on Friday, the PMD said that Saturday would likely bring thunderstorms or rain “of light to moderate intensity” to the province due to a westerly wave entering the country from southwestern Balochistan. Mostly sunny weather is expected in Karachi today, with a maximum temperature of 32-34 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24°C. Humidity will reach 76 per cent before dropping to 45-55pc in the evening as a northwesterly wind is expected to turn west/southwesterly. On Saturday, the PMD forecast “partly cloudy” weather with “chances of isolated wind [or] thunderstorms/rain”. Temperatures will stay similar, at around 31-33°C highs and 22-24°C lows. Humidity is predicted between 75-85pc in the daytime and 55-65pc in the evenings. Sunday is not expected to be rainy, but the maximum tem...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met a delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in Karachi on Thursday and commended the services of former Sindh governor Kamran Tessori, who has been replaced by the PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi, a statement issued by the PM’s Office (PMO) said. Both Tessori and Hashmi also attended the meeting. During the meeting, views were also exchanged on the country’s political situation, the statement said, adding that the PM informed the delegation about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and initiatives for establishing peace in the region. The meeting also discussed matters related to the situation in Sindh, including Karachi, and development projects, the statement said. According to the statement, the MQM-P delegation was led by party Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and included Tessori, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and others. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, Minister of St...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rain in Karachi on Thursday, along with showers in other areas of Sindh over the rest of the week. In its daily weather outlook issued on Wednesday, the PMD said that a westerly wave was “affecting southern parts and spread over most parts of the country today”. It forecast partly cloudy weather in Karachi today, with a maximum temperature of 32-34 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 24.5°C. A separate statement by the PMD added that there was a chance of light rain or drizzle in some areas of the city. The humidity was expected to reach 84 per cent in the morning before dropping to 45-55pc in the evening, with a west/southwesterly wind prevailing, it said. On Thursday, mostly cloudy weather was expected in the city with “rain-wind or thunderstorm at isolated places”. The PMD predicted highs of 31-33°C and lows of 23-25°C with humidity levels of 75-85pc in the daytime, and a west/southwesterly wind. Friday will bring mostly sunny weather, with mercury sur...

KARACHI: Sindh’s Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah on Tuesday ordered all district administrations to remain on “high alert” in view of further expected rains in the province this week. The Paki­s­tan Meteorological Depar­tment (PMD) has predicted showers in parts of Sindh between March 25 and March 29, with occasional gaps. Chairing a meeting, the chief secretary directed the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to issue an immediate advisory on the situation. All commissioners, deputy commissioners (DCs) and assistant commissioners participated in the meeting, which was attended virtually by most, and were directed to be present in the field for the next seven days. Noting the PMD’s prediction of rainfall, Shah directed the PDMA to issue an advisory on the situation. He also ordered the district administrations and local government institutions to remain fully mobilised and in the field. He directed the meeting to ensure the “availability and functionality of all necessary machinery for drain...

KARACHI: The Sindh Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday arrested five members of the proscribed Baloch Republican Guard (BRG), who were allegedly planning to carry out an attack on railway tracks in Karachi. In a press release, the department said that it conducted a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) with rangers and the federal intelligence agency, “arresting five members of the BRG, and foiling a terrorist plan on railway tracks in Karachi”. The CTD said, in its statement, that the group has carried out “six low-intensity explosions in Jacobabad, Shikarpur districts of Sindh, resulting in partial damage to the railway track and train carriage”. It said that the group had claimed responsibility for the attacks on its social media accounts. It added that the CTD, working in collaboration with the “civilian federal intelligence agency [..] identified the network and monitored them day and night”. The CTD recovered explosives, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), weapons, and ammunition from the ...