By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Rescue teams in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region have pulled several vehicles from flood wreckage, but efforts to find missing persons remain unsuccessful, the government said on Saturday, as the area reels from devastating rains and landslides.
Gilgit-Baltista’s government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said search operations along the Babusar Highway were ongoing, with recovered vehicles offering no clues to the whereabouts of those unaccounted for. “The vehicles were found, but we found no clue as to the missing persons,” Faraq said in a statement.
Last week’s floods triggered landslides that stranded scores of people, wrecked over 500 homes, and damaged roads and infrastructure. At least 10 people, mostly tourists, perished, while 10 to 15 others are still missing.
Faraq said rehabilitation efforts in the flood-hit areas have been stepped up, with water and electricity restored in many parts of the region. Communication systems along the Babusar Highway and other affected zones are also back online.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit GB within the next two to three days to assess the situation firsthand, Faraq said. “Hopefully, the prime minister’s visit will provide relief to the injured victims,” he added.
Sharif signalled his intent to travel to GB during a high-level meeting on Friday, pledging the federal government’s full support for relief and recovery efforts. The meeting addressed immediate aid, long-term disaster preparedness, and federal assistance to the battered region.
The floods in GB underscore the growing toll of climate change in Pakistan’s mountainous north, where unprecedented heatwaves, erratic weather patterns, and rapid glacial melting have triggered cloudbursts and destructive flooding. On Friday, a glacier burst in GB’s Bagrot Valley claimed one life after a father and son fell into a ravine and were buried under debris.
Monsoon Season Intensifies
Meanwhile, widespread heavy rains are forecast to sweep across Pakistan starting Monday, with the country’s weather officials warning of flash floods in low-lying areas as another strong monsoon spell sets in.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that a fresh weather system will bring showers to much of the northern and central regions between August 4 and 7, signaling a potentially disruptive week ahead.
The deluge is expected to affect multiple regions, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, where meteorologists anticipate cloudbursts. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, strong winds and thunderstorms are also in the forecast, adding to the challenges for residents and local officials.
Punjab, already battered by persistent rainfall, and the federal capital, where downpours have continued unabated, are bracing for more torrents as the looming weather system approaches. Further south, Sindh and Balochistan may see rain on August 6, though the activity there is likely to be more scattered, according to the PMD.
While the upper parts of the country have borne the brunt of the rain-laden systems so far, leaving southern Pakistan unusually dry, weather officials suggest that this pattern could shift. Starting around August 10, monsoon currents may move southward, potentially bringing more rainfall to Sindh and surrounding areas by mid-August.
The Met Office has issued a stark warning about the risks ahead. “The expected flash floods may lead to overflowing streams, clogged drainage, and flooding in low-lying spots,” the PMD cautioned, urging local authorities to prepare for the fallout.
Disaster management authorities have echoed this concern, strongly advising citizens, particularly those in flood-prone or low-lying areas, to take precautions as the rains intensify. This monsoon season, already marked by its ferocity, may linger longer than usual. The PMD has indicated that due to shifting weather patterns linked to climate change, the rains could stretch into late September, well beyond the typical mid-September end in the southern belt.
Meteorologists note that while monsoon currents have had a limited impact on southern Pakistan this year—where rainfall has been significantly lower than in previous seasons, the coming weeks could alter that trend.
Monsoon rains remain a cornerstone of South Asia’s climate, vital for irrigating crops and replenishing water supplies across the region. Yet their destructive power has grown in recent years, exacerbated by rapid urban expansion, inadequate drainage systems, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events tied to climate change. Experts warn that these factors have turned a seasonal necessity into a mounting challenge for Pakistan, where infrastructure and planning often struggle to keep pace.
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