Pak rains kill five more; death toll hits 116
ISLAMABAD, July 15: Pakistan has reported a total of 116 deaths and injuries due to torrential rains, with five more killed and 38 injured. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been monitoring these losses since June 26, when the first spell of monsoon rain hit the country. The NDMA reported that 44 people were killed in Punjab, 37 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18 in Sindh, 16 in Balochistan, and one in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The 253 injured were also in Punjab, 55 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 40 in Sindh, four in Balochistan, and five in PoK. The NDMA reported that 485 houses were damaged, and 117 livestock losses were reported. Authorities have carried out 25 rescue operations and rescued at least 262 stranded people. 26 relief and medical camps have been set up to support the affected people. (PTI)
Pak forces’ mortar kills teen in Baloch, 6 injured
QUETTA, July 15: A Baloch human rights organization has reported a recent incident involving Pakistani forces launching a mortar strike on a football ground in Balochistan’s Kech district, killing a 15-year-old boy and injuring six others. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) stated that the mortar was “deliberately fired” by FC personnel into a civilian-populated area, raising serious questions about the targeting of innocent civilians and the use of indiscriminate violence. Another Baloch human rights body, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, condemned the deadly mortar attack, stating that it reflects the ongoing pattern of state violence in Balochistan and demands urgent attention and accountability. Baloch human rights organizations have repeatedly highlighted the repression by Pakistani forces in the province, including violent raids on Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, the ‘kill and dump’ policy, detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases. (PTI)
UK secretly resettles thousands of Afghans
LONDON, July 15: Thousands of Afghans who worked with British forces have been secretly resettled in the UK after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban. The British government disclosed the existence of the resettlement programme on Tuesday. A dataset containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to Britain after the Taliban takeover of their country was released in error in 2022, and extracts were later published online. That prompted the then-Conservative government to set up a secret programme to resettle the Afghans. The government obtained a strict court order known as a super injunction that barred anyone from revealing its existence.The injunction was lifted on Tuesday, and Britain’s current Labour Party government said it was making the programme public. It said an independent review had found little evidence that the leaked data would expose Afghans to greater risk of retribution from the Taliban.(AP)