Shakib Al Hasan’s Bangladesh comeback hopes dashed

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast widespread monsoon rains, thunderstorms and strong winds across most parts of the country from July 24 to July 28, warning that heavy rainfall could trigger urban flooding and disrupt normal life in several regions. According to the latest weather advisory, a low-pressure system over southwest Rajasthan and adjoining areas is drawing strong monsoon currents into Pakistan. Under its influence, rain of varying intensity is expected across Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the next few days. In Sindh, moderate to heavy rain is expected in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Sanghar, Hyderabad, Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Shikarpur and Thatta. Karachi is also likely to receive light rain and cloudy weather during the forecast period. In Punjab, rain accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Okara, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari, Khanewal, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Murree and several nearby districts. Some places may experience heavy downpours. The weather department has also predicted rain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Swat, Chitral, Dir, Malakand, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Mardan, Nowshera, Charsadda, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat and other districts until July 27. In Balochistan, rainfall is expected in Zhob, Sherani, Loralai, Kohlu, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Jhal Magsi, Barkhan, Dera Bugti, Khuzdar and surrounding areas. Isolated heavy rainfall is also possible in some locations. The forecast further includes rain and thunderstorms in Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly in Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu, Diamer, Ghizer, Ghanche and Astore. Similar weather conditions are expected in Azad Kashmir, including Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, Rawalakot, Bagh, Poonch, Mirpur, Kotli and nearby areas. The PMD has warned that heavy rainfall may lead to urban flooding in cities including Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Badin and several other low-lying areas. Strong winds and lightning may also damage weak buildings, electric poles, trees and temporary structures. Tourists travelling to mountainous regions have been advised to remain cautious due to the risk of slippery roads, flash floods and landslides. Farmers have also been urged to plan agricultural activities carefully and take necessary measures to protect standing crops and livestock from adverse weather. Provincial governments and disaster management authorities have been directed to remain on alert throughout the forecast period. Rescue services, emergency response teams and drainage machinery have been placed on standby to respond quickly to any weather-related incidents.

The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Dera Ghazi Khan has announced the position holders for the 2026 Matric Annual Examinations ahead of the official declaration of results. Chairman Professor Dr Abdul Rauf unveiled the names of the top-performing students and congratulated the position holders and their parents on their outstanding achievement. Board Secretary Abdul Rehman Chaudhry, Controller of Examinations Professor Muzaffar Hussain, and other senior officials were present during the announcement ceremony. The board said the complete Matric Annual Examination results will be officially announced on August 6. Abdullah Saleem from Layyah secured first position across the DG Khan Board by scoring 1,191 marks. Mir Mujtaba from Taunsa Sharif claimed second position with 1,190 marks. The third position was shared by Farwah Ahmed from Muzaffargarh, Meerab Zahra from Layyah, and Syed Muhammad Jon Abbas from Layyah, with each student scoring 1,189 marks. Students from Layyah, Taunsa Sharif, and Muzaffargarh dominated the list of top achievers this year, reflecting the strong academic performance of the region. The announcement sparked celebrations among parents, teachers, and educational circles, who praised the students for their remarkable success. The position holders credited their achievement to hard work, the guidance of their teachers, and the prayers and support of their parents.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Climate Change Authority has been called back before a Senate committee only days after Chairperson Sherry Rehman strongly questioned why a new authority was operating alongside the Climate Change Ministry, asked what new work it was actually doing and raised concerns over staff costs, duplication and the use of public money. The fresh meeting will again focus almost entirely on the authority, its work, projects, programmes and progress. The quick return of the issue to the committee has increased pressure on the authority to clearly explain why it exists and what results it has produced that the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination could not already deliver. At the previous meeting, Sherry Rehman repeatedly asked officials what work the authority was doing that the ministry was not already responsible for. She questioned whether the government had effectively created a parallel structure carrying out the same work on climate mitigation, adaptation, coordination and policy implementation. Rehman said the presentation before the committee did not show a clear new role for the authority. She also questioned why another institution was being created at a time when the ministry itself was facing shrinking development budgets. One of the strongest moments came when the committee discussed the authority’s staffing and expenditure. Rehman referred to a sanctioned strength of 24 positions and said employee related expenditure had already reached around Rs 80 million according to the presentation placed before the committee. She questioned why these costs were being incurred when she could not see a clear difference between the work of the authority and the ministry. She warned officials not to treat the meeting as a routine presentation exercise and demanded direct answers about public spending and actual results. Rehman also questioned whether creating the authority had brought new climate experts into government. Members asked whether the purpose was to recruit technocrats who could not otherwise be brought into the ministry. However, Rehman said the presentation appeared to show many of the same officials who had already worked inside government departments. She described the situation as a reshuffling of bureaucracy rather than the creation of a new technical institution. She said fragmentation was already a major government problem, with different organisations working separately on connected climate and disaster issues. According to her argument, creating another body without a clearly different mandate could increase costs while making responsibility more confusing. Rehman also questioned why the authority had been activated years after the law creating it first appeared. She said the law allowed the authority to exist but argued that this did not necessarily mean the government was forced to operationalise it. She said earlier governments had discussed removing such overlapping structures instead. During the exchange, she said she had opposed operationalising the authority while serving as minister because she feared it would create duplication. She told the committee that the result now appeared close to what she had warned about: officials were moving between the ministry and the authority instead of creating a completely new technical team. The authority defended its role. Dr Muhammad Rafiq told the committee that the authority was originally designed to provide technical support to the ministry. He acknowledged that more explanation was needed regarding what the authority was delivering against its original responsibilities. He suggested that the ministry and authority should be given an opportunity to return with a clearer presentation explaining what results they expected to achieve and what the authority could do that the ministry could not. The committee was told that the authority was still incomplete. Officials said a permanent chairperson was still being appointed and that only three members were working at the authority with a limited number of staff against the total positions planned. The authority also presented one of its strongest arguments in defence of its performance. An authority member told the committee that it had become Pakistan’s first public sector organisation to qualify as a delivery partner with the Green Climate Fund through the relevant mechanism. The official said this had been achieved by only three members and without technical assistance. He argued that this status could help the authority develop technical proposals and bring more climate finance into Pakistan. Rehman was not convinced that this achievement alone justified a separate authority. She argued that Green Climate Fund financing had already been coming to Pakistan through government structures and questioned why a completely new authority was needed when a climate finance office could operate within the ministry. She again asked why project development and technical hiring could not be handled directly by the ministry. Her central question remained the same throughout the discussion: what exactly could the new authority do that the ministry could not already do? The ministry told the committee that it had a supervisory and controlling role over the authority and that the authority’s budget passed through the ministry. However, Rehman continued to question how effective that control was if the authority could hire staff and exercise statutory powers separately. She asked officials to explain how rotating officials into a separate authority would make climate work more efficient when the ministry itself was losing development resources. Professor Dr Zahoor Ahmed Bazai, who identified himself as an unpaid member nominated to the authority and as a climate change academic, defended the institution. He told the committee that the authority was included in the climate law and that members had been nominated through the formal process. He argued that the authority was intended to provide expertise and serve an advisory role. Rehman said her criticism was not directed personally at individual members. She said the bigger problem was duplication between institutions and the growing number of attached bodies dealing with similar climate matters. The committee chairperson was also critical of the presentation the authority gave. Rehman said the presentation was not strong enough to be used by Pakistan at an international climate forum and described it as outdated in style. She said that if the authority wanted to demonstrate its value and