Author: News Desk

A strong earthquake on Saturday shook Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Shabqadar, Mohmand, Nowshera, Malakand and Bajaur spreading fear among people who fled their homes and offices, reciting prayers.

In KP, strong tremors were felt in Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, Shabqadar, Lower Dir, Malakand, Bajaur, Nowshera, Dir Bala, Swat, Swabi, Chitral, and Gilgit. In Azad Kashmir, tremors were also experienced in the Neelum Valley’s Athmuqam area.

Several parts of Punjab including Okara, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Toba Tek Singh and Chiniot also were shaken.  

The tremors, the third in a week, occurred at 11:47 am and caused widespread panic, especially in high-rise buildings, prompting occupants to evacuate quickly in fear.

As of now, no casualties or property damage have been reported. However, authorities are closely monitoring the situation and assessing any potential impact.

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9 and a depth of 94 kilometres. The epicentre was located near the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border region, at latitude 36.21 N and longitude 71.34 E.

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 5.7 earthquake, 53 kilometres south-southwest of Ashkasham in Afghanistan, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

“It was brief but a powerful one. I felt the entire bed shake and had to quickly run out of our house with my family,” said Shahjahan Khurram, a resident of Islamabad. Ayesha Rehman, working in Blue Area, shared that people in her office rushed out in panic as soon as the jolt was felt.

The latest tremors come just days after a 5.5-magnitude quake on April 12 and a 5.3 on April 16 shook many of the same regions, making it the third incident within a week.

For residents of Islamabad, this earthquake also follows the recent havoc caused by a heavy hailstorm on April 16, which left a trail of destruction including smashed car windows, broken tree branches, and damaged solar panels.

Pakistan is currently witnessing extreme weather conditions, with hailstorms and rains in parts of Punjab and Islamabad, while Karachi and South Punjab continue to face heatwave-like temperatures.

Half a million weapons recovered by Taliban in Afghanistan following United States (US) forces’ withdrawal, have been sold, smuggled or lost to militant groups, a leading foreign media outlet has claimed.

After regaining control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban seized around one million weapons as well as pieces of military equipment and vehicles, most of which had been funded by the US, the media report quoted a former Afghan official as claiming.

In August 2021, when the Afghan Taliban were proceeding to Kabul, soldiers surrendered or fled while abandoning their weapons and vehicles. US forces also left their equipment behind.

The cache included American-made firearms such as M4 and M16 rifles as well as older weapons left behind during decades of conflict. 

The outlet further quoted sources as claiming that the Taliban admitted at a closed-door United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Sanctions Committee in Doha late last year that at least half of this equipment was now “unaccounted” for. 

In its report in February this year, the UN said that al-Qaeda affiliates, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, were accessing Taliban-captured weapons or buying them on the black market.

Meanwhile, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government, Hamdullah Fitrat, while speaking to the outlet, dismissed the claims of smuggling weapons to terrorists. “All light and heavy weapons are securely stored. We strongly reject claims of smuggling or loss,” he said.

The media report further quoted a source as claiming that “hundreds” of unused Humvees, mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPS) and Black Hawk helicopters remained in Kandahar warehouses.

The Taliban have showcased some of the captured equipment in their propaganda videos, but their ability to operate and maintain advanced machinery like Black Hawk helicopters is limited due to a shortage of trained personnel and technical skills. As a result, much of this high-tech equipment remains out of service.

They have, however, effectively used simpler equipment such as Humvees and small arms in their operations. 

It merits a mention that the report comes while US President Donald Trump repeatedly says he would reclaim weapons from Afghanistan, noting that $85 billion of advanced weaponry was left there.

“Afghanistan is one of the biggest sellers of military equipment in the world, you know why? They’re selling the equipment that we left,” President Trump said during his first cabinet meeting of the new administration.

“I want to look into this. If we need to pay them, that’s fine, but we want our military equipment back.”