Sindh | Pakistan

Over two hundred inmates managed to escape from District Prison Malir in Karachi last night, the Sindh police chief confirmed on Tuesday, adding that 78 were recaptured while one was shot dead. Police officials earlier said the prisoners broke through the jail’s outer wall, which had been weakened due to the multiple low-intensity tremors felt in the area since Sunday. Police cordoned off the whole area and no one was allowed to enter or leave without ascertaining their identity. Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Tuesday told Dawn.com that over 200 prisoners managed to escape from Malir prison late on Monday night when they were brought out from their barracks for counting due to an earthquake, out of them 78 were recaptured while teams are being constituted to re-arrest the remaining 138. Memon, who visited the jail earlier today, said that as per his assessment and briefings of jail and police officials, after the earthquake in the area, the jail administration brought an estimated...

The province of Sindh, a traditional favourite for migratory birds, saw the most drastic decline in the number of migratory birds due to climate change, with a staggering drop of over 50 per cent in two years. The country’s once-thriving wetlands, long a sanctuary for millions of migratory birds fleeing Siberia’s brutal winters, are witnessing a disturbing decline in avian visitors. Experts warn that a mix of prolonged drought, receding water levels, and growing habitat degradation is driving away these seasonal guests — some possibly for good. According to the Sindh Wildlife Department’s 2024-25 waterfowl count, the number of migratory birds fell sharply from 1.2 million in 2023 to 603,900 in 2024 and just 545,000 this year, a staggering drop of over 50pc in two years. In 2023, the region experienced an exceptional influx of birds, buoyed by the lingering effects of the catastrophic 2022 floods that, while devastating for communities, temporarily revived Pakistan’s lakes, streams, and lagoons. The excessive ...

Tragedy struck the village of Walihaar in Sindh’s Umerkot district, where three children lost their lives after drowning in a pond while playing.

The Sindh government on Saturday announced that it is launching a five-day polio vaccination campaign in the province from May 26 to inoculate over 10 million children in the province. Earlier this week, two new cases of polio were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts, taking the tally for the current year to 10. According to a press release, the campaign aims to immunise more than 10.6m children under the age of five across all 30 districts of Sindh. “The campaign is taking place from May 26 to June 1, 2025, and involves the efforts of over 80,000 trained polio workers going door-to-door with support from 25,539 law enforcement personnel to ensure that no child is missed,” the statement said. “Children between the ages of 6 and 59 months will also receive Vitamin A supplements to help boost their immunity.” View this post on Instagram According to the press release, this new campaign follows two previous drives in February and April. Earlier this week, Sindh Chief Minister Murad ...

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday held a meeting with a World Bank delegation to discuss the launch of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) project and the ongoing flood relief housing efforts as well as other initiatives in the province. The meeting, which took place at the CM House in Karachi, included WB managing director Anna Bejarred, country director Naji Bin Hussein and other officials from the Bank, a statement by the CM House read. Both the Sindh government and WB sides agreed on the effective initiation of the WASH project aimed at improving access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene practices across the province, according to the statement. “The initiative targeted 3,200 flood-affected villages, providing essential facilities to enhance public health and living conditions,” it added. CM Murad highlighted that the WASH project was being launched with a total budget of $270 million, benefiting approximately 1.5m people, with breakdown includes $75m from the World Bank, $13...

• Sindh home minister’s house attacked, two trailers torched in Moro • Lanjar orders action against those disturbing peace HYDERABAD/NAWABSHAH: A protester was killed and over a dozen others, including a DSP and six other policemen, were injured during clashes in the Moro city of Naushahro Feroz — the home district of Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar — on Tuesday. Mr Lanjar’s house was also attacked, along with two trailers on Moro bypass road. Violence erupted when police attempted to disperse a protest reportedly organised by Sindh Saba against the proposed construction of new canals on the River Indus. The protesters had blocked the Moro bypass road to record their protest. A similar programme was scheduled by Sindh Saba at the press club in Hyderabad, but police authorities did not allow it and cordoned off the main road leading to the club. Police also picked up two activists of the party. In Moro, the protesters, armed with rods and sticks, raised slogans against corporate farming and the proposed canals....

A person was killed while a few others, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were injured after police resorted to a baton charge to disperse protesters in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district against the construction of proposed canals over the Indus River, according to officials. The police attempted to disperse the protesters in the city of Moro to restore traffic on the motorway by-pass road but faced resistance. Consequently, the police resorted to a baton charge and gunshots were also fired. Peoples Medical Hospital Medical Superintendent Haider Jamali told Dawn.com that one protester was killed and brought to the hospital, while three others and two pedestrians were injured. DSP Ghulam Hussain Dahiri was also injured after being beaten with sticks. The protesters allegedly turned violent and set two trailers on fire after news of the death reached the site of the protest. They also barged into the house of Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, ransacked it and set some portions of it on f...

Firm to set up EV charging stations across Sindh; solar projects also on table

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert for most plains of the country over the next two days, with Dadu in Sindh recording a scorching 48°C.

A Chinese automobile company has pledged to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Sindh, Sindh Information and Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced during an official visit to China.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday notified Syed Waqar Mehdi as a Senator on a General Seat from Sindh, with his term ending on March 11, 2027.

• Educational institutions remain open, exams underway • Security beefed up across province • Rescue-1122 ready to meet any eventuality KARACHI: Although routine life in Karachi and other parts of the province remained unaffected by the Indian strikes in Azad Kashmir and Punjab, the provincial authorities on Wednesday prepared a contingency plan and beefed up security across Sindh to tackle any situation. Almost all educational institutions remained opened on Wednesday and intermediate exams were held as per their schedule in Karachi and other parts of the province. The director general of Rescue-1122, retired Brigadier Wajid Sibghatullah Mahar, told Dawn that the Sindh Emergency Rescue Service had prepared an emergency plan, outlining preparedness and resource allocation in anticipation of the situation. “Rescue-1122 (Sindh) is on high alert and prepared with manpower, resources and coordination protocols to deal with any emergency efficiently,” according to the content of the plan reviewed by Dawn. “Rescue ...

PPP’s Syed Waqar Mehdi won the by-election held for the vacant general seat of the Senate from the province of Sindh in Karachi on Tuesday, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The ruling PPP and the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) had nominated Waqar Mehdi and Nighat Mirza, respectively. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) did not field any candidate and on Monday it announced boycotting the polling process as well. In the by-election held at the Sindh Assembly, Mehdi secured 111 votes, while MQM-P’s Nighat Mirza received 36, and two were rejected, said the returning officer, Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh Ejaz Anwar Chauhan. The polling was conducted from 9am to 4pm without any break. A total of 149 votes were cast during the scheduled polling time. The general Senate seat from Sindh province fell vacant after the death of PPP’s Senator Taj Haider on April 8 in Karachi. He was elected a senator on a PPP ticket from a Senate general seat in Sindh in March 2021 for a period o...

The ongoing heatwave in Sindh is expected to subside from May 2, the Pakis­­tan Meteorological Depart­ment (PMD) said on Thursday. Climate change is a pressing reality for Pakistan, directly impacting millions of lives. Heatwaves, intensified by climate change, are becoming more frequent, prolonged and severe, disproportionately affecting communities with limited resources to adapt. “The prevailing heatwave condition over most parts of the province is expected to subside from tomorrow,” the PMD said in its advisory issued today. “A westerly wave continues to grip the upper parts of the country,” it added. According to the advisory, thunderstorms and light rain were expected in Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Mitiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Badin, Tharparker, and Umerkot with occasional gaps from May 2 to 5. “Strong windy conditions are likely in most parts of the province during [the] next two days,” the advisory said. The forecast also said that Karachi was likely to experience hot and...

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday granted additional time to the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh to submit their responses in a case seeking to make the teaching of the Holy Quran compulsory in schools.

KARACHI: The Sindh transport department has officially launched the Peoples Pink and Normal Taxi Service. Sindh’s Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon made this announcement in a social media post. He said that the aim of this project was to bringing a revolutionary change to the public transport system, empower women, ensure safe travel, and promote eco-friendly transport across the province, said a press release issued on Wednesday evening. Mr Memon, who also holds the portfolio of transport and information departments, described the Peoples Pink and Normal Taxi Service as a “historic milestone for Sindh”. He said that the Sindh government was committed to modernising the transport system and creating equal opportunities for all segments of society. Earlier, Mr Memon had said that the provincial government was working to bring ride-hailing services in Karachi under one system, Dawn.com reported. “We are working to bring the [online] taxi system in Karachi under one umbrella in an integrated and modern manner...

SUKKUR: The roads connecting Sindh to Punjab have been opened as lawyers called off their protest against canals on the Indus River project, ARY News reported. According to sources, the Babarloi protest has been called off following an agreement between the Sindh government and lawyers. The provincial government agreed for the formation of a committee […]

Several parts of Sindh, including Karachi, continued to experience intense heat on Tuesday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warning that hot and humid conditions are expected to persist over the coming days.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) today, as requested by the Sindh government, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said. The meeting, initially scheduled for May 2, has been brought forward following the Sindh government’s request. In a statement, Memon confirmed that the meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz, is set to take place this evening in Islamabad. He further revealed that the key issue of canal projects will be discussed, and a decision is expected to be made today regarding the matter. The dispute centers around the federal government’s plan to construct six canals from the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert. This ambitious project, estimated to cost Rs211.4 billion, aims to transform thousands of acres of barren land into productive agricultural areas. However, the initiative has been met with strong opposition from the Sindh government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as well as various nationa...