Landslide kills seven workers restoring water supply in Gilgit
PM orders immediate provision of medical assistance to the injured
PM Shehbaz hails record business confidence, credits reforms for economic turnaround
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: At least seven people were killed and more than three others injured after a massive landslide struck the Dinyore Nullah area of Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan Government Spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said on Monday.
Faraq said the tragic incident occurred around 2am, when a group of about 15 volunteers were working to restore a water channel. A large piece of earth suddenly collapsed, and the workers were trapped underneath it.
The injured were immediately rushed to a hospital where they are receiving medical assistance, said the official.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives in the landslide incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolence to the heirs of the victims volunteering to restore water supply in the area.
PM Shehbaz directed the authorities to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured, the PM Office said.
He paid tribute to the volunteers for “sacrificing their lives for the sake of humanity” and prayed for early recovery of the injured.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan has also taken notice of the tragic incident, expressing grief. He has ordered the authorities to expedite the rescue and relief operations. Following the incident, an emergency has been declared at all hospitals in Gilgit, the government spokesperson said.
Furthermore, Faraq saidthat the city is in a state of mourning after the unfortunate event. A collective funeral prayer was held for the seven volunteers who died after being buried under the landslide in Dinyore, he maintained.
The floods and heavy rains this monsoon season have caused massive losses in Gilgit-Baltistan. Faraq on July 25 had said at least nine people had been died by then in the floods across the region.
In a statement, Faraq had said 10 to 12 people were missing while three stranded tourists had been rescued.
“More than 500 houses and 27 bridges have been damaged by floodwaters across the region [since June 26],” he had said, adding that the highest financial and human losses occurred in Diamer district due to flood.
PM Shehbaz on August 8 held separate meetings with Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Syed Mehdi Shah and CM Gulbar during his daylong visit to the region.
The GB dignitaries briefed the prime minister on the flood situation and damages caused by recent rains, the PM Office said, as death toll had surged to 299 due to rain-related incidents across the country.
PM Shehbaz hails record business confidence, credits reforms for economic turnaround
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed satisfaction over the latest Gallup Business Confidence Index report, which shows that Pakistani businesses’ confidence in the national economy has reached its highest level in four years.
The prime minister termed the survey results “highly encouraging,” and noted that the economic direction score has improved to -2, the best since the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to the last quarter of 2024, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.
“These results reflect the business community’s growing trust in the stability of the country’s political and economic environment. Thanks to our reform agenda, transparency has increased in the system, and the trading community is experiencing greater ease of doing business,” he said.
PM Shehbaz credited institutional reforms, the digitization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and structural changes in the energy sector for opening new avenues for trade and investment. He highlighted that improving macroeconomic indicators, better international credit ratings for Pakistan, and a decline in corruption and bribery were evidence of the government’s sound economic policies.
“The benefits of macroeconomic reforms have begun to reach the common man,” he added, reaffirming the government’s commitment to further enhancing institutional efficiency.
The Prime Minister also pointed to the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s recent milestone, where the KSE-100 Index crossed an all-time high of 147,000 points.
He lauded Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb and his economic team for their “commendable efforts” and reiterated that the government is working to expand consultation with the business community to provide more facilities for investors and entrepreneurs.
