A national airlines flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the cabin pressure dropped, prompting oxygen masks to deploy mid-air. The incident occurred on a flight that took off from Jeddah, with over 147 passengers on board. According to the airline’s spokesperson, a second plane was dispatched to bring the passengers back to Lahore, while the stranded passengers were safely escorted to the ground.
Meanwhile, a severe dust storm blanketed Karachi in darkness, reducing visibility to mere meters in several areas. The city’s residents braced for the worst as strong winds and heavy rain pounded the Chaman region, including the Abdullah Fort, Toba Achakzai, and surrounding areas. Power pylons, walls, and trees were uprooted, causing widespread destruction.
President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Baghdad on a four-day visit to Iraq, where he was received by the Iraqi authorities. A magnitude of tremors shook the Khuzdar district of Balochistan, prompting concerns about a possible earthquake.
In a separate development, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Balochistan disclosed that over 22 billion rupees in notices were issued to various government departments over the past year.
Minister of Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif responded to comments made by Indian writer Javed Akhtar. Karachi Municipal Commissioner Asif Zaidi was barred from traveling abroad. Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Ashraf claimed that the federal government was withholding 4300 billion rupees from the province.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman called for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza to restore peace. Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar assured that appeals and cases would be heard in due time.
Federal Minister of Education and Professional Training Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui emphasized the importance of literature, calling Karachi a miniature Pakistan that nurtures the country’s values. In a tragic incident, three children lost their lives in a gas leak incident in Zehri, while their parents were hospitalized in a critical condition.
The accused, Imran, was sentenced to death and a fine of five million rupees for one crime and life imprisonment and a fine of five million rupees for the second crime. A search operation is underway to recover the abducted children.
Nepal’s authorities have introduced a new policy, the Nepal Solar Consumers Act 2025, to regulate net metering. The policy aims to promote the use of solar energy.
In sports news, New Zealand’s Tom Latham and Devon Conway set a new record in test cricket history.
