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ISLAMABAD: Torrential monsoon rains severely disrupted normal life in Murree, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, triggering landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, damage to homes and shops, and the drowning of a child in a rainwater drain.

In Murree, intermittent heavy rainfall continued throughout the day, leaving large parts of the hill station inundated. A four-storey building collapsed at Lakot on the Murree Expressway following a landslide. Landslides were also reported in Jhika Gali, Kausar Colony and Dhak, placing several houses at risk.

Heavy rainfall also affected Rawalpindi and Islamabad, disrupting routine life across the twin cities. According to the Flood Control Room, the latest spell of rain began at 4:40am, with the highest rainfall of 103 millimetres recorded at Kutchery Chaklala.

The rainfall caused the water level in Nullah Lai to rise to 10 feet, prompting authorities to issue a pre-alert at Gawalmandi.

Meanwhile, a tragic incident occurred in Friends Colony on Misrial Road, where a child drowned in a rainwater drain while playing.

The heavy rain also inundated Rawalpindi’s historic Raja Bazaar. Poor drainage arrangements in the area, which was recently declared a model bazaar, allowed rainwater to enter shops, causing traders losses worth millions of rupees.

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Fawara Chowk and adjoining roads were also submerged. Residents said no official from the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation was present at the site during the flooding.

Managing Director Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Azizullah Khan said operations were carried out to drain accumulated rainwater from Saddarabad, Dhoke Kala Khan, Gawalmandi, Millat Colony, Javed Colony, Jan Colony, Misrial Road, Girja Road, Dhamial and other low-lying areas.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar has called for the immediate formation of a national government in the country.

Responding to a statement by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Barrister Gohar said that the government was talking about creating new administrative units and provinces. He questioned whether it had the mandate to do so, adding that constitutional amendments related to provinces require broad political consensus and a public mandate, which, according to him, neither of the two major political parties possesses.

Barrister Gohar said the public should be told who had pushed the current system into “default mode.” He alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were responsible for the destruction of the system. He further claimed that not only Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif but also PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were products of “Form 47.”

The PTI chairman demanded the immediate establishment of a national government, saying such a setup should be formed so that the country could move towards fresh elections.

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Rawalpindi: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Kashmir is the state’s “most beloved child” and that it was and will always remain Pakistan’s jugular vein.

Responding to a question during a press conference about the ongoing protest movement in Azad Kashmir, he said that it is important to keep the basic facts in mind to understand the Kashmir issue.

He said that the future of Kashmir will be decided by the Kashmiris themselves. According to him, when the question of accession is put before them, Kashmiris will choose to join Pakistan. He said this would not only be because of their cultural and religious affinity with Pakistan, but also because they have witnessed what he described as Indian oppression and because they left behind the graves of their ancestors when they came to Pakistan.

The DG ISPR said that India has deployed nearly one million security personnel in Indian-administered Kashmir. He stated that people require a no-objection certificate (NOC) to travel from one village to another and that individuals can be taken from their homes at any time. Despite this, he said, India has not been able to eliminate the Kashmiris’ attachment to Pakistan.

He further said that after failing to weaken this sentiment, India attempted to buy the loyalty of Kashmiri Muslims in Indian-administered Kashmir. He added that people could ask Kashmiri Muslims, Sikhs, minorities, and even Indian courts about the situation, saying they would reveal what he described as India’s true face.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that measures such as Articles 35A and 370 also failed to weaken pro-Pakistan sentiment in Kashmir. He said that after what he described as the “Pahalgam drama,” which he claimed backfired for India in May, India adopted what he called a new strategy of trying to create unrest in Pakistan’s part of Kashmir.

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He stated that India already had elements in the form of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), but this time, according to him, an attempt was made to spread unrest under the guise of rights.

The DG ISPR said that the state allowed these elements to expose themselves, after which, according to him, they openly opposed reserved seats for refugees. He said this was not because of constitutional or legal considerations, but because they wanted to impose their demands through force.

He said that the monopoly over the use of force belongs only to the state. He questioned that if groups were given such authority, then why the state was fighting Fitna al-Hindustan and the Khawarij.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry further said that the protesters insulted the heroes of the Kashmir freedom movement and began promoting Maharaja Hari Singh’s narrative. He also read out a social media post that, according to him, contained remarks against Sardar Ibrahim and Sardar Qayyum.

He said the protesters demanded that the “occupying army” be removed, questioning whose army they were referring to. He said it was Pakistan’s Army and added that thousands of Kashmiri soldiers serve in it. He noted that the commander of Rawalpindi Corps was from Kashmir, that Tal Patra is in Kashmir where Captain Sarwar of Gujar Khan sacrificed his life, and that Nishan-e-Haider recipients Shaheed Lalak Jan and Shaheed Sher Khan embraced martyrdom during the Kargil conflict. He questioned how anyone could describe Pakistan’s Army as an occupying force and accused such people of wanting those whom he alleged commit crimes in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The DG ISPR also said that protesters in Kashmir spread propaganda on social media by sharing videos of people they claimed had died, but those individuals later appeared and stated that they were alive.

He clarified that the Pakistan Army has no role in the situation in Azad Kashmir, saying that the matter is being handled by the Azad Kashmir government and the Kashmir Police. He referred to Inspector Naeem, saying he belonged to the same community and alleged that he had been brutally killed at the instigation of the same protest leaders.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that no one can change the slogan, “Kashmir Banega Pakistan, and we are Pakistanis and Pakistan is ours,” in Kashmir. He said elections will also be held in Kashmir and that answers to all questions lie within the rule of law and the constitutional framework. He added that whoever committed wrongdoing would be held accountable.