Prime Minister Shehbaz orders investigation into non-functional early weather warning systems in Britain

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday ordered a probe into non-functional early weather warning systems in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), expressing anger over their failure despite clear guidelines issued last year.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) statement, chairing a meeting on monsoon preparedness and measures to address climate-related risks, the Prime Minister warned that negligence and poor performance of relevant institutions would not be tolerated.

The Prime Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the failure to fully activate early warning systems installed in Britain, particularly those intended to prevent glacial lake flooding (GLOF), ordering an investigation into the continued non-functioning of the system and the poor performance of the institutions concerned, despite clear guidelines issued last year.

“Pakistan is among the countries most affected by climate change and urgent action is needed,” he said, emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts to mitigate environmental risks.

Prime Minister Shehbaz asked all federal institutions to work closely with provinces to remove obstacles in policy implementation and ensure effective coordination.

Referring to last year’s monsoon season, he noted that illegal encroachments along rivers and flood channels had worsened the impact of floods, saying a more effective preventive strategy had been adopted this year to address the problem.

While emphasizing the importance of ensuring the full functionality of early warning systems and the provision of necessary digital monitoring infrastructure, the Prime Minister called on all departments to strengthen their capabilities and go beyond available resources to ensure public safety during potential floods.

Prime Minister Shehbaz asked the Ministry of Climate Change, Ministry of Planning and other relevant departments to take unified and practical measures in coordination with provincial governments.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Climate Minister Musadik Malik and Finance Minister Aurangzeb, along with senior provincial officials and chief secretaries.

Officials, including Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, Chairman Water and Power Development Authority Lt. Gen. Muhammad Saeed (retd.), and representatives of the Ministry of Climate Change briefed the meeting on the measures taken as per the Prime Minister’s directives.

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The devastating floods that hit the country last year caused an estimated damage of 3,856 billion rupees, while the economy faced another 740 billion rupees in potential losses, Planning Ministry officials revealed in October 2025. The NDMA revealed in September 2025 that at least 1,006 people lost their lives during last year’s rains and floods.

NDMA figures show that Punjab recorded the highest number of deaths, with 304 deaths, including 110 children, 143 men and 51 women. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported 504 deaths, including 90 children, 338 men and 76 women.

Sindh reported 80 deaths, including 35 children, while Balochistan confirmed 30 deaths. Gilgit-Baltistan lost 41 people, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 38 and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) nine.

Flood-related incidents also left 1,063 people injured across the country. Punjab again reported the highest number of injuries, with 661 people affected. KP reported 218 casualties, Sindh 87, GB 52, AJK 37, Balochistan five and ICT three.