Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday instructed the Ambassador of Pakistan in Kyrgyzstan Hasan Ali Zaigham to make all necessary arrangements regarding the special plane to bring back Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan.

In his telephonic conversation with Hasan Ali Zaigham, the Prime Minister directed him to stay in touch with all Pakistani students and their families in Kyrgyzstan.

The Prime Minister said injured Pakistani students should be brought to Pakistan on priority basis.

He said repatriation of family members residing in Kyrgyzstan with Pakistani students should also be arranged on a priority basis.

On the instructions of the Prime Minister, a special plane will leave for Bishkek Kyrgyzstan this evening and will bring back 130 Pakistani students tonight.

The Pakistani Ambassador informed the Prime Minister about his meeting with the Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister.

According to him, the Kyrgyz government has said that the situation has been completely brought under control and there were no new incidents of violence last night and today.

The Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister said security has been enhanced and Pakistani and other foreign students are absolutely safe.

The Minister said even if the situation returns to normal and any Pakistani student wants to return home, he should be provided with all kinds of facilities.

Islamabad: The heatwaves alert has been issued by the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) for the citizens.

The heatwave is likely to hit the different parts of the country from May 21 to May 27.

Heatwave is a period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days.

What are causes of heatwave?

Climate change, de-forestation and urbanization are the main causes of heatwaves in any part of the world. The situation in Pakistan is adverse as all three factors including climate change, de-forestation and urbanization exist here.

Heatwaves form when a high-pressure area in the upper atmosphere strengthens and remains over a region.

EFFECTS  

The heatwave badly affect the animals and birds, agriculture and it brings draught. The heatwave also badly impacts human health. Heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke may be the major effects.

Precautions:

The health experts say that staying hydrated and covered and wearing light-color clothes can be very helpful during the heatwaves. The use of hats and umbrellas are also strongly advised during this period for safety. Suspension of outdoor activities is also important to avoid bad impact of heatwaves.

The PDMA warns that the heatwave may hit the parts of the country from May 21 to May 27.

Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Multan are likely to experience particularly severe conditions.  The temperatures may go up to 46 degrees Celsius during the upcoming week.

The local administrations have been directed to establish heatwave counters in hospitals and ensure the availability of necessary medications for treating heatstroke patients.

Lahore: Japanese Ambassador in Pakistan, Wada Mitsuhiro met Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore on Sunday.

During meeting, both discussed ways to strengthen bilateral trade and investment.

They reviewed exchange of cultural and academic delegations between Punjab and Japan and agreed in principle for promoting faculty programs for students.

In a separate development, the State Bank of Pakistan released a half year report on the state of the country's economy.

According to the report, the country’s macroeconomic conditions improved during the first half of the financial year 24 and the real economic activities moderately recovered against the contraction last year.

It noted that the current account deficit narrowed considerably, amid continued contractionary monetary and fiscal policies, better agricultural produce and ease in global commodity prices.

The real GDP, driven by the agriculture sector, grew by 1.7 percent in H1-FY24.

The recovery in the agriculture sector also supported some of the agro-based industries. In addition, withdrawal of import prioritization measures improved availability of raw materials for industry.

The report highlighted that despite some improvement in macroeconomic indicators, the economy continues to grapple with the structural bottlenecks. The major issues include limited savings, low investments in physical and human capital, weak productivity, stagnant exports, narrow tax base, and inefficiencies in Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs).

The report noted that despite restrained domestic demand, inflationary pressures remained persistent at elevated levels.

The Report expected continuation of modest economic recovery in the second half of FY24.