“Attempts by foreign-backed terrorists to hinder development in Balochistan will be foiled at all costs. The day is not far when terrorism will be eradicated from Balochistan,” he said, according to a statement released by the Presidency after the meeting.

The meeting was held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad, the statement said, adding that CM Bugti briefed the president on the overall situation in Balochistan and steps being taken for development.

President Zardari noted that effective coordination between the federal and provincial governments was necessary for peace, progress and public welfare in Balochistan, according to the statement.

“Pakistan’s largest province in terms of area deserves special attention and resources,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Faryal Talpur, the president of PPP’s women’s wing, and Mir Ali Hassan Zehri, a former provincial minister from Balochistan, were also present during the meeting.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of near-constant terrorist activity and lawlessness in Balochistan, including attacks on infrastructure.

A week before the meeting, a main gas pipeline in Kacchi district’s Bolan was blown up by unidentified attackers, following which supply to several towns and cities was suspended.

Similarly, two 220kV high-voltage transmission pylons were blown up and as many were partia­lly damaged near the Uch Power Plant in Dera Murad Jamali on July 13. The attack by unidentified armed men had disrupted electricity supply to Quetta, Sibi, and several other par­ts of Balochistan.

Meanwhile, security forces have been conducting operations against terrorists in the province.

In the latest action, they killed nine terrorists during intelligence-based operations (IBO) in the Ziarat, Harnai and Surab areas of Balochistan.

On Monday, two terrorists were killed and three others were injured in an IBO in the Killi Zaik area of Balochistan, and seven were killed in an IBO in Kharan’s Lajay area on Sunday.

On Saturday, security forces killed 10 terrorists and injured many others in an IBO in the Shor Pard area of Balochistan’s Khuzdar district.

That followed the killing of at least 18 terrorists in Surab, including eight in a premature detonation, according to the military’s media affairs wing.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies’ (PICSS) monthly security assessment said security situation deteriorated most significantly in Balochistan in the country last month.

The overall death toll increased by 241 per cent in Balochistan, from 109 in June to 372 in July, the report said.

Security personnel deaths in Balochistan increased from six in June to 62 in July, representing a rise of 933pc. Terrorist deaths rose from 75 to 238, while civilian deaths increased by 93pc, from 28 to 54. Eighteen members of peace committees were also killed in the province.

Syria’s state-run Ekhbariya television, citing a military source, said on Tuesday that Israel carried out eight airstrikes on the runway and storage facilities at the Abu al-Duhur base near Aleppo in northwest Syria. A separate military source and a civilian who lived near the base said there were no casualties.

“Such provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and have the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability,” the FO said on Wednesday.

“Pakistan expresses its unwavering solidarity with the brotherly people of Syria, and reiterates its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as peace and prosperity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” the FO said.

Pakistan also called on the international community to play its role in ending repeated violations of international law by Israeli occupation forces and to hold them accountable for their destabilising actions in the region, it added.

US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday it was confirmed that Israel carried out the strikes on the air base in Idlib province.

The attacks “constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability”, Barrack, a business friend of President Donald Trump who is also ambassador to Turkey, wrote on X.

“We encourage all parties to prioritise logical discourse over further military incidents,” he said.

The strike marked extraordinary defiance by Israel of the United States, which has sought to support Syria’s new government allied with Turkiye.

“Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after a day of official silence by Israel.

“Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings,” said the statement, which stopped short of acknowledging Israeli responsibility.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani called for the attacks to stop, saying Israel should recalculate its position toward Syria because it was confronting not only Damascus, but also Syria’s allies.

“These attacks don’t have security justifications … We will continue in our diplomatic path to dissuade Israel from this policy and to force it to stop its attacks on Syria,” he said at a press conference with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi in Damascus.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government slammed Israel’s remarks in a statement on Wednesday quoted by the Anadolu state news agency.

“The frivolous allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office aim to legitimise Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.

The base, about 70 km (43.5 miles) east of the Turkish border, has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013 and changed hands several times during Syria’s 14-year civil war between forces loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad and opposition factions.

Israel has repeatedly struck Syrian forces since Assad was ousted in 2024. It has so far attacked mostly government sites in southern and central Syria, most recently in March.

Additional input from Reuters and AFP

The department said that heavy rainfall, expected over the next few hours, could cause water to accumulate in low-lying areas and raise the water levels in local drains, particularly Leh Nullah.

It also issued a flood alert for Leh Nullah as the water levels at Kattarian and Gawalmandi exceeded the designated thresholds.

According to the Met Office, the water level in Leh Nullah increased to 21 feet at Kattarian and 16 feet at Gawalmandi at 6:30am, before reducing. However, it started to gradually rise again, with water levels at Kattarian and Gawalmandi later recorded as 18 feet and 17 feet, respectively.

The PMD asked authorities to make arrangements for evacuating people from low-lying areas. The Met department asked all stakeholders concerned to remain highly vigilant, closely monitor the situation, and be prepared to take necessary precautionary measures in case of further escalation.

The department said that 122mm of rainfall had been recorded at Shamsabad, 121mm at Kutcheri Chowk, 119mm at Kattarian, 118mm at Pirwadhai, 100mm at Zero Point, 100mm at Bokra, 95mm at Saidpur and 94mm in Golra.

A day earlier, the Met Office had predicted more rain and warned that heavy rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Peshawar, Nowshera, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore.

Meanwhile, a couple was killed, and their daughters were injured on Tuesday after the roof of their house collapsed following three days of heavy rainfall in Madina Town, located in Shahzad Town.

Motorists told to slow down

Meanwhile, Islamabad traffic police issued an advisory urging motorists and motorcyclists to reduce their speed, maintain a safe distance and exercise extra caution on wet roads.

It said that motorists should maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead of them, avoid unnecessary speeding and remain within their designated lanes during the rainfall.

It advised drivers to use fog lights where needed, particularly when visibility was reduced, and ensure the proper use of side mirrors, indicators and seat belts while driving.

Motorcyclists were advised to remain in the extreme left lane, avoid risky manoeuvres and wear helmets at all times. Citizens were also advised to remain alert to changing road conditions and follow traffic instructions to avoid accidents.

Rawalpindi traffic police also issued similar instructions, urging citizens to exercise caution during the rainfall.

Trump said on Sunday that he had told the Pentagon to curtail the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises — a day before they started — citing his “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang’s state media criticised the drills on Wednesday as a “most immediate and open threat”, without mentioning Trump’s order.

Hours later, Seoul’s military said the drills would wrap up on Friday, not on August 27 as originally planned.

“We have decided to adjust the UFS exercise period to run from the 17th to the 21st,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The decision was made “at the suggestion of the US side”, it added.

The Pentagon said the “substantially reduced” drills would “preserve essential readiness and … [cause] no degradation to US training objectives”.

The exercises are designed to prepare for a possible attack by North Korea.

They were understood to consist of two phases: the first, focused on defending against potential North Korean threats, was due to run until Friday; and the second, focused on a counteroffensive, from August 24 to 27.

The second phase is now understood to have been scrapped.

A South Korean military official told AFP that Seoul viewed the decision as “unusual”.

Nuclear-armed North Korea has long voiced outrage at the exercises, considering them dress rehearsals for an invasion.

Wednesday’s commentary by the state-run Korean Central News Agency said they pose “the most immediate and open threat” to North Korea and “regional security”.

It did not mention Trump’s order or his desire to resume talks with Kim, with whom he has hinted at being in contact.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Pyongyang had deliberately avoided mentioning Trump.

North Korea was “sticking to general principles as if completely unaware of” Trump’s comments, he told AFP.

“Showing awareness could suggest a degree of mutual understanding,” but feigning ignorance signals that the issue could become a key bargaining point in any future talks with Trump, Hong said.

‘Much safer’

In the initial announcement on his Truth Social platform, Trump described the drills as unfriendly towards a country that had been respectful to him.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers on Wednesday that Seoul had not been informed in advance of Trump’s plan to downsize them.

“Neither our government nor US government officials knew in advance what President Trump revealed via Truth Social,” Cho said.

Trump has insisted that he is making the situation “much safer” through his ties with Kim.

Asked on Monday whether Kim had responded to his requests for a conversation, Trump said: “Yeah, he has.”

He said the discussions had been “very positive”, but provided no further detail.

“There has been persistent speculation that Washington could seek renewed talks with Pyongyang ahead of the November US mid-term elections,” Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, told AFP.

“For Trump, a meeting with … Kim Jong Un could offer a chance to secure a foreign-policy legacy.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials, that Trump is pushing aides to set up a meeting with Kim as soon as this autumn.

“Reducing exercises could have a positive impact on the possibility of US-North Korea dialogue,” Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, told AFP.

“The suspension of joint exercises has always been a prerequisite for North Korea to engage in dialogue with the US,” he added.

Trump and Kim met three times in his first spell in the White House, but they have not held talks during his second term.

The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country’s defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Trump has repeatedly criticised longstanding US alliances, casting doubt on Washington’s commitment to security in East Asia and alarming regional partners.

The extension comes as the previous restriction was due to expire on Aug 23.

“Pakistan airspace not available for Indian-registered aircraft and aircraft operated or leased by Indian airlines/operators, including military flights,” the Notam, issued early on Wednesday, said.

According to the Notam, the extension took effect on Aug 23 at 10:15am and will remain in force until 4:59am on Sept 24.

The country’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs.

India and Pakistan closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines in late April 2025, when tensions between them escalated in the wake of a deadly attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

On April 24, Pakistan’s top brass had announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect, as it retaliated against New Delhi’s slew of aggressive measures against the country.

Since then, Pakistan has extended the ban several times.

New Delhi, without evidence, had alleged that Islamabad backed the attack; however, Pakistan had strongly denied any involvement and offered a neutral probe. The nuclear powers had the fiercest air battle in May, in which Pakistan said it downed seven Indian fighter jets.