A Pakistani private earthquake forecasting company, Earthquake Quick news & Research Center (EQQN), has issued a warning under the earthquake prediction Pakistan category, forecasting a strong earthquake in the next week.
EQQN Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shahbaz Leghari while talking to media, remarked, “Pakistan and Afghanistan will experience a 5.4 magnitude earthquake next week, with tremors likely to affect both the northern and southern regions of Pakistan.”
Leghari claimed that his previous predictions were proven true about recent earthquake. Referencing the earthquake on April 12, he claimed, “We have publicly forecasted it, during a press conference in Islamabad on April 7, 2025, the record of which is also available.”
The recent earthquake prediction Pakistan warning has also sparked a debate and concerns, due to EQQN’s claims that his previous “forecasts” have been proven true.
EQQN has a dedicated YouTube channel in which Shahbaz Leghari goes into details about forecasting seismic activity in different parts of world and earthquake prediction Pakistan updates.
According to him, his company’s goal is to issue early warning to the people about expected earthquake so lives could be saved.
Earthquake Prediction Pakistan: Can earthquakes be predicted?
According to internationally renowned agency, United Stated Geological Survey (USGS), neither the USGS nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake.
“We do not know how, and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future,” it stated on their website. However, USGS stated that their scientists can only calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will occur in a specific area within a certain number of years.
According to USGS, “An earthquake forecast was made in China several decades ago based on small earthquakes and unusual animal activity. Many people chose to sleep outside of their homes and thus were spared when the main earthquake indeed occurred and caused widespread destruction.”
However, it clarified that this was a rare occurrence as not every small or unusual seismic activity is followed by a larger, much stronger earthquake.
Previous Earthquake Prediction Pakistan
In 2023, a Dutch organisation, Solar System Geometry Survey (SSGEOS), issued a warning that an earthquake might occur in Pakistan in early October.
The SSGEOS specializes in monitoring fluctuations of electric charge in the atmosphere near sea level, which they claim are indicative of regions where stronger seismic activity might occur, typically within a range of 1 to 9 days.
Recent Earthquakes in Pakistan
It must be highlighted that Pakistan has been witnessing frequent earthquakes, particularly in Islamabad and Northern areas.
- On February 27, a strong earthquake jolted Islamabad and Rawalpindi, putting the citizens of twin cities in extreme fear for their lives. Many citizens in Islamabad reported an unusually strong earthquake accompanied by a loud booming noise akin to a blast. According to the Seismological Center, the earthquake measured 4.8 on the Richter scale with a depth of 17 kilometers. The epicenter was located 8 kilometers southwest of Rawalpindi.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the earthquake and many suggested the epicenter being Rawalpindi as the main reason for such an intense but short jolt.
- On March 27, another 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), it struck at 1:28pm local time with a depth of 198 kilometres.
- On Apirl 12, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and parts of KP and Punjab on an afternoon.
Multiple social media footages revealed residents running out of their homes and buildings for fear of their safety.
- Similarly, another powerful earthquake Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and parts of KP in early hours of April 16. It was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 69 kilometeres and epicenter located approximately 108 kilometres east of Kulfgan in Afghanistan.
