Commissioner of Quetta division, Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat has revealed that two domestic flights in Pakistan—Fly Jinnah and PIA—averted big disaster in Balochistan after being caught in a powerful dust storm.
About the Fly Jinnah flight, he gave credit to the pilot who saved the passengers and landed the plane successfully despite harsh weather and dwindling fuel.
He tweeted about this, saying, “Miraculous landing in Quetta! Fly Jinnah’s plane attempted to land 4 times amidst severe dust storm, with fuel running low. Thankfully, the 4th attempt was successful, averting a potential disaster.”
Miraculous landing in Quetta! Fly Jinnah's plane attempted to land 4 times amidst severe dust storm, with fuel running low. Thankfully, the 4th attempt was successful, averting a potential disaster. PIA flight diverted to Karachi due to tailwinds. The news on social media of…
— Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat (@hamzashafqaat) May 18, 2025
As for the PIA flight, it was safely diverted to Karachi due to strong tailwinds.
He also clarified that news on social media of passengers getting unconscious is not true and all of them are safe.
Earlier in the day, a storm hit Peshawar as a result trees collapsed which resulted in injuries.
Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) gave out a warning of a massive heatwave that is likely to crash most of the regions of the country from 15th to 19th of May. People in Pakistan must take precautionary measures as the temperatures will increase significantly.
According to PMD, southern parts of the country, including Sindh, southern Punjab, and Balochistan, will be the most affected. In these areas, the temperature may stay 4 to 6 degrees Celsius higher than usual. People living in these regions should prepare for several days of intense heat and dry weather.
The heatwave is not only going to affect southern lands but will also find its way to the northern parts of the country. A temperature rise of 5 to Celsius degree in Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan is expected from May 15 to 19. This increment is as a result of a strong high pressure system affecting most of the country.
However, there could be some kind of relief coming. From May 19, there are high chances of a westerly weather system entering the upper-regions of Pakistan and carrying on to Qatar and Dubai. This system may cause rain, thunderstorms and hailstorms over areas of Islamabad, Pothohar, Kashmir, KPK and Gilgit-Baltistan on 20th of May.
