Saudi Arabia, US seek de-escalation of Pakistan-India tensions

ISLAMABAD: Temperatures in central and southern Pakistan may surge to 50°C this week, nearing the global record for the highest temperature ever recorded in April, as per a report by American newspaper The Washington Post. 

The warning comes amid increasingly unpredictable climate patterns across South Asia, with several cities in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province such as Karachi experiencing more frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years— a trend that climate experts attribute to broader shifts caused by global warming.

The situation underscores rising concerns over Pakistan’s preparedness for extreme weather events amid growing calls for stronger climate adaptation policies, increased tree cover in urban areas and more effective public awareness campaigns.

“Temperatures in central and southern Pakistan rose to 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.8°C) last weekend and are forecast to climb through Wednesday, possibly nearing the global April record of 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50°C),” The Washington Post said in a report.

“Heat will build across the Middle East and South Asia through the week, with Wednesday and Thursday looking like the hottest days for Pakistan.”

It added that Sindh’s Nawabshah city had reached the 50°C mark back in April 2018 and could repeat the same this week. Nawabshah recorded a temperature of 50.2°C back then and set a new global record for the highest temperature ever observed in April. 

The report said “a sprawling dome of high pressure like a heavy lid trapping heat in a pot” was causing the current heat wave, stretching from the Middle East to South Asia. It noted that this area experiences the Earth’s most unusually warm temperatures during April.

It quoted the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts as predicting the maximum temperature to remain around 50°C in central Pakistan on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Temperatures have been more than 4 degrees above average in Pakistan so far this April, even before the arrival of this week’s potentially record-breaking heat,” it added.

Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change, grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events from deadly heatwaves to devastating floods. 

The 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone while the 2022 floods left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.

SWAT: At a small mudbrick, hut-style restaurant in Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, customers are showing up to try a traditional delicacy: warjale. 
A local version of vegetable rice served with clarified butter, yogurt, cheese, milk, fresh cream and sometimes with the sauce of chicken meat, warjale, an old regional dish, is being kept alive as the main attraction at the Kawdareen Traditional Restaurant (KTR) in Mingora city.
Known for its scenic landscape of mountains and trees and cultural heritage and archaeological sites, Swat attracts thousands of visitors every year. 
Many now seek out Khan’s modest eatery to experience a taste of the valley’s traditional cuisine, especially warjale, which is made from a special rice called begumi, named after a noblewoman, Begum Bilqees Effandi, who had brought the rice variety’s seeds from Afghanistan in 1949 and cultivated it in the Bagh Dherai area of Swat for the first time. 

“I had another business, this was my hobby but God gave me a chance and made this a business out of my hobby,” Nasar Khan, the 60-year-old owner, told Arab News at the restaurant which he started six years ago to revive traditional foods from the valley and introduce them to young people.
“I had in mind that our traditional food should be commercialized so that the youth who don’t know about it should get a sense of it, that was the main aim.”
Khan said he served nearly all the traditional foods of Swat, such as warjale, khare, a popular dish made with lamb, tomatoes, garlic and minimal spices cooked in a traditional karahi pan, as well as saag, which is cooked mustard or similar bitter wild greens.

A warjale meal was typically served with desi ghee, fresh cream and a yogurt-based drink called lassi. A portion for two people costs around Rs1,000, less than $1, while a three-person meal costs around Rs1,300.
Cooking warjale was a labor-intensive task, Khan explained. 
“Warjale is cooked in a specific kind of saag, which can’t be cultivated but grows naturally,” he said. “The locals then pluck it and cut it in a special way … People of upper Swat call it chukan and those who live in the lower part call it warjale.”

Khan said warjale’s distinct flavor derived from ingredients that could only be sourced in Swat’s environment.
“The soil of Swat is fit for growing [Begami rice], which needs cold weather, fresh water and an environment like this,” he said.
Tourists visiting the restaurant vouched for the unique taste.
Izhar Zeb Yousafzai, a computer science lecturer visiting from Timergara, said he first heard about KTR online:
“We saw some videos about this restaurant on social media. We had a day off today, so we came here with friends ... Warjale was their specialty and we got a chance to eat it after a long time. When we gave it a try, we found its taste delicious.”

Asad Khan, a 28-year-old resident from Besham in Shangla district, said he had come to Swat for sightseeing before he heard about the restaurant and the dish.
“Warjale is the traditional food of Swat,” he said. “The way it is cooked and then presented with desi ghee, it has an exceptional taste, we can’t explain it.”