Pakistan’s national disaster agency on Monday raised a high-level alarm for potential landslides across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as a potent weather system is forecast to bring intense rain and snowfall to the regions on 26 and 27 January.
The National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued the warnings based on forecasts of severe precipitation combined with the precarious geological conditions inherent to the country”s northern mountainous territories. A medium-level alert is also in effect for several districts in Balochistan.
The advisory highlights a significant risk in areas such as Dir, Swat, Kalam, Kaghan, Chitral, Kohistan, Shangla, Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Murree (Galiyat). In Gilgit-Baltistan, the districts of Astore, Bunji, Skardu, Gilgit, and Hunza are also on high alert. These locations are considered exceptionally vulnerable due to their steep slopes, fragile terrain, and river-cut valleys, which elevate the danger of landslides, mudflows, and rockfalls.
In Balochistan, widespread rain, thunderstorms, and moderate to heavy snowfall are anticipated over the next 24 to 48 hours. The adverse weather is expected to impact districts including Quetta, Ziarat, Pishin, Chaman, Qilla Abdullah, Zhob, and Kalat. These conditions could lead to unstable slopes, localised landslips, and debris flows, especially in hilly areas where rainfall may coincide with snowmelt.
The NEOC has cautioned that the weather-induced instability could result in significant travel disruption, with potential blockages on critical routes including the Karakoram Highway, the N-15 (Babusar Route), Kaghan-Naran Road, and key corridors in the Swat Valley, Astore, and Skardu. The threat of flash flooding in hill torrents and local nullahs further endangers settlements, infrastructure, and transport.
In response, the NDMA has strongly advised the public to avoid non-essential travel in the affected areas during the alert period. Travellers and tourists are urged to exercise extreme caution. Provincial and district authorities have been instructed to maintain a state of high alert, ensuring emergency response teams and road-clearing machinery are prepared for immediate deployment. The NEOC continues to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as necessary.