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ISLAMABAD: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday over the loss of life from recent flooding, state media reported, as monsoon rains triggered flash floods and hill torrents, submerging towns across northern Pakistan.

Putin’s message came as Pakistan’s monsoon death toll surged to 645 since late June, with 332 people killed in just the past two days amid continuing rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have deepened cooperation in recent years. In 2023, Islamabad imported discounted Russian crude oil banned in European markets following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Last December, both sides held intergovernmental meetings in Moscow to discuss collaboration on oil and gas exploration and refining.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk described the two countries as “natural allies” last month, saying Putin viewed Pakistan as a key partner for regional economic and energy development.

“President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in a condolence letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported, referring to the worst-hit Pakistani province.

Pakistani officials are trying to accelerate rescue efforts in flood-hit regions, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructing officials to ensure priority delivery of tents, medical supplies and essential relief services to the area.

Sharif also directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to issue advance weather alerts to residents and prepare for potential emergencies in affected and adjoining areas.

As the government strives to take control of the situation, Putin expressed “heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” the APP said.

“The Russian President expressed best wishes for the affected families,” it added.

Putin joins a growing list of world leaders extending support to Pakistan amid the tumultuous monsoon season.

On Saturday, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya also called Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to convey Crown Prince Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah’s condolences. He assured Pakistan of Kuwait’s readiness to offer assistance during this humanitarian crisis.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army is not interested in evacuating entire areas in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan to launch operations against militants, the top military spokesman said Saturday, insisting the region will always remain part of the country.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, has been the site of a long-running insurgency that has intensified in recent months, with separatist militants attacking security forces, government functionaries and non-local residents.

Intelligence-based operations have been launched in response, though outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade faction have carried out increasingly coordinated strikes, including a passenger train hostage-taking earlier this year and an attack on a school bus that killed and injured several children.

“We are not interested in evacuating an entire area, sending in troops, clearing all the localities and then declaring that peace has been restored because you cannot station the army permanently,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said while addressing students in a military internship program in Rawalpindi.

The ISPR shared portions of his remarks in a video released on its Facebook page.

“Once the army leaves, the terrorists would return,” he added. “That is why we need to work in a very intelligent manner. We need to work with the population, with the local administration, and we need to identify the terrorists, their sympathizers and their facilitators. That is what we are doing.”

Chaudhry emphasized that the military has no interest in falsely accusing or targeting innocent civilians.

“However, if someone facilitates terrorism, if someone keeps explosives in their house or gives shelter to terrorists, then they will have to face the consequences,” he continued.

The military spokesperson also underlined that Balochistan would “always remain part of Pakistan,” noting the province’s ethnic and demographic diversity and its connections with other parts of the country.

The comments came as violence in the mineral-rich province has intensified in recent months.

Earlier this week, the United States designated the BLA and the Majeed Brigade as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

Separatist groups accuse Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan’s resources to fund development elsewhere, while the federal government denies the charge, saying it is working to uplift local communities.