The sun is no longer a gentle guest in Pakistan’s skies; it has turned into a fierce tyrant. From the wide plains of Sindh to the snow-capped peaks of Gilgit-Baltistan, the country is baking under a brutal heatwave. Temperatures are rising like wildfire, and with each passing year, the heat tightens its grip, turning summer into a season of survival.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has raised alarm bells, warning of dangerous heat from May through mid-June. Daytime temperatures in many regions are soaring 5 to 7°C above normal, with no cool breeze of relief in sight.
When Heat Becomes a Killer
Heatwaves, once rare, are now regular visitors overstaying their welcome. According to PMD officials, what used to be a summer spell has now turned into a burning curse.
“This year, the heatwave began in March — a time when flowers should bloom, not wither,” says Muhammad Fahim, a senior PMD official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Each year is hotter than the last.”
In the past four years, Pakistan has seen its heat calendar shift. March now feels like May, and June has become a furnace. The years 2023 and 2024 were the hottest in recorded global history, like two warning shots fired back-to-back.
In southern districts like Karachi and Hyderabad, streets feel like open ovens. Concrete buildings absorb sunlight like sponges soak water, releasing stored heat long after sundown. Nights offer no peace, feeling like sleeping under a sunlamp that never switches off.
A Country Caught in the Crossfire
Pakistan is not the arsonist in this climate fire, yet it is caught in the flames. Ranked among the world’s top 10 climate-vulnerable countries, Pakistan contributes less than 1% to global carbon emissions, but the punishment it faces is immense. It’s like standing in a storm you didn’t cause, yet getting soaked all the same.
From the deadly floods of 2022 to the rising heat deaths in 2024 and 2025, climate disasters are knocking louder on Pakistan’s door. Last summer alone, over 560 people reportedly died in Sindh due to heatstroke, most of them laborers, children, or elderly people — those least able to escape the sun’s wrath.
And it’s not just here. A 2023 study in Nature Medicine linked over 50,000 deaths across Europe to extreme heat. The World Health Organization warns that heat is now the leading cause of climate-related deaths on the continent. If wealthy nations are feeling the burn, countries like Pakistan are standing in the fire.
Cities Turning into Heat Traps
The crisis is made worse by Pakistan’s missteps. Unplanned urban growth is like adding fuel to an already burning flame. Buildings made of concrete and metal, with little ventilation or greenery, act like ovens. Streets with no shade become deserts of discomfort.
“Our cities are becoming giant heat traps,” the PMD warns. “Without trees, parks, or smart designs, we are building ourselves into climate prisons.”
Farmers are suffering, too. Crops dry up faster, livestock fall sick, and water becomes as precious as gold. The PMD has advised farmers to reschedule planting while urging the public to stay hydrated and indoors.
Glaciers Crying in Silence
While the South burns, the North melts. The heatwave is also accelerating glacial melt in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, poking holes in the ice dams that feed Pakistan’s rivers. Once they burst, they do not ask for permission.
The PMD has issued warnings of potential Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), which can drown villages within minutes. These silent threats, tucked away in mountain valleys, are deadly reminders that climate change wears many masks.
The World Is Getting Hotter — So Is Pakistan
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear: if the world warms by just 1.5°C, extreme heat events will occur four times more often. At 2°C, they will occur nearly six times more frequently. This is not science fiction; it is already unfolding.
Pakistan is not watching this from afar. It is sitting at the very edge of the boiling pot. If nothing changes, the future looks even more punishing.
Pakistan’s climate emergency is no longer a slow-moving threat; it is a house on fire. In that fire, it is the poorest, the children, the sick, and the elderly who are most at risk.
What Can Be Done?
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Greener cities with more trees and open spaces
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Climate-smart buildings that reflect heat instead of trapping it
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Awareness campaigns to protect public health during heatwaves
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International support for climate adaptation, especially from major polluting nations
As the sun continues to blaze and glaciers continue to weep, Pakistan stands at a crossroads. Will we act now, or will we wait until the land we call home becomes too hot to live in?
Pakistan is not just facing the heat — it is living in the furnace of climate change. The world must listen before the silence of loss becomes permanent.
