The northern areas of the country, including the federal capital and several cities in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, were jolted by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Friday night, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. The tremors were also felt in several cities of India.

The earthquake, which struck at a depth of 80 kilometres originated at 10:02pm, with the epicentre in Tajikistan, said the Met department.

The information was corroborated by the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, which also recorded an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 in Tajikistan. Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey recorded the magnitude at 5.9, with a depth of 91.6 kms and its epicentre at 35 kms west of Murghob in Tajikistan.

In Pakistan, the tremors were felt in Islamabad, Lahore and other areas of Punjab, besides several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Malakand and Hazara divisions.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed health and rescue services to be on alert and monitor the situation closely to avoid any untoward incidents.

In India, the Asian News International reported tremors being felt in several cities, including the capital New Delhi.

There were no reports of loss to life or property.

However, the quake sent people rushing out of their homes in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and other cities. Netizens took to social media to express concern and pray for everyone's safety.

In June last year, an earthquake of 5.7 magnitude was recorded in several areas of KP, including the provincial capital Peshawar. Prior to that, another quake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale had struck the northern areas of the country as well as Afghanistan. No significant loss to life and property was reported in either incident.

In September 2019, however, an earthquake had struck several areas of southern Azad Jammu and Kashmir, claiming the lives of 38 people and leaving hundreds of others injured.