ISLAMABAD: The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Pakistan, Sheikh Riyadh Al-Khatib, presented a cheque of US dollars 9,000,000 on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia to Chairman of the CDA, towards the cost of construction of the Shah Faisal Masjid, Islamabad, here yesterday [July 30]. Acknowledging the generous donation of the Saudi Arabian Government, the CDA chief assured the Saudi Ambassador that the amount would be treated as a sacred trust and would be fully utilised for the specific project of the construction of the Shah Faisal Masjid.

[Meanwhile, as reported by our Lahore Bureau,] Lahore today [July 31] received more than seven inches of rains, the heaviest of the current season between 2 a.m. and 10 p.m.... . Two children have died and a number of houses in the walled city collapsed... . Low-lying areas have been inundated and life in the city almost paralysed. … PIA’s flight and the train schedules were affected... . … The city’s roads were replete with stalled automobiles. … Most of the city’s telephones were affected by the onslaught of rains. The downpour made life in Lahore miserable.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2026