A mild earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale struck Zhob and its adjoining areas in Balochistan on Saturday, prompting residents to rush out of their homes in panic.
According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) in Islamabad, the epicentre of the quake was located 100 kilometres southeast of Zhob at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Eyewitnesses said people recited verses from the Holy Quran as they gathered in open spaces, fearing aftershocks. Local authorities confirmed that the tremor caused no disruption to infrastructure or routine life in the region.
In a separate incident on the same day, a stronger earthquake shook several parts of the country, including Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and northern areas such as Murree, Peshawar, Lower Dir, Bajaur, and Malakand.
The NSMC reported that the quake, measuring 5.9 in magnitude, struck at a depth of 94 kilometres with its epicentre located along the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Tremors were also felt as far as Afghanistan’s Jalalabad city.
In Punjab, residents of Okara, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Toba Tek Singh, and Chiniot experienced the tremors, with many evacuating homes and workplaces as a precaution. No immediate reports of casualties or major damage surfaced from any affected area.
Emergency response teams were placed on alert across the impacted regions, though officials stated that the seismic activity had largely subsided without incident.
