Extremely cold weather continued to grip Pakistan on Saturday, with snowfall and falling temperatures disrupting life across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, northern Punjab, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, the Pakistan Army launched a rescue operation after the area was hit by heavy snowfall.

Using heavy machinery, troops cleared snow-blocked roads in Manato village and reopened traffic on Sadda Road.

Several vehicles trapped in the snow were safely recovered and moved to secure locations.

In cities across Balochistan, including Quetta, Kalat, Mastung, Sibi, Surab, Ziarat, Kan Mehtarzai, Toba Kakari, and Toba Achakzai, temperatures have fallen below freezing.

Snow and icy winds from Siberia have caused the water to freeze in tanks and taps, leaving residents struggling to access drinking water.

Kalat recorded a minimum temperature of -11°C, paralysing daily life as residents were confined to their homes while gas supplies were completely shut off.

The heavy snow also disrupted traffic on key routes such as Kan Mehtarzai and Kozhak Top.

Road clearance operations were underway at many places, with the National Highway Authority, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), and district administration working to restore normalcy.

Peshawar is experiencing cold weather with partly cloudy skies following two days of rain.

The Met Office has forecast further rain and snowfall across both plains and hilly districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Sunday to Tuesday.

The PDMA has placed all district administrations on high alert to respond to emergencies.

In northern Pakistan, particularly the Kaghan Valley, heavy snowfall continued to block several roads.

Record snow accumulation in Shogran, Kaghan, and Naran has made it difficult to restore traffic on the Shogran Road, hampering travel and supply routes.