A routine day turned into a tragedy Tuesday when a father drowned in Rawalpindi’s Lai Nullah while attempting to pull his young son from the rising floodwaters.
The man, identified as 38-year-old Muhammad Irfan, was walking along the embankment near the Kattarian bridge during the afternoon downpour. When his son slipped into the fast-moving current, Irfan jumped in without hesitation.
Witnesses described a frantic scene. While bystanders managed to rescue the child, the current proved too powerful for the father. Rescue 1122 teams arrived within minutes, but the heavy monsoon discharge had already swept him downstream.
“We pulled the boy out near the bank, but the father disappeared under the water almost immediately,” said a local shopkeeper who helped in the initial effort. “The water levels rose so fast, nobody could reach him.”
Emergency responders recovered Irfan’s body nearly two kilometers downstream after a three-hour search operation. The boy is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital for shock and minor injuries, though doctors describe his condition as stable.
The Lai Nullah remains a lethal hazard during Pakistan’s monsoon season. Despite repeated warnings from the district administration and the installation of warning signs, the nullah’s concrete banks often become slippery and treacherous during heavy rainfall.
Rawalpindi’s Deputy Commissioner has ordered a review of safety barriers along the most populated stretches of the drain, though such measures have historically struggled to keep pace with the city’s rapid, unplanned expansion.
For the family waiting at the hospital, the monsoon season has ended in a loss that no amount of government planning can rectify.
