A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday morning, according to the Seismic Network of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
The tremors, recorded at 10:20am PKT, were traced to the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 190 kilometers. The quake was felt across several areas, including Peshawar, Swat, Chitral, and Abbottabad, as well as major divisions in Punjab such as Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, and Dera Ghazi Khan.
So far, no loss of life or property has been reported. KP Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi confirmed that no emergency has been declared.
Pakistan sits at the junction of the Arabian, Eurasian, and Indian tectonic plates, placing it within five seismic zones prone to frequent quakes. The Hindu Kush, in particular, is one of the world’s most active seismic belts due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, which often produces both shallow and deep-focus earthquakes — some exceeding depths of 200km.
This tectonic activity, linked to subduction and slab break-off beneath the Hindu Kush–Pamir region, has historically caused destructive quakes across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India.
Earlier this month, a 5.1-magnitude quake rattled Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and nearby areas, shaking buildings and sparking panic but causing no reported damage or casualties.