Islamabad

A moderate earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in northern and northwestern parts of Pakistan on Saturday morning, marking the second seismic event to affect the region within 48 hours.

Officials said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to property.

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the quake occurred at around 9:30 am local time at a depth of 14 kilometres. The epicentre was traced to a point approximately 11 kilometres northeast of Burhan in Attock district.

The tremors were felt across several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as in the federal capital Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi, prompting residents in some localities to step outdoors briefly.

Saturday’s quake followed a stronger 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab on Friday evening. That tremor, felt in multiple cities including Islamabad and Peshawar, originated in Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 101 kilometres.

Seismic activity is frequent in northern Pakistan due to its location along the Himalayan seismic belt, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge.

Earlier this month, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook Balochistan on February 13, followed by a smaller 3.8-magnitude tremor the same day near Khuzdar. No casualties were reported in either incident.

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Pakistan’s deadliest earthquake occurred in 2005, when a powerful tremor claimed nearly 74,000 lives.