Pak PM asks people to pray for rain

Aziz has asked people to offer a special prayer of "Istesqa" to seek Allah's blessings for rain.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has asked Pakistanis to pray for rain to end a continued dry spell that has raised fears of a drought, officials said on Thursday.

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Aziz asked people to offer a special Muslim prayer of "Istesqa" to seek Allah's blessings for rain, a statement said.

Pakistan is in the grip of a severe heat wave and could face a water crisis, with water levels in rivers, canals and other reservoirs dropping to their "critically lowest" level, Aziz said.

Pakistan's top meteorologist has warned the country could be facing a drought, with no significant rain expected in the next two months.