Earthquake jolts parts of country

Earthquake tremors have been felt in the federal capital Islamabad, Peshawar and its environs.

The quake measured 5.3 on the Richter scale and had a depth of 159 km. The epicenter was reported below the Hindu Kush region.

Severe tremors were also felt in Swat, Malakand and Lower Dir along with Charsadda and Nowshera.

Tremors were felt in the capital Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Kohat, and other districts of Punjab.

Reportedly, huge shocks were also felt.

People came out of their homes in panic and started reciting verses of "Kalma Tayyaba."  However, no causalities have been reported so far.

Earlier, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale jolted Swat and its surrounding areas on Sunday afternoon.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 178 kilometres beneath the surface of the earth near the border area between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

In March, Swat was rocked by an earthquake measured at 3.9 on the Richter scale.

On February 17, Swat and other areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa experienced jolts originating from the Hindu Kush Mountains measured at 4.7 on the Richter scale.