Pakistan People’s Party leader Sharmila Farooqui on Friday urged international and national communities to come forward with positive approach and help the people of Pakistan, especially women and children, who are still suffering from humanitarian crisis caused by the last year’s devastating floods and torrential rains.
Vulnerable communities still reeling from the impact of the floods need reliable access to essential services, such as health care, nutrition, education, protection, hygiene and sanitation, she said in a statement on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day falling on August 19. Sharmila said that 33 million people were affected by deadly floods and rains in Pakistan in 2022. This natural disaster killed 1,739 people, including 647 children and destroyed livelihoods many people including women.
The scale of devastation is massive and requires an immense humanitarian response for 33 million people. “I appeal to my fellow Pakistanis, Pakistan expatriates and the international community to help Pakistan in this hour of need,” she said. She said that the flooding also displaced 7.9 million people and left dangerous impact on agriculture, flooding 9.4 million acres of crops and killing more than 1.1 million livestock.
Humanitarian work requires being conscious of the circumstances of other people’s lives and serve them without any discrimination of caste, creed or color, she said and added that humanitarians have no other purpose than to save and protect lives and deliver the basic necessities of life, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the communities they serve and bring hope.
This year, World Humanitarian Day campaign brings together the global humanitarian community to mark the twentieth anniversary of the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, and to show our unwavering commitment to deliver for the communities. Sharmila said humanitarian day aims to help and protect people who are suffering from natural calamities and disasters as well as emergencies in a country.
