Lauds COAS, Gandapur for standing by people in this difficult time; Distributes relief cheques among the affected families, announces seven days of free electricity for flood victims; Field Marshal asks troops to conduct relief activities with utmost devotion
Tariq Saeed Peshawar
Pledging all out support to the flood victims of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that was hit hardest by the natural calamity recording over 400 casualties, Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday said the affected families will not be left alone and the government will utilize all its resources for their rehabilitation.
PM Shehbaz Sharif, however, warned of more spells of torrential rain in the days to come which may lead to further devastation in KP and issued stern warning to those resorting to illegal encroachments building hotels on river beds saying they will be dealt with iron hands.
“The federal government will provide all possible assistance without distinction between provincial or district infrastructure. Pakistan is one home with four provinces and we are facing this challenge along with the Chief Minister of KP. We will mobilise every resource to restore roads, power, and communication networks and effectively rehabilitate the affectees”.
Accompanied by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and federal ministers Attaullah Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal and Amir Muqam, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited flood-affected districts of Buner, Swat, Shangla and Swabi, taking an aerial view of the devastation caused by torrential rains and flash floods and attended a comprehensive briefing on the ongoing rescue and relief operations in KP.
He said the army, government, and civil society were jointly striving to aid flood victims. Paying tribute to the Pakistan Army, the premier said the military deserved all praise as it was fighting terrorists on one hand and conducting relief operations on the other.
Premier also praised Field Marshal Asim Munir for directing the armed forces to aid flood-hit populations and commended his officers for their commitment.
“I extend appreciation to Field Marshal Asim Munir and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for standing by the people in this difficult time,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said amid the apprehension that more spells of torrential rain are yet to come.
Addressing flood victims in Buner, the prime minister expressed sorrow over the devastation caused by heavy rains and flash floods, saying more than 350 people had lost their lives in KP alone, while hundreds were injured. He offered condolences to families who had lost loved ones, saying that the devastation caused by the natural calamity in various districts of KP had left every Pakistani with teary eyes.
PM Shehbaz said that destroyed bridges and roads were already being repaired by engineers, with instructions issued to restore all affected sites within a week and pledged that electricity would be restored everywhere in the same period, whether bills had been paid or not. Distributing relief cheques among the affected families, he announced seven days of free electricity for flood victims.
The Prime Minister recalled the catastrophic 2022 floods that destroyed crops and homes, saying the federal government at the time had disbursed Rs100 billion for rehabilitation. “Today too, all resources were being mobilised to accelerate relief and recovery efforts”. PM added.
PM Shehbaz emphasised unity, saying the federal government would work with KP, GB, and other provinces, stressing that there should be “no politics in a time of national crisis.” He lauded KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for his efforts in relief operations.
The Prime Minister criticized illegal encroachments, hotels built on riverbeds and unchecked mining activities that worsened the scale of destruction.
He said there should be no forgiveness for human negligence. Building hotels and houses in rivers is a man-made disaster. He said we will launch a movement to stop such construction around drains and waterways and no one would be spared for violations of law, calling the construction of hotels and houses along waterways a “serious mistake” that had worsened the floods’ impact.
“There is no pardon for such encroachments; deforestation and unchecked mining also intensified the disaster,” Sharif observed and stressed the need for strict policies to prevent future building on natural water channels.
Referring to Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, he said the country is among the ten worst-affected globally. The PM also warned that further spells of heavy rain were expected, and that only collective action, including the preservation of forests, could help mitigate future disasters. He called for forging national unity rising above the politics at this testing times.
COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir who met with troops, rescue workers, and civil administration personnel, lauded their tireless service. He directed the ground formations to continue relief operations with utmost devotion and dedication.
