Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the federal cabinet will donate a month’s salary to support the communities affected by the floods in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
He made this announcement during the presidency of a meeting in Islamabad on Monday to examine the ongoing rescue efforts in the areas struck by the floods of KP, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and cashmere.
The Prime Minister promised full federal support for affected communities. “Helping our Pakistani brothers and sisters in distress is our national responsibility,” he said.
Under the Prime Minister’s rescue package, financial aid will be provided to the families of the deceased and to the people affected by the floods. The Minister of Business of Kashmir and GB, the engineer Amir Muqam, was responsible for supervising rescue and rehabilitation operations.
Sharif has ordered federal ministers to personally monitor electricity, water supply, roads and other essential services. “All the ministers concerned must remain in the affected areas until the last person receives assistance while the basic infrastructure is restored,” he said.
He asked the National Highway Authority, the Ministry of Communications and the organization of border work to prioritize the compensation and maintenance of highways and bridges in the areas affected by floods.
The Prime Minister also ordered the Ministry of Health to send medical teams and establish camps, while the Benazir income support program will be mobilized to help the victims of the floods.
A briefing at the meeting noted that the federal and provincial governments, the Pakistani army and other institutions have created 456 rescue camps and carried out 400 rescue operations so far. Rescue trucks carrying essential goods are shipped, with priority for the hardest affected areas.
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According to preliminary estimates, the damages of public and private properties exceeded 126 million rupees. The National Disaster Management Authority presented a report on ration, tents, drugs and other essential supplies. The Prime Minister ordered the amount of rescue to be increased.
Prime Minister Shehbaz has been informed that the monsoon season should continue until the second week of September, with six major spells already spent and two others expected, potentially affecting the areas affected by floods until the last week of September.
The ministers informed of local situations included Muqam on Swat, Awais Leghari on KP, Mubarak Zeb in Bajaur and officials of the National Highway Authority and the Ministry of Communications on Malakand and Gilgit.
