ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government has decided to increase the net amount of flood relief assistance programme for affected families after initial assessment of Rs28 billion to Rs70 billion.
Chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet here on Tuesday, the prime minister observed that it was made-made disaster in some areas like Swat where hotels were constructed illegally on the river bed. He said that there should be effective zoning regulations with strict implement for the land use to avert such tragedies in future. At the same time, he, however, said that there should be no politics on the issue.
Shehbaz said that the amount of assistance had been increased keeping in view the gravity of the situation due to floods. He said a separate grant of Rs15 billion had also been made for Sindh, Rs10 billion each for Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Rs3 billion for the flood-affected people of Gilgit-Baltistan.
He said the relief assistance amount was being distributed through Benazir Income Support Programme, which has so far disbursed about Rs20 billion. He said an assistance of Rs1 million was being given to the family of each deceased person in the floods.
“Friendly countries are contributing generously for relief of the flood victims due to an increase in awareness at the international level,” he said, adding that the relief assistance from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United States and others continues while the United Kingdom has increased its initial assistance from 1.5 million to 15 million pounds.
He said that the UAE government also dispatched relief goods worth 50 million dollars while the first consignment from Turkiye had also been received. The US and Prince Aga Khan also announced donations of 30 million and one million dollars respectively.
The prime minister lauded the joint efforts of all ministries, federal and provincial governments and institutions engaged in flood relief activities. He also directed all the cabinet members, federal and provincial departments to participate in relief and rehabilitation activities while remaining above all the political affiliations. “First we are Pakistanis and, therefore, we have to demonstrate unity, play our role with national spirit to cope with a flood like calamity,” he said.
The officials of the National Flood Response and Coordination Center (NFRCC) told the meeting that 80 to 90 percent of agricultural land could be made available for cultivation of wheat and other crops and there was apprehension of a food crisis in the country. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari apprised the prime minister of the flood situation in Sindh and the nongoing relief activities in the province.
Shehbaz assured Bilawal that with mutual cooperation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the affected families would be provided mosquito nets and tents on priority basis. In this connection, he also convened an emergency meeting of the NDMA and representatives of coalition parties.
He also directed the NDMA chairman to immediately depart for Karachi to expedite relief and rehabilitation activities in the Sindh province. The NDMA chairman apprised the cabinet meeting that so far 24,000 tents had been distributed in Sindh.
Meanwhile, the prime minister on his Twitter handle paid homage to 1965 martyrs, writing: “The whole nation comes together today in paying homage to our martyrs & Ghazis who put their lives on the line to defend the motherland against the Indian aggression. Together our armed forces & people thwarted the Indian machinations to undermine our territorial integrity.”
In another tweet, Shehbaz said: “As Pakistan grapples with the historic floods & other challenges, we need to summon the spirit of 1965. National unity is our greatest strength. Anyone intending to hurt the bond between our armed forces & people is not a friend of Pakistan. Let us fortify this bond of One Nation.”
The federal cabinet also approved Economic Coordination Committee (ECC)’s decisions, including development of business plan by the National Highway Authority (NHA), G-20 Debt Servicing Suspension Initiative, Refixing National Wheat Strategic Reserves to the level of 2 MMT, Emergency Case Assistance to affected of flash floods 2022 and approval for arrangements expenditures related to on-side visits of FATF/APG Assesor Team.
Earlier, in his initial remarks, the prime minister said there was a need to recall the spirit of 1965 to cope with the grave challenge in the wake of unprecedented floods in the country. He termed unity as the greatest strength of the Pakistani nation to deal with the challenges effectively. He said over 30 million people were facing the brunt of flash floods in the shape of loss of lives, infrastructure and crops.
Shehbaz paid tribute to the martyrs of 1965 war who laid down their lives for the safety and security of the country. He said together, the armed forces and the people had thwarted the Indian machinations to undermine the national integrity. In view of the heavy losses due to the floods, he said, the government had decided to observe the Defence Day with simplicity.