Nayyar Bukhari advises Maryam to show restraint

ISLAMABAD: Secretary General of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari on Sunday voiced serious concern over the widespread destruction caused by floods in central and southern Punjab, criticising both federal and provincial relief efforts as “grossly inadequate.”

Bukhari said that floods from three rivers had devastated urban centres as well as vast swathes of agricultural land, while the government’s announced compensation of Rs20,000 per acre was “nowhere near sufficient” for farmers who had incurred massive losses. “If domestic resources are inadequate, there is nothing wrong with seeking international assistance,” he said in a statement.

Recalling the 2022 floods, the PPP leader noted that then foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had reached out to the international community for support. “A similar approach is required today. This is not begging. In times of such devastation, nations extend help to one another,” he stressed.

Advising Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to exercise restraint in her remarks, Bukhari said: “If seeking help is begging, why Maryam Nawaz’ uncle turned to the IMF after 2022. Has Pakistan not been availing international assistance for years?”

He underscored that Pakistan itself had a tradition of supporting countries hit by natural disasters, and now its own agriculture had suffered heavy damage. “Cotton, sugarcane and turmeric crops have been destroyed. Farmers require urgent assistance to sow wheat and other crops again,” he cautioned.