Rains, flooding expose govt: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Senator Sirajul Haq said rains and flash flooding exposed the government infrastructure and performance in urban and rural areas and the capacity of the disaster management bodies to mitigate the challenge.

Addressing meetings of party delegations at Mansoora on Tuesday, he said 163 people lost their lives in monsoon rains and subsequent flash flooding during past weeks and scores were wounded and displaced. The floods destroyed hundreds of houses, roads and other infrastructure in all the provinces. He said the government had established the National Disaster Management Authority in 2005. But, he added, the ability of the national and provincial bodies to cope with the emergency situation had not improved in 15 years. He said the ruling party failed to win the public trust, it destroyed the institutions and economy and burdened the masses with massive inflation and unemployment. He appreciated the role of the workers of the JI and its charity al-Khidmat Foundation which made no stone unturned to provide relief to people of Karachi during rains.