Govt calls in army to deal with floods crisis

ISLAMABAD: The federal government Friday requisitioned troops of Pakistan Army in aid of the civil government under Article 245 of the Constitution for their deployment in the rain and flood-hit areas of the country.

The federal government, following approval of a summary by the federal cabinet through circulation, issued a notification for deployment of troops of the Pakistan Army in areas and districts of Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan, severely hit by floods and torrential rains.

Earlier, the interior ministry Friday sent a summary to the federal cabinet for its approval for deployment of Pak troops in flood-affected areas across the country. The summary said that Article 245 of the Constitution empowered the federal government i.e. federal cabinet to deploy troops of armed forces in aid of civil administration.

It said that the prime minister had also approved submission of the summary to the federal cabinet through circulation for its approval for early deployment of Pak troops in flood-it areas of four provinces.

The federal cabinet was informed that the Military Operation Directorate had already verbally consented to provision of troops for deployment in rain- and flood-hit regions of the country. The interior ministry summary also conveyed to the federal cabinet that home departments of four provinces had forwarded their requisitions to the federal government for deployment of assets and troops of Pakistan Army in aid of civil power.