Bilawal, diplomats take aerial view of flood havoc

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accompanied by diplomats from more than 20 countries and representatives of international organisations Wednesday took an aerial view of the flood ravaged areas, so they could see for themselves the devastation caused in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the floods.

This was a much-needed attempt by the Foreign Office because no number of briefings and images could bring home the reality on the ground to these diplomats as Pakistan faces the worst disaster in history.

“Took a group of diplomats for an aerial view of flood affected regions. The scale of devastation is difficult to comprehend until you witness the disaster with your own eyes”, Bilawal tweeted.

The diplomats saw for themselves how this “Monster Monsoon” caused devastating floods , with over 1,000 people dead, 1,600 injured, millions homeless, destroying buildings, bridges and roads with Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman saying one third of the country was under water.

The Foreign Office says the diplomats who accompanied the foreign minister included those from Turkmenistan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Spain, US, China, France, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Turkey and UN among several other countries as well as representatives of international organisations including the UN.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister Khursheed Shah met the diplomats and other representatives at the Sukkur airport where a detailed briefing was given by officials from the NDMA.

Meanwhile, welcoming the visit of UN Secretary General to Pakistan on Friday, the Foreign Office spokesperson said, “This will contribute in a big way to our collective effort to highlight the impact of this disaster” and will further mobilize international assistance.