ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed an intensified and wide-reaching response to relief and rehabilitation efforts across the flood-affected area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), as heavy monsoon rains continue to wreak havoc.
Chairing a high-level emergency meeting to take stock of the situation in wake of recent devastating floods, the prime minister called for an uninterrupted electricity supply to the flood-stricken districts of KP for at least one week.
He also instructed that all formalities related to the disbursement of financial aid to victims be completed without delay.
Sharif further ordered that the number of aid trucks delivering essential supplies be doubled immediately.
He also directed key federal ministers to proceed to flood-affected areas to oversee and support relief efforts, including Minister for Water Resources Moeen Wattoo in AJK and Minister for Public Affairs Rana Mubashir Iqbal in Swabi.
PM Shehbaz reviews relief efforts for flood-affectees in Pakistan’s northern areas
The prime minister commended several cabinet members for visiting the affected areas personally. He lauded the on-ground presence and contributions of Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, Power Minister Awais Leghari, Communications Minister Aleem Khan, and Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf, describing their engagement with victims and involvement in infrastructure restoration as “commendable.”
Relief operations are underway in coordination with federal and provincial authorities, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and military and civilian relief agencies.
“It is our national duty to stand with our brethren in this time of hardship,” Sharif said, expressing appreciation for rescue and engineering teams from the Pakistan Army, National Highway Authority (NHA), Frontier Works Organization (FWO), and other emergency agencies.
Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah informed the meeting that 37 out of 49 damaged power feeders had been restored. Power Minister Awais Leghari said that electricity supply to hospitals in the flood-affected areas has been fully restored.
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said that telecom connectivity had largely been reinstated, with 190 out of 210 affected mobile towers back online. Emergency call services, he added, are now accessible free of charge via 911 in all impacted regions.
Minister for Communications and Works Aleem Khan said that strategic Skardu-Jaglot route has also been reopened, alleviating concerns over food and fuel shortages in Gilgit-Baltistan. He said that supply chains are now functioning without interruption.
NDMA officials told the meeting that more than 25,000 people have been rescued since the onset of flooding. A total of 411 medical camps have been established nationwide – 308 of them in KP alone. The Ministry of Finance informed the meeting that an additional Rs4 billion has been allocated to sustain ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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