2022 floods: Senate body concerned at disparity in aid distribution

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday expressed serious concern over disparity in aid distribution during 2022 floods and provincial governments’ poor response over utilisation of foreign grants received under flood emergency rehabilitation assistance project.

The committee meeting was chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, convened at the Parliament House to discuss flood rehabilitation initiatives across provinces on Thursday.

Taking serious notice of the situation, the committee has called chief secretaries of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan to explain provinces’ position about the utilisation of these foreign grants. The EAD secretary should sought details of provincial utilisation by the chief secretaries.

Chairman of the committee Senator Abro stated that the committee wants to know where the grants were actually utilised in flood-affected areas.

He questioned where the European Union (EU) grants were utilised in Balochistan province, but there was no representative from the province present in the committee to explain his positon.

“After 111 meetings on the issue no briefing from Sindh and Balochistan has been given to us on the utilisation of grants received under these projects,” Abro stated.

The committee chairman quoted the auditor general of Pakistan’s report that 102 people in Sanghar and Dadu got 42,000 tents for shelter during floods. How did 102 persons received 42,000 tents? he asked.

Emphasising the importance of disaster management and ration distribution, Senator Abro demanded a breakdown of food item distribution across provinces and stressed the need for stringent checks and balances. The committee members echoed concerns over delays in distribution. He noted that AGPR had issued a report on fund utilisation since 2022, yet no transparency existed regarding the distribution mechanism.

Senator Abro highlighted the disparity in aid distribution during the 2022 floods, where some received tents and rations while others suffered complete devastation. He asserted that this issue must be addressed with the chief secretary of Sindh and suggested summoning him in the next meeting. Additionally, he expressed serious concerns over the absence of the secretary, Planning and Development Department, Sindh Province, and the omission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the fund allocation briefing.

Senator Kamil Ali Agha regretted that 42,000 tents went back to their actual suppliers for re-supplies to the affected areas.

While reviewing all ongoing projects of the provincial government of Punjab under multilateral and bilateral partners, as well as UN agencies, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the briefing provided by representatives of the Government of Punjab and deferred the matter for further discussion in the next meeting. The committee, unanimously, recommended that representatives of the Government of Punjab provide the required information as per the agenda of the meeting.

Dr Kazim Niaz, Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs informed the committee that the ministry not has administrative control over provinces over the utilisation of external assistance. However, the EAD has always ensured timely disbursement of foreign funded projects to the provinces.

The committee received a detailed briefing on flood rehabilitation efforts, completed projects, and fund utilisation across all provinces. However, Senator Abro expressed concerns over the lack of clarity, despite this being the 11th meeting on the subject.

The secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs outlined three primary approaches for fund utilisation: repurposing existing project funds, securing loans against committed funds, and invoking the emergency clause in ongoing projects. He also detailed the allocation of $8 billion in aid, including oil-related disbursements specifically for the Geneva floods, with the Islamic Development Bank providing the largest support.

The secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs assured the committee of their commitment to transparency but acknowledged that the ministry lacks administrative control over other ministries, which hampers implementation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025