Affected communities: Senators urge govt to speed up rescue, relief efforts

ISLAMABAD: Senators on Monday voiced alarm over the devastation caused by recent floods and urged the government to speed up rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts for affected communities.

They also called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to declare a national flood emergency.

Lawmakers blamed land grabbers and the timber mafia for worsening the destruction, demanding a nationwide operation against them and even suggesting army involvement if required. “We cannot rely on prayers alone; long-term planning and practical measures are essential,” several senators said.

Senator Mohsin Aziz warned that major rivers, including the Indus, Ravi, and Kabul, along with streams such as Nullah Leh, had been encroached upon. He called for clearing these areas from Khyber to Karachi.

Senator Rubina Khalid said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among the worst-hit provinces and criticised the granting of NOCs for hotels and restaurants along riverbanks.

Senator Kamran Murtaza noted that KP had witnessed an unusual number of cloudbursts this year, urging a detailed review of their causes.

Senator Sherry Rehman proposed that lawmakers donate their salaries to flood victims, a suggestion backed by Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani.

The House also offered fateha for those who lost their lives in the floods and prayed for the recovery of those still affected.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry informed senators that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was coordinating rescue and relief operations with provincial governments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025