ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday pledged the federal government’s unwavering support for victims of the recent torrential rains and floods that have devastated parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), as the country braces for more monsoon rains in the coming weeks.
Chairing a high-level meeting, the prime minister announced that members of the federal cabinet would donate one month’s salary to support ongoing relief efforts in the worst-affected districts of KP. “In this hour of crisis, there are no federal or provincial governments,” the prime minister said. “We must ensure the aid and rehabilitation of affected people.”
He insisted that political divisions must be set aside, describing flood relief as a national moral imperative. “Helping our disaster-struck brethren is our national duty,” he said. “This is not the time for politics; it is the time to serve and to soothe the pain of the people.”
Additional relief goods being dispatched on PM’s order
The prime minister directed all federal ministries and institutions to intensify support on the ground. He ordered federal ministers to personally supervise the restoration of electricity, water supply, road infrastructure, and essential services in KP, GB and AJK.
Until the last person in the affected areas is assisted and the basic infrastructure is restored, Sharif declared, the relevant federal ministers will remain in the field.
The meeting was briefed on the extent of the destruction. Preliminary reports from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) estimate damages of over Rs126 million to public and private infrastructure. A total of 456 relief camps have been set up and more than 400 rescue operations conducted across the region.
Convoys of relief goods continue to reach affected communities, and Prime Minister Sharif instructed officials to prioritise aid to the most severely impacted districts. He also directed the NDMA to immediately present a final damage assessment and to prepare a comprehensive relief distribution plan.
The prime minister appointed Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Amir Muqam to oversee the distribution of aid and rehabilitation work in the north.
Meanwhile, the prime minister issued directives to the Minister for Communications, Aleem Khan, to personally monitor the restoration of roads and bridges, and to the Federal Minister for Power, Awais Leghari, to ensure the restoration of electricity in flood-hit areas on a priority basis.
PM Sharif also stressed that the National Highway Authority (NHA) should make no distinction between national and provincial roads, and instead focus on opening all access routes to ensure the smooth delivery of aid.
He also directed the Ministry of Health to dispatch medical teams and essential medicines to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to establish emergency medical camps, while the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is to be activated to assist affected families.
According to NDMA forecasts shared during the meeting, the monsoon season is expected to continue until at least the second week of September, with two additional rain spells anticipated before the end of the month. Six major downpours have already caused extensive flooding across the region.
The meeting was attended by several ministers and officials reporting live from disaster zones, including Amir Muqam from Swat, Minister for Power Awais Leghari from KP, and senior officials from Malakand and Gilgit.
The prime minister concluded the meeting with a solemn prayer for those who had lost their lives in the flooding, and for the swift recovery of the injured.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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