ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced that the federal cabinet will donate one month’s salary to support relief efforts for people affected by floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Chairing a meeting to review relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister instructed federal institutions to step up efforts to assist rain and flood-hit communities, according to an official statement.
“In this hour of calamity, there is no federal or provincial government; we must ensure the assistance and rehabilitation of affected people,” the prime minister said.
He added that “Helping our distressed Pakistani brothers and sisters is our national responsibility” and stressed that this was a time for service, not politics.
He announced financial support for the families of those who lost their lives and for other affected individuals under the Prime Minister’s relief package.
The minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan will oversee relief operations, while relevant federal ministers will directly monitor restoration of electricity, water supply, roads, and other facilities.
Shehbaz Sharif instructed ministers to personally visit flood-hit areas of KP, AJK, and GB, while directing the National Highway Authority (NHA) to give top priority to reopening roads, without distinction between national or provincial highways.
He ordered the Ministry of Communications, NHA, and FWO to repair highways and bridges, while the minister for communications was told to personally supervise the work.
The minister for power was directed to visit affected areas and prioritize restoring electricity, while the NDMA was instructed to finalize a damage assessment and present a plan for relief distribution.
The Ministry of Finance was also asked to provide NDMA with the necessary resources.
The prime minister further instructed federal ministers to stay in affected areas until every family received assistance and basic infrastructure was restored.
The Ministry of Health was told to send medicines, medical teams, and set up medical camps, while the Benazir Income Support Programme was tasked to help the affected families.
During the meeting, participants prayed for the victims and the speedy recovery of the injured.
The NDMA briefed the meeting that 456 relief camps had been established and 400 rescue operations carried out with the help of the federal and provincial governments, the Pakistan Army, and other institutions.
Relief trucks carrying food, tents, and medicines are being dispatched, with the prime minister instructing that supplies should first reach the hardest-hit areas.
Initial estimates put damages to public and private property at more than Rs 126 million. The NDMA reported on rations, tents, medicines, and medical teams already provided, with the prime minister ordering an increase in relief supplies.
The weather office has forecast that the monsoon season will continue until mid-September, with two more spells expected, extending its impact until the end of the month.
Federal ministers briefed the meeting on the situation in different districts, including Swat, Bajaur, Malakand, Gilgit, and others.
The meeting was attended by senior cabinet members, NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, the prime minister’s chief coordinator Musharraf Zaidi, and other officials.