KSrelief dispatches aid for flood-affected people in Pakistan’s Balochistan 

Pakistani and Saudi officials pictured in front of a KS Relief truck in Balochistan on July 15, 2022. (@KSRelief)
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Updated 16 July 2022
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KSrelief dispatches aid for flood-affected people in Pakistan’s Balochistan 

  • At least 69 people have died in rain-related incidents in Balochistan since the mid of June 
  • More than 21,000 people will be benefited with the aid that includes essential food items 

ISLAMABAD: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has dispatched emergency relief goods to Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province that has been badly affected by torrential monsoon rains and flash floods, the Saudi aid agency said on Friday. 

At least 186 persons have died in different rain-related incidents across Pakistan since mid-June, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Balochistan has reported the highest 69 fatalities. 

To provide relief to the flood-affected people, KSrelief has dispatched trucks carrying 285 tons of essential food items to Balochistan. 

“Food packages will help flood affected people living in 6 districts of Baluchistan (Lesbela, Khuzdar, Quetta, Pishin, Killa Saifullah, Killa Abdullah),” the Saudi aid agency said in a statement. 




This photo shows a KS Relief truck in Balochistan on July 15, 2022. (@KSRelief)

“Each food package comprises all necessary essential food items; weighted 95 kg (contains 80kg of flour, cooking oil of 5 liters, 5kg of Sugar, 5kg of Daal Chana), which is sufficient for the family for the whole month.” 

These food bags would be distributed in collaboration with the NDMA and the Balochistan government and the aid would benefit more than 21,000 people in the province, it added. 

“This project comes under the umbrella of humanitarian projects by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to assist affected families living in Pakistan,” the statement read. 




Pakistani and Saudi officials pictured in front of a KS Relief truck in Balochistan on July 15, 2022. (@KSRelief)

With one of the largest humanitarian aid budgets in the world, KSrelief has been working in 44 countries. Pakistan is the fifth biggest beneficiary of the organization’s aid money and humanitarian operations after Yemen, Palestine, Syria and Somalia. 


Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away

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Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away

  • Khaleda Zia passed away in Dhaka after prolonged illness at the age of 80, says her party
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif describes Zia as a “committed friend of Pakistan” in condolence message

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed condolences over the passing of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, describing her as a committed friend of Islamabad. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced its leader Zia had passed away at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. She died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where the former prime minister was admitted on Nov. 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladesh news website.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. 

“Her lifelong service to Bangladesh and its growth and development leaves a lasting legacy.”

Sharif said his government and people stand with the people of Bangladesh during this difficult time. 

“Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan,” he added. 

Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be part of the same country before the latter seceded into the separate nation of Bangladesh after a bloody civil war in 1971. 

Ties between the two countries have remained mostly strained since then. However, Islamabad enjoyed better relations with Dhaka under Zia’s government compared to when Bangladesh was led by her arch-rival, Sheikh Hasina. 

Hasina was ousted after a violent uprising last year, leading to improved relations between Islamabad and Dhaka. 

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026.

The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.

-With additional input from AFP