ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday telephoned Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and expressed his gratitude for the timely humanitarian assistance provided by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after floods killed more than 1,100 people and caused huge infrastructural losses to the South Asian country, the PM Office said.
Pakistani authorities have declared a national emergency and urged the international community for help after monsoon rains and floods left around 33 million people homeless, killing 1,136 since the beginning of the season in June.
The prime minister briefed the UAE president on the latest flood situation in Pakistan, which has affected people in all provinces of the country.
“The Prime Minister once again expressed his deep gratitude for the timely humanitarian assistance and support provided by the United Arab Emirates, and lauded the work being carried out by the Emirates Red Crescent and Khalifa bin Zayed Foundation in flood-hit areas,” the PM Office said in a statement.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed firm solidarity with the people of Pakistan in tackling the natural calamity and offered all possible assistance to the affectees in this difficult time.”
The development came hours after a flight from the UAE carrying flood relief assistance landed at the Noor Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, the Pakistani foreign office said.
More flights carrying relief goods from the UAE and China were scheduled to land in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Pakistan received the first aid flight from the UAE on Sunday. However, the country’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the Arab country would send 15 more planes carrying relief goods for flood-affected people in Pakistan.
“The relief aid includes shelter materials, humanitarian needs, food and medical parcels for those affected by torrential rains and floods, with the aim of contributing to supporting efforts to alleviate the suffering of the affected people,” UAE’s official news agency, WAM, had said on Monday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced on Monday China would provide additional humanitarian aid, including 25,000 tents, to flood-ravaged Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang for providing financial assistance to the people of Pakistan.
“This flood is like no other in terms of its intensity & spread,” Sharif said in a Twitter post. “China has been there for us at the most difficult times & we greatly value its support.”
Pakistan’s planning minister Ahsan Iqbal also told Reuters in an interview on Monday that the recent floods in the country had caused significant damage to infrastructure which could cost the country over $10 billion.
“I think it is going to be huge,” he said. “So far, (a) very early, preliminary estimate is that it is big, it is higher than $10 billion.”
“People have actually lost their complete livelihood,” Iqbal added.
The country’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday visited Swat, a scenic district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the army has for days been evacuating tourists stranded in massive floods that washed away roads and key infrastructure in several areas.
The army chief “will meet stranded local residents and tourists who were struck in Kumrat / Kalam due to rains / flash floods,” the military’ media wing, ISPR, said in a statement released earlier today.
“Women, children, foreigners and other people are being evacuated through Pakistan Army aviation helicopters to Kanju Cantt Swat,” it added.
Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, briefed Secretary General António Guterres on the recent floods and told him about their devastating impact on the lives of people.
“Expressing his deep sympathy with the people & the Government of Pakistan in this hour of need, the UN Secretary General @antonioguterres assured full support & solidarity of the @UN system,” Akram said in a Twitter post.
