ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab said on Wednesday it relocated about 60 people along with livestock to safer locations while conducting relief work in the low-lying flood-affected areas along the Indus River.
The authorities in the province announced a day earlier that 54 people had lost their lives during this year’s monsoon season in Pakistan, with 141 others injured in various rain-related incidents.
Two years ago, torrential rains triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.
The PDMA mentioned moderate flooding at Chashma and Taunsa on the Indus River in a statement, adding that five nearby villages had been submerged by floodwaters.
“Due to the proactive measures by PDMA and the provincial administration, there has been no loss of life or property,” Irfan Ali Kathia, the top PDMA official, said. “Residents and their livestock were timely rescued from the affected areas.”
“Eight boats and 34 rescue workers were engaged in relief activities in the flood-affected areas,” he added. “Sixty-one people were safely relocated to secure locations. More than 650 livestock were also moved to safe areas.”
Kathia said the authorities also provided food and free transport to the affected individuals.
He informed they also gave medicines and vaccination facilities to protect the livestock from diseases.
“Administrative officers remained present in the field at all times,” he said. “Relief activities will continue until the evacuation and rehabilitation of citizens are complete.”
Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab relocate 60 citizens amid flood relief efforts along Indus River
https://arab.news/r46e2
Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab relocate 60 citizens amid flood relief efforts along Indus River
- Five villages have been submerged due to moderate flooding at Chashma and Taunsa on the river
- Authorities say eight boats and 34 rescue workers have participated in relief activities in the area
Pakistan grants commercial license to Kuwait-backed Shariah-compliant digital bank
- Pakistan has announced that Raqqami Islamic Digital Bank aims to launch operations this month with $100 million investment
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calls for Kuwait and Pakistan to translate cordial political relations into strong economic ties
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif granted the Kuwait Investment Authority-backed Raqqami Islamic Digital Bank (RIDB) the commercial license to operate in Pakistan on Tuesday, stressing the need to convert cordial political ties between the two countries into a strong economic relationship.
Pakistan’s finance adviser Khurram Schehzad announced last month that RIDB intends to launch operations in the South Asian country from February with a $100 million investment.
The RIDB describes itself as Pakistan’s first fully Shariah-compliant digital bank. The retail bank offers online financing, savings and payment services to individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises, also focusing on financial inclusion for underserved segments.
Prime Minister Sharif participated in a ceremony to grant the license to RIDB in Islamabad. The event was attended by top RIDB officials including its Chairman Abdullah Al-Mutairi and Chief Executive Officer Umair Aijaz.
“This would go a long way in further strengthening our brotherly and our bilateral economic relations,” Sharif told participants. “You said very aptly that economic and brotherly relations go hand in hand. It cannot be that your political relations flourish but economic relations remain stagnant.”
He said the Shariah-compliant digital bank will also have features that will support and augment banking in Pakistan.
Sharif called on both nations to join hands to promote their bilateral economic, investment and trade relations “like never before.” He vowed that Pakistan’s government was committed to enhancing bilateral trade and economic ties by working closely with the Kuwaiti government.
Pakistan’s banking sector is dominated by a handful of large lenders with strong capital buffers and profits driven largely by holdings of government securities.
Pakistan has intensified its efforts in recent years to secure foreign investment, particularly from Gulf nations, as it seeks to ensure sustained economic progress. Schehzad has said that the RIDB’s entry into Pakistan reflects strengthening investment ties between Islamabad and Kuwait, particularly in the financial and digital economy sectors.
