ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday wrote a letter to the head of Bangladesh’s interim administration, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, offering assistance amid monsoon floods that have affected millions of people.
With a population of 170 million, Bangladesh is crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers and is known to be prone to flooding. However, climate change has altered environmental patterns in the region, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
Sharif expressed deep sorrow and grief in his letter to the Bangladeshi leader, saying the entire Pakistani nation stood in solidarity with the Bangladeshi government and its people.
“The people of Bangladesh are known for their resilience in the face of calamities,” the Pakistani PM said in his letter. “I am confident that they will overcome this adversity under your able leadership.”
“Pakistan remains ready to offer any assistance that may be required,” he continued.
The prime minister said the Bangladeshi people who had lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones were in the thoughts and prayers of the Pakistani nation.
The floods come less than three weeks after the ouster of ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to flee by helicopter to India, her government’s biggest political patron, during a student-led uprising.
Hasina’s 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
She was replaced by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is heading an interim government facing the monumental task of charting democratic reforms ahead of expected new elections.
Pakistan itself has remained vulnerable to extreme weather events in recent years, losing about 1,700 lives during the monsoon two years ago, with infrastructure damage estimated at over $35 billion.
This year, heavy rainfall starting in July has already caused flash floods in various regions, with more downpours predicted in the coming weeks.
With input from AFP
Pakistan PM offers assistance to Bangladesh as monsoon floods displace millions
https://arab.news/cznyr
Pakistan PM offers assistance to Bangladesh as monsoon floods displace millions
- Shehbaz Sharif expresses solidarity in a letter to the head of Bangladesh’s interim setup, Dr. Muhammad Yunus
- He says Bangladeshis are known for their resilience, expressing confidence they will overcome this adversity
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
