ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Wednesday dispatched a large-scale emergency relief convoy for thousands affected by devastating floods in northwestern Pakistan.
Torrential monsoon rains and cloudbursts have triggered floods in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, damaging critical infrastructure and killing hundreds. Monsoon rains since June 26 have killed 707 people in Pakistan, with KP accounting for the highest number of deaths at 427. According to KP’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), 377 people, including 294 men, 50 women and 33 children, have died and 182 others have been injured in rains and flash floods across several districts since last week.
A large-scale emergency relief convoy carrying food items, tents, solar panels and kitchen utensils was dispatched from Islamabad by KSrelief. The ceremony was attended by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Pakistan’s Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah and KSrelief Pakistan Director Abdullah Al-Baqami.
“I think relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are very unique,” Malki told Arab News after the ceremony. “We always stand with Pakistan in thick and thin.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki (left) and Pakistan’s Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah are pictured during a ceremony to handover relief aid for flood victims donated by the Saudi government, in Islamabad in August 20, 2025. (AN Photo)
He said Saudi Arabia’s king as well as its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman always want to support Pakistan, adding that relations between the two countries “will grow to new heights in the future.”
The relief convoy comprises 10,000 Shelter non-food item (NFI) kits and 10,000 food packages. Each shelter kit includes solar panels with LED lights, two thermal blankets, plastic mats, durable kitchen sets, water coolers, and antibacterial soap, the agency said in its press release.
It said each food package weighs 95 kilograms and contains wheat flour, sugar, lentils, and cooking oil, adding that all items were carefully chosen to address the immediate nutritional needs of families affected by the floods.
Sanaullah thanked the Saudi government for always standing by Pakistan during its time of need.
“Saudi Arabia has always been standing by Pakistan in difficult times,” Sanaullah told reporters. “The relations between the two countries are like those between two brothers,” he added.
Relief packages by KSrelief are pictured in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 20, 2025. (AN Photo)
KSrelief said the aid distribution will be carried out in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department (RR&SD), and KSrelief’s implementing partners, Hayat Foundation and Peach and Development Organization.
Over the years, KSrelief has launched numerous projects across Pakistan in food security, health, shelter, education, and disaster response— deepening the bonds of friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.
“The dispatch of this convoy stands as another milestone in this enduring partnership, providing urgent relief to families affected by the devastating floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the Saudi agency said.
The annual monsoon rains are vital for agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers in Pakistan, though in recent years they have caused intense flooding and landslides amid shifting weather patterns that scientists attribute to climate change worldwide.
