ISLAMABAD: Two Chinese relief flights carrying humanitarian assistance for Pakistan’s flood victims arrived on Sunday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said, praising the gesture as a reflection of the warm ties between the two countries.
Heavy monsoon rains and excess water released by Indian dams have killed over 130 people in Pakistan’s Punjab province since late August. The deluges also destroyed thousands of acres of crops, affected over 4.5 million people and forced authorities to evacuate over 2.5 million people to safer locations.
“Two Chinese relief flights carrying 300 tents and 9,000 blankets landed today at Nur Khan Air Base, Rawalpindi, to support families displaced by the recent floods,” the NDMA said in a statement.
“This gesture underscores China’s enduring solidarity with Pakistan in times of difficulty.”
The disaster management authority said the assistance will help augment the NDMA’s relief support for Punjab’s flood-affected areas.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister Amir Muqam received the items at the air base, along with NDMA Chairman Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik and China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jian Zaidong. Senior officials of the NDMA and the Pakistani foreign ministry were also present on the occasion.
Muqam thanked the people and government of China for their “prompt support,” noting that the assistance will bring much-needed relief to thousands of flood-affected families.
The minister said Pakistan is mobilizing all available resources to ensure swift relief and recovery efforts in the flood-hit areas, the disaster management authority said.
“The minister reaffirmed the Government of Pakistan’s resolve, in coordination with NDMA and with the support of friendly countries like China, to overcome the challenges posed by the floods and ensure the rehabilitation of the affected population,” the statement said.
The relief items arrived days after the Chinese embassy announced on Friday that Beijing would offer Pakistan humanitarian items worth $14 million.
This was in addition to Beijing extending $2 million in emergency assistance to Islamabad last month to deal with the deadly floods.
Monsoon season brings Pakistan up to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, but increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the annual rains, which are vital for agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, into a destructive force.
The disaster revived memories of the 2022 deluges, when a third of the country was submerged, over 1,700 people were killed and losses exceeded $35 billion.
This year, Pakistan has reported over 1,000 deaths nationwide from rain-related incidents since Jun. 26.
