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Pakistan orders thousands to evacuate near flood-swollen rivers

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  • Many rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have burst their banks, demolishing scores of buildings.
  • “The house which we built with years of hard work started sinking in front of our eyes,” says Junaid Khan.
  • Officials say this year’s monsoon flooding has affected more than 33 million people.

MINGORA, PAKISTAN: Thousands of people living near flood-swollen rivers in Pakistan’s north were ordered to evacuate Saturday as the death toll from devastating monsoon rains neared 1,000 with no end in sight.

Many rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a picturesque province of rugged mountains and valleys — have burst their banks, demolishing scores of buildings including a 150-room hotel that crumbled into a raging torrent.

“The house which we built with years of hard work started sinking in front of our eyes,” said Junaid Khan, 23, the owner of two fish farms in Chrasadda.

“We sat on the side of the road and watched our dream house sinking.”

The annual monsoon is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but each year it also brings a wave of destruction.

Officials say this year’s monsoon flooding has affected more than 33 million people — one in seven Pakistanis — destroying or badly damaging nearly a million homes.

On Saturday, authorities ordered thousands of residents in threatened areas to evacuate their homes as rivers had still not reached maximum capacity.

“Initially some people refused to leave, but when the water level increased they agreed,” Bilal Faizi, spokesman for the Rescue 1122 emergency service, told AFP.

Officials say this year’s floods are comparable to 2010 — the worst on record — when over 2,000 people died and nearly a fifth of the country was under water.

Farmer Shah Faisal, camped by the side of a road in Chrasadda with his wife and two daughters, described how he saw his riverside home swallowed by a river as the powerful current eroded the bank.

The Jindi, Swat and Kabul rivers flow through the town before joining the mighty Indus, which is also flooding downstream.

“We escaped with our lives,” Faisal told AFP.

Climate change

Officials blame the devastation on man-made climate change, saying Pakistan is unfairly bearing the consequences of irresponsible environmental practices elsewhere in the world.

Pakistan is eighth on the Global Climate Risk Index, a list compiled by the environmental NGO Germanwatch of countries deemed most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.

Still, local authorities must shoulder some of the blame for the devastation.

Corruption, poor planning and the flouting of local regulations mean thousands of buildings have been erected in areas prone to seasonal flooding — albeit not as bad as this year.

The government has declared an emergency and mobilised the military to deal with what Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman on Wednesday called “a catastrophe of epic scale”.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, since the monsoon started in June more than two million acres of cultivated crops have been wiped out, 3,100 kilometres (1,900 miles) of roads have been destroyed and 149 bridges have been washed away.

In Sukkur, more than 1,000 kilometres south of Swat, farmlands irrigated by the Indus were under water, and tens of thousands of people were seeking shelter on elevated roads and highways as they waited for fresh torrents from the north.

“We have opened the gates fully,” dam supervisor Aziz Soomro told AFP, adding the main rush of water was expected Sunday.

The flooding could not come at a worse time for Pakistan, whose economy is in free fall and whose politics are gripped by crisis following the ousting of former prime minister Imran Khan by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April.

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Honours From The Families Of The Martyrs: September 1965’s Heroes Are Recalled

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Pakistan marks the anniversary of the day the Pakistani Army defeated an enemy attack and won a major victory on September 6. On this day of defence, the families of the war martyrs from 1965 offered their opinions:

The soldiers’ actions in demolishing enemy tanks with explosives and their bravery in the dark were commended by Shaheed Sepoy Muhammad Haleem’s brother. He gave the 1965 martyrs his respects.

The significance of Defence Day is remembered for the martyrs, as stressed by Shaheed Sepoy Shahid Ahmed’s uncle. The brother of Shaheed Sepoy Aftab Hussain offered gratitude to everyone who has given their life in defence of the nation.

In addition to emphasising the value of encouraging rather than criticising the troops, Shaheed Sepoy Wazir Ahmed’s brother praised the soldiers for foiling the enemy’s schemes.

Javed Ahmed, Shaheed Lance Naik’s cousin, emphasised September 6th’s significance as a day of victory.

In addition to expressing support for the Pakistani Army today, the brother of Shaheed Havaldar Shafiq reiterated their dedication to remembering the dead of September 6, 1965.

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The Finance Minister has pledged to attract foreign investments by creating an environment that is friendly to business.

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In a recent statement, Pakistan’s Minister of Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb reaffirmed the country’s unwavering dedication to luring international investments by preserving an atmosphere that is commercially encouraging.

A group of international investors, led by Amin Mohammad Khowaja, the Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan Pakistan, had visited him in Islamabad. He was speaking with them.

Muhammad Aurangzeb also provided further information regarding the ambitious structural reforms program of the government. This agenda aims to strengthen the general macroeconomic stability by widening the tax base, rightsizing the public sector, promoting privatization, and reforming the energy sector.

The Minister of Finance emphasized the great achievements that Pakistan has made in strengthening its macroeconomic indicators, such as the increase in exports by 14 percent, the decrease in inflation to 9.6 percent, which is the lowest level in 34 months, and an overall decrease in the current account deficit among Pakistan’s economic indicators.

It was also brought to his attention that Pakistan’s sovereign credit ratings had improved, which is indicative of a stable and encouraging economic future. According to him, the rigorous fiscal discipline, inflation management, and favorable balance of payments that the country has are the pillars upon which the country’s economic prosperity.

In addition to expressing confidence regarding the potential for larger investment flows into Pakistan, the delegation praised the efforts that the government has made to establish an atmosphere that is conducive to business.

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Journalists require training. Media professionals who have received training can serve as ambassadors. Tarar

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According to Information Minister Atta Ullah Tarar, journalists must possess sufficient skills in order to serve as ambassadors for the country, particularly in the digital realm, to foster unity among people. This is a pressing requirement at present.

During an event in Islamabad focused on journalist training, Atta Ullah Tarrar, the Minister responsible for combating misinformation, stated his official role.

The Information Minister emphasized the indispensability of technology for achieving prosperity, and in line with this, the Government has implemented Pakistan’s inaugural digital land registry system.

Tarar stated that we have the privilege of initiating Pakistan’s inaugural safe city project.

Regarding verification and authentication, the Information Minister lamented the lack of a method to validate information.

According to the Information Minister, terrorist organizations are utilizing social media platforms. Additionally, the minister highlighted that the country’s economy is delicate, and the dissemination of a single false news item might result in significant economic losses for the nation.

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