DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that extending support and assistance to flood affectees is the collective responsibility of federal and provincial governments.

PM Sharif, during a daylong visit to flood-hit areas of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts on Thursday, announced an increase in the financial assistance for those affected by the natural calamity.

The premier was quoted by APP as saying, “God willing, you will see there will be no politics or discrimination in it,” he said about relief activities during his int­eraction with people displaced by flash floods.

The PM visited Meeran village of Parova tehsil and Band Korai village of Paharpur tehsil in Dera Ismail Khan, and Pai, Ranwal, Garah Shahbaz, Chirhi, Therhi and other villages of Tank district.

Addressing the affected families, he said every challenge, including floods, could be tackled with unity and collective efforts. He urged the KP government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to increase the compensation amount to Rs1 million for the heirs of each deceased person. He also asked the provincial government to speed up the rehabilitation process.

PM Sharif announced Rs1 million for each deceased’s heir, Rs0.2m for each injured, Rs0.25m for partial damage to house and Rs0.5m for completely damaged house. He pointed out that 58 per cent revenue of the National Finance Co­­mmission went to provinces. He expressed sympathies with flood affectees and assured them of all kinds of cooperation.

While briefing the PM, Tank Deputy Commissioner Hameedullah Khattak said 437 houses had been damaged, adding that the floods had also devastated standing crops, livestock in Pai, Ranwal and adjoining villages of Garah Shahbaz, Chirhi and Therhi. A senior citizen in Pai village told Mr Sharif that no prime minister had ever come to their area during the past 60 years.

In Tank, the PM visited three medical camps, a temporary camp in the Amakhel area as well as a relief camp in a Ramak School where about 200 to 300 families were given food and non-food items besides medical treatment.

The PM was informed that flash floods had damaged about 293 houses besides destroying 1,720 hectares of agricultural land. He said a joint survey would be conducted by the federal and provincial governments, NDMA, PDMA and other relevant authorities to assess the damage caused by rains and floods to crops and livestock so that compensation amount could be provided to those affected.

He directed the National Highway Authority to immediately start rebuilding destroyed roads.

While referring to poor countries that had made progress, PM Sharif said Pakistan could achieve economic prosperity and come out of the influence of IMF by hard work and effective utilisation of natural resources.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who accompanied the premier, said that work on Nawaz Sharif government’s mega projects that was halted during the last four years in D.I. Khan would be restarted.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2022