PM vows swift rehabilitation in flood-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to supporting flood-affected families and expediting rehabilitation efforts, particularly in the worst-hit districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet, the prime minister expressed deep concern over the devastation caused by recent heavy rains, cloudbursts, and flash floods in Swat, Swabi, Mansehra, Shangla, and other areas. He said federal ministers, secretaries, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and the armed forces were fully engaged in relief operations.

Recalling the destruction from the 2022 floods, which claimed around 100 lives, the premier noted that this year’s flash floods had resulted in an even heavier human toll, with more than 700 deaths nationwide—over 400 of them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. He also expressed solidarity with victims in Karachi, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to discourage illegal constructions along waterways, warning that such practices aggravated flood risks. He also raised concern over large-scale tree cutting in Galyat and other regions, vowing to convene a meeting soon on environmental protection.

Turning to foreign policy, the prime minister termed his recent discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a reflection of the “ever-strengthening strategic partnership” between the two countries. He said he would soon visit China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and meet with the Chinese leadership.

The cabinet also offered Fateha for those who lost their lives in the recent floods.