ISLAMABAD; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to launch comprehensive rescue and relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Kashmir (AJK), where flash floods have claimed at least 200 lives and left many others missing.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the floods caused widespread devastation across KP, displacing hundreds and damaging infrastructure.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the premier instructed the NDMA to continue close cooperation with the KP provincial government and PDMA, providing all possible support for rescue and relief operations and fully utilizing available resources.
During a briefing, NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik informed the prime minister about the destruction caused by cloudbursts and flash floods in the upper regions of the country, as well as the ongoing relief efforts. The prime minister asked the NDMA chairman to strengthen coordination with the KP government to ensure timely and effective rescue and relief operations.
“Tents, medicines, food, and other relief items must be delivered to the KP government without delay,” the prime minister directed, adding that these materials should be transported by trucks on a priority basis. He also emphasized that stranded residents and tourists in affected areas must be moved to safe locations immediately.
PM Shehbaz was briefed on the progress of the rescue operations and damage assessment during the meeting. He also spoke via telephone with KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, expressing grief over the loss of lives and assuring full federal support to the provincial government. Additionally, he held a conversation with KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, offering sympathies to the victims.
Since late June, heavy monsoon rains have triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and displacement across the country, particularly in KP and northern regions. Over a dozen people were killed yesterday as rains and flooding hit northern Pakistan, including AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
In Muzaffarabad, a massive landslide in Sarli Sacha village buried a home, leaving six family members feared dead. Two women lost their lives in Bagh and Sudhnoti districts of AJK due to torrential rains. In GB, flash floods claimed at least eight lives, with two still missing in Ghizer district, while villages in Khalti, Ishkoman, and Yasin were heavily damaged.
Abbottabad district also experienced heavy rainfall, triggering flash floods that disrupted traffic and damaged infrastructure.
Since June 26, a total of 507 people, including 159 children, have died, and 768 others have been injured in flash floods and heavy rains affecting several parts of Pakistan, according to NDMA data.
