ISLAMABAD; Federal ministers have been tasked to oversee flood relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after devastating monsoon floods killed at least 338 people and injured 156 others across several districts, prompting the provincial government to declare an emergency.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the worst-hit areas include Buner, Shangla, Swat, Mansehra, and Bajaur, where swollen rivers and cloudbursts swept away houses, bridges, and roads. Thousands have been displaced while dozens remain trapped under debris.
State broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is monitoring the crisis and has directed federal ministers to supervise operations in specific districts. Amir Muqam has been assigned to Shangla and Buner, Awais Leghari to Buner, Sardar Yousaf to Mansehra, and Mubarak Zeb to Bajaur. Relief consignments under the Prime Minister’s Relief Package, including food, tents, and medicines, are being distributed.
The NDMA confirmed that 89 trucks carrying family tents, winterised shelters, mattresses, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, blankets, tarpaulins, solar lamps, water jerry cans, de-watering pumps, and life jackets have reached affected districts. Rs800 million has been released for immediate relief, with Rs500 million allocated to Buner alone.
The Pakistan Army has also launched large-scale operations in Buner, Shangla, and Swat. Despite heavy rains, helicopters are dropping food supplies and evacuating stranded residents. Army medical camps have been set up in remote areas to provide free treatment and medicines.
Provincial authorities released casualty figures showing 209 deaths in Buner, 36 in Shangla, 24 in Mansehra, 21 in Bajaur, 16 in Swat, five in Lower Dir, and three in Battagram due to lightning. A total of 159 houses have collapsed and 57 schools were partially damaged.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, during a visit to Swat, pledged to relocate families from flood-prone zones and compensate those who lost homes and livelihoods. He said the rescue phase is nearing completion and restoration will now be prioritised. The chief minister also announced measures against illegal encroachments on riverbanks, which worsened the destruction.
Rescue 1122 reported saving more than 850 people in Buner alone, while 181 bodies were recovered from localities such as Gaddizi, Bishoni, Malikpur, and Balokhan. Around 2,000 personnel are deployed across nine districts.
Former climate minister Senator Sherry Rehman linked the scale of destruction to climate change and deforestation, warning that Pakistan’s shrinking forest cover and unchecked logging have left regions like Swat and Chitral increasingly vulnerable to flash floods.
Meanwhile, the Punjab PDMA restricted tourist travel to Murree and northern hill stations due to the threat of landslides and flash floods, ordering local administrations to enforce precautionary measures.
Authorities cautioned that the death toll could rise as rescue workers gain access to remote valleys still cut off by landslides. Communication and power supply remain suspended in several areas, complicating relief efforts.
