After many parts of the country were ravaged by floods, triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains, the Shehbaz Sharif government in Pakistan on Thursday officially declared a “national emergency”.
Photo : AP
In the wake of the flood, the armed forces are being deployed, said Interior Minister Sanaullah. The troops have been called in under Article 245 of the Constitution, which empowers the government to summon the Army in aid of the civilian administration to deal with an emergency, the minister said.
The government has issued a formal notification in this regard, in which it stated that the exact number of troops and area of deployment would be worked out by respective provincial governments in consultation with the military operations directorate and General Headquarters.
“The date of de-requisitioning of said deployment will be decided subsequently after mutual consultation among all stakeholders,” it mentioned.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 982 people have been killed so far due to floods across Pakistan. Of these, as many as 45 persons died in the last 24 hours, it said.
The natural disaster has also damaged the infrastructure of the country, as the NDMA has reported that more than 3,161 kilometres of road were damaged and 149 bridges swept away, while 682,139 houses were totally or partially damaged in the floods.
The country is also set to launch the UN ‘Flash Appeal’ for flood victims in Geneva and Islamabad on August 30, said the country’s Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar.
“We are grateful to the UN, IFIs, and a host of our partners and friendly countries who are stepping forward with assistance. A UN Flash Appeal is also going to be launched on Tuesday 30 August simultaneously from Geneva and Islamabad,” he said.
