Flood situation worsens due to govt negligence, says Mehrbano Qureshi

ISLAMABAD (ABN News): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Mehrbano Qureshi, speaking on ABN’s program “Sawal Se Aage”, has raised serious concerns over the worsening flood situation in the country. She stated that the government does not even have accurate data on the number of flood victims, which is causing the crisis to deepen further.

Mehrbano highlighted that people in the affected areas are forced to rescue bodies on their own, while delayed rescue operations are leading to the loss of precious lives. She blamed the Punjab government’s negligence and poor planning for increasing the damage.

According to her, there is a severe shortage of boats for rescue operations in the flood-hit areas, which is hampering relief efforts. She also revealed that many villagers have been stranded on trees for the past four days without receiving any immediate assistance.

Mehrbano demanded that the government declare the affected areas an emergency and accelerate large-scale rescue operations to save lives. She emphasized that the government must take prompt and effective action without wasting any more time, as the lives of flood victims are of utmost importance.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Ali Qasim Gilani stated that the authority to waive electricity bills lies with the federal government, and relief aid will be provided federally under the Benazir Income Support Program. He praised the Punjab government for speeding up relief efforts, claiming that 95% of people in Multan Saddar had been rescued and provided with facilities.

Ali Qasim Gilani admitted that the intensity of the floods surpassed the expectations of both the government and the Irrigation Department. He acknowledged the failure to immediately appeal to the international community for aid and stressed the need for improvement in this area.

He added that while the Punjab government has utilized available resources efficiently, better preparation and increased cooperation are urgently required to handle disasters like these in the future.