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ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (APP): Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Monday assured the Senate that the federal government, in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), was making all-out efforts to deliver timely relief to flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
Winding up a debate on a motion moved by Senator Mohsin Aziz, the minister said nine districts, including Swat, Buner, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram, had been badly hit. Food, medicines, blankets, tents and generators were being supplied daily, he added. “Relief delivery is our responsibility, not a matter of claiming credit,” he added.
NDMA, he said, was working closely with provincial governments, district administrations and international climate-monitoring bodies, issuing 28 advisories and seven alerts to reduce losses.
Updating the Senate on damages between June 26 and August 17, he said 657 people had lost their lives, 629 sustained injuries, over 2,400 houses were destroyed, and nearly 1,000 livestock perished.
He added that provinces were the first responders in any disaster, while the federation provided full support through NDMA and special relief packages.
Senator Mohsin Aziz proposed donating one month’s salary of senators for rehabilitation and urged a Rs25 billion increase in NDMA’s budget.
He also demanded that flood-hit regions be declared “climate-hit zones.” Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan said most of Buner had been devastated, with entire villages wiped out, and called for relocation of residents from high-risk areas.
Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro linked the disaster to climate change, while Senator Mirza Afridi, citing NDMA figures, said over 100 people had died in Buner alone and urged immediate federal funding.
Senator Rubina Khalid criticized deforestation and hotel construction in forest areas, demanding a national emergency be declared.
Other lawmakers, including Kamran Murtaza, Bilal Ahmed Khan, Manzoor Ahmed, Sarmad Ali and Abdul Wasay, highlighted failures of disaster management authorities and stressed that lessons had not been learned from the 2022 floods.
They pressed for compensation, awareness campaigns, and accountability from NDMA and PDMA.
Several senators also noted that many 2022 flood victims in Balochistan remained uncompensated.
Others, including Shahadat Awan, Aimal Wali Khan, Syed Waqar Mehdi and Gurdeep Singh, called for community involvement in projects, stronger early warning systems, unity among political parties, and a visit by the prime minister to affected districts.
Lawmakers agreed that the latest disaster underscored the need for stronger climate policies, improved disaster preparedness, and coordinated national action to protect vulnerable communities.