Kasur:
The president of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, urged the Federal Government to play a more important role in providing relief to the areas affected by Punjab floods, while acknowledging that the main minister Maryam Nawaz was working diligently.
Speaking to residents affected by floods in Kasur, Bilawal said the Punjab destruction scale was much greater than the media reports had initially suggested. “Now I realize that the damage is much more extensive. The federal government must take the initiative in the help efforts, just as the assistance extended during the previous floods,” he added.
The president of the PPP admitted that Maryam was making a great effort. “We must recognize this. In times of natural disasters, those who work harder face more critical.”
He said he had ordered his party to intensify relief work in Punjab, emphasizing that only the provincial government could not handle the disaster.
Bilawal urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to channel greater assistance through the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), particularly for farmers who have taken the worst part of agricultural losses.
“We will appeal an agricultural emergency so that farmers can receive the support of seeds and fertilizers,” he said. He also requested relief in agricultural loans and electricity bills, expressing the hope that the prime minister will take measures to support the agricultural community.
Bilawal also demanded damage assessments to households and companies. He averaged efforts to ensure that the areas affected by floods in Punjab received priority help through Bisp.
The president of the PPP said that this year’s floods hit Punjab harder, although Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan had also suffered before. “The federal government must support all the provinces. I hope political games are not played during crisis time. We must face this natural disaster together,” he said.
Regarding cross -border water flows, Bilawal blamed India for worsening the flood crisis. “This flood came from the rivers that came out of India. The Treaty of the Water of the Indo forces to share data in the rivers flows, but the Modi government has rejected the agreement. This time, India even forgot humanity. They did not share information with Pakistan until the last moment, when they announced that they were releasing water.”
He said that Pakistan would increase the violation of the treaty internationally. “Or the swing of the Indo’s waters must be honored, or our rivers must be returned. India is putting water … this is terrorism through floods, aimed at common people,” Bilawal added.
During their visit, farmers affected by flooding in Kasur filed their demands, seeking debt relief, exemption from electricity invoices and provision of fertilizers and agricultural loans. Bilawal also visited a relief camp established in the government in Kasur.
