KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has promised that the rehabilitation process in the flood affected areas will be completed within span of next three years and the victims will also be given land ownership rights along with financial assistance for reconstructing their two million houses.
He has also urged all international organizations, including the IMF, to ensure the protection of the victims of the worst floods in history as a result of climate change.
Addressing a conference “Resilient Sindh: From Pledges to Reconstruction” in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sindh, Chairman PPP said the 2022 flood was like “the apocalypse before the apocalypse”, such a flood has never occurred here in known history.
Talking about the post-flood situation, he pointed out that one out of every seven citizens was affected by flood disasters in Pakistan. Crops standing on five million acres of agricultural land were washed away by floods; the recent natural disaster has broken the back of agriculture, which is the backbone of the country’s economy. “The livelihood of farmers and cultivators of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, South Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been ruined,” he added.
Appreciating the efforts of the Secretary General of the United Nations during the floods, the Foreign Minister said that Antonio Guterres supported Pakistan despite his hectic engagements at the General Assembly session, adding, the support Pakistan received from the stage of rescue and relief to holding a successful donor conference in Geneva is the result of his efforts. “By working closely with him, we got the support of the international community and achieved what was otherwise impossible,” said Pakistan’s youngest foreign minister.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that during the efforts to get aid to the flood victims, he was often told that due to economic crises, natural disasters and the war in Ukraine, “we should not have too much hope from the international community.”
He said it was a great success of the unity government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations that despite all the challenges, the international community had supported Pakistan more than expected, adding “it doesn’t mean our problems are over as we asked the international community for half of the funds needed for rehabilitation of the flood affected areas, the government will provide the other half. Today, one month after the Geneva conference, we have started the work of rebuilding houses of flood-affectees,” he expressed.
Referring to the devastation of the historic floods last year, the Chairman PPP said that more than 33 million people were affected by the floods, five million acres of crops were washed away, and there was need of 1.5 billion dollars for the reconstruction of fully or partially demolished houses in Sindh, adding the provincial government would provide 250 million funds for reconstruction of the houses.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he wanted that the flood victims to be given land ownership rights along with help on building houses, adding that with this initiative, the flood victims would become owners of an asset overnight.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said there was a political and economic crisis going on in the country, and the talks between the finance minister and the IMF were in process, adding it was hoped that the talks with the IMF would be positive. He urged that the Islamabad as well as the international community and organizations including the IMF had the responsibility to provide protection to the flood victims so that they could get out of that plight, adding that IMF should provide relief to flood-hit people similar to the one given countrywide during the pandemic days in 2020. “We hope that in the current negotiations with the IMF, exemptions will also be given in terms of relief and reconstruction costs,” he said.
Chairman PPP demanded “targeted subsidy” for flood affected areas, adding that the relief should be for agriculture, energy and fertilizers. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, representatives of donor organizations and others were also present on the occasion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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