Kasur:
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday called on the federal government to play a greater role in giving relief to Punjab’s flood areas while recognizing chief minister Maryam Nawaz working diligently.
In a speech with flood -affected residents of Kasur, Bilawal said the extent of destruction in Punjab was far greater than what media reported originally hinted. “I am now aware that the damage is far more extensive. The federal government must take the lead in relief efforts, just as help was expanded during previous floods,” he added.
The PPP chairman admitted that Maryam made a great effort. “We have to acknowledge this. In times of natural disasters, those who work are harder, often more criticism.”
He said he had instructed his party to intensify relief work in Punjab and emphasize that the provincial government alone could not handle the disaster.
Bilawal urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to channel greater assistance through Benazir Income Support Program (Bisp), especially for farmers who have carried brown of agricultural losses.
“We will appeal to an agricultural emergency so farmers can be supported with seeds and fertilizers,” he said. He also called for exemption from agricultural loans and electricity bills and expressed hope that the prime minister would take steps to support the agricultural community.
Bilawal demanded additional assessments of homes and business damage. He promised efforts to ensure that flood -affected areas of Punjab received priority assistance through Bisp.
The PPP chairman pointed out that this year’s floods hit Punjab’s hardest, although Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan had suffered before too. “The federal government must support all provinces. I hope no political games will be played at the time of the time of crisis. We must confront this natural disaster,” he said.
With regard to cross -border water currents, Bilawal accused India of worsening the flooding crisis. “This flood came from rivers flowing out of India. The Indus Waters Treaty obliges data sharing on river streams, but the modi government has rejected the deal. This time India even forgot the humanity. They could not share information with Pakistan until the last moment when they announced that they were releasing water.”
He said Pakistan would raise the violation of the Treaty at international level. “Either the Indus Waters Treaty must be honored or our rivers need to be returned. India is arms water … This is terrorism through floods aimed at ordinary people,” Bilawal added.
During his visit, flood -affected farmers in Kasur presented their claims that sought debt relief, exemption from electricity bills and the provision of fertilizer and agricultural loans. Bilawal also visited a state -established relief camp in Kasur.
