Islamabad: More than 4.2 million people have been affected by monsoon floods in Pakistan’s Punjab province, with southern districts worst hit, according to a rapid needs assessment released on Friday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
The joint survey with the provincial government, carried out between September 8 and 18, covered nearly 2,000 villages across 18 flood-affected districts. It found that 2.8 million people had been displaced, while around 161,700 houses, along with health and education infrastructure, suffered extensive damage.
Nationwide, floods between June 26 and September 19 led to the evacuation or rescue of about three million people, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The disaster also destroyed 12,559 houses and killed over 6,500 livestock.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a doubling of compensation for families of the deceased, raising the amount from one million rupees to two million rupees (about 7,000 US dollars), Xinhua news agency reported.
Amid the crisis, political bickering has drawn sharp criticism. Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari insisted that the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was the only proper mechanism for distributing immediate aid, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz questioned how such large payments could be processed through a system designed for smaller sums.
The Express Tribune, in an editorial, criticized both leaders for prioritizing political point-scoring over practical relief measures. “In times like these, a good leader must put aside personal pride and do what is best for the country. Starving and sickly people at relief camps don't care if Maryam is holding her head high or begging for foreign aid. They just want some food, shelter and medicine,” it said.