Islamabad – The Pakistan Army and civil authorities have intensified rescue and relief operations across flood-affected regions of the country, officials said on Tuesday.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider briefed the media on the scale of operations as torrential monsoon rains and flash floods continue to devastate large parts of northern Pakistan.
Lt Gen Sharif said the Army had expanded its efforts on the instructions of the Chief of Army Staff, deploying additional personnel in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. He reported that 6,903 people had been rescued, while over 6,000 flood victims had received medical assistance. Army Aviation units are conducting aerial supply missions, delivering food, aid, and medicines, while Combined Military Hospital (CMH) teams are supporting ground operations.
“The Karakoram Highway has been fully cleared at eight major locations,” Lt Gen Sharif said, highlighting progress in restoring key lifelines disrupted by floods and landslides. He added that nine medical camps had been established in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where eight army units and two battalions were actively engaged in relief work, including in Buner, one of the worst-hit districts.
Minister Tarar said relief activities had been expedited on the Prime Minister’s directives, with federal and provincial governments working alongside the NDMA and the Army. He noted that 25,000 people had been relocated to safer areas since August 17 and were receiving medical treatment and shelter.
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider reported that 670 people had lost their lives and more than 1,000 were injured as a result of rains, floods, and landslides. He added that bodies of missing persons had also been recovered in some districts. With new spells of heavy rainfall forecast until August 23, contingency plans were being implemented to respond to further emergencies.
Relief supplies, including food rations and medicines under the Prime Minister’s relief package, are being dispatched to five of the most severely affected districts. Officials stressed that rescue and relief operations would continue at full capacity in the coming days.
