Floods are threatening to wreak havoc in more areas of south Pakistan in a catastrophe that has made the government more unpopular and may help Islamist militants gain supporters.
Pakistan’s worst floods in decades have toppled villages and bridges, ripped apart roads, killed at least 1,600 people, made more than 4 million homeless and raised concerns that militants will exploit the misery and chaos.
Saleh Farooqui, director-general of the disaster management authority in southern Sindh Province, said floods have hit at least four districts, including urban areas, forcing about 200,000 people to flee for higher ground in the last 24 hours.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“The south part of Sindh is our focus. We have diverted our resources for rescue operations towards that area,” he said by telephone.
Officials expect the floodwaters will recede nationwide in the next few days as the last river torrents empty into the Arabian Sea, Pakistan’s state-run news agency APP reported.
However, when that happens, millions of Pakistanis will almost certainly want the government, which was already constrained by a fragile economy before the flood, to quickly come up with homes and compensation for the loss of livestock and crops.
The government has been accused of moving too slowly and Islamist charities, some with suspected links to militant groups, have moved rapidly to provide relief to Pakistanis, already frustrated with their leaders’ track record on the economy, security, poverty and by chronic power shortages.
Pakistan has said it would freeze some development projects in order to divert resources to flood relief and reconstruction.
However, if plans to spend on infrastructure, schools, factories and security forces in former Taliban insurgent strongholds, such as those in the northwest, are scrapped, that could set back government efforts to win public support.
The flood has been spreading through the rice-growing belt in the north of Sindh district by district, breaking through or flowing over embankments. People have also cut through dikes and roads hoping to divert the water away from their homes.
Half a million people are living in about 5,000 schools in flood-hit areas of Pakistan where poor hygiene and sanitation, along with cramped quarters and the stifling heat, provide fertile ground for potentially fatal diseases, such as cholera.
The UN has warned that up to 3.5 million children could be in danger of contracting deadly diseases carried through contaminated water and insects.
Militant groups have proven resilient despite a series of army offensives the government said hurt them.
The US, eager to ensure stability and security in a frontline state in the fight against militancy, has led a chorus of aid pledges and provided helicopters for rescue operations.
The EU will also urge countries next month to support trade breaks for Pakistan as worries grow about the impact of the floods on the stability of the country.
The IMF said it would review Pakistan’s budget and economic prospects in light of the disaster in talks with government officials today.
The meetings in Washington will focus on a US$10 billion IMF program agreed to in 2008, and the budget and macroeconomic prospects will be reviewed because of the magnitude of the flood disaster, officials said.
Flood damage to agriculture is widespread, raising the possibility of long-term damage to a pillar of the economy.
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
The Russian minister of foreign affairs warned the US, South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited the ally country for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov spoke on Saturday in Wonsan City, North Korea, where he met North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow share identical views on “all strategic issues in
IDENTITY: A sex extortion scandal involving Thai monks has deeply shaken public trust in the clergy, with 11 monks implicated in financial misconduct Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in breach of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly US$12 million, funneled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status
‘FALSE NARRATIVE’: China and the Solomon Islands inked a secretive security pact in 2022, which is believed to be a prelude to building a Chinese base, which Beijing denied The Australian government yesterday said it expects China to spy on major military drills it is conducting with the US and other allies. It also renewed a charge — denounced by Beijing as a “false narrative” — that China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The comments by a government minister came as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join in the annual Talisman Sabre exercises from yesterday across Australia and Papua New Guinea. “The Chinese military have
RSS