Islamabad: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar Advocate has expressed government's determination to further accelerate the rescue and relief efforts in flood-hit areas.
Attaullah Tarar was briefing the media persons along with Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Attaullah Tarar said the government is dealing this national emergency under a national response and all relevant departments including Armed Forces of Pakistan are working in complete unison in this regard.
The Minister informed that so far 25,000 people, affected due to floods caused by torrential rains, have been rescued to safer places.
He said 70 percent of the electricity system, damaged severely due to flash flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been restored and Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari is personally in the field to supervise the restoration work.
Attaullah Tarar said the electricity supply to main hospitals in the affected areas is being ensured.
He said the urban flooding inflicted huge human loss and severely damaged property in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan.
Attaullah Tarar said as per the directives of the Prime Minister, the relevant ministers are in the affected areas and supervising the rescue and relief operations.
Giving an overview of the relief activities, Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said bodies of many missing people, trapped under the rubble, have been retrieved.
He said the Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is personally focusing on the rescue and relief activities. He said the NDMA has already dispatched two relief convoys carrying relief goods to Swabi, Buner, Malakand and Buner, while another convoy will leave for Shangla today.
The Chairman NDMA said Pak Army teams along with Rescue 1122 and other relevant departments are active and providing relief to the flood victims. He said number of NGOs and welfare organizations have also contributed in the relief activities.
Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry provided a summary of the efforts initiated by the military in the northern areas for monsoon rains.
Speaking during a media briefing, DG ISPR said, 'On the orders of Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, the army and additional units were mobilised (in affected areas).' He said that KP received eight units of Infantry and Frontier Constabulary (FC), who were directly involved in search and rescue, and flood relief operations, while GB had one, taking the total to nine units.
He also said that one engineer brigade, two engineer battalions and two urban search and rescue teams were deployed in KP, while two engineer battalions were sent to GB, where they were 'working on road opening and removing landslides'.
'Three medical units were deployed in KP, while nine medical camps were deployed in GB. More than 6,304 people have been treated.' 'In search and rescue operations, 6,903 people have been rescued,' he added.
Lt. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also said that one-day rations were allocated, amounting to 585 tonnes, adding that army aviation was deployed to oversee medical casualty evacuation, emergencies, and transportation of food and medicine.
He highlighted that multiple bridges and roads were repaired, while the telecommunication infrastructure in affected areas, including Shangla and Buner, was being repaired alongside the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
Speaking more specifically about affected regions, the DG ISPR said that the army deployed two battalions in Buner, two battalions in Shangla, one in Swat, one FC wing each in Bajaur and Dir, and one company in Swabi. 'These are dedicated resources . which were deployed 24 hours for flood relief rescue operations,' he said.
While speaking about logistics support, DG ISPR said that there were bases in Peshawar and Nowshera. 'In Peshawar, there were 2,500 ready-to-eat meals and 20 tonnes of rations. In Nowshera, there are 5,000 ready-to-eat meals and 505 tonnes of rations,' he said, adding that they were being transported by road and helicopters.
He also highlighted that 90 roads were damaged in KP. Of those, nine roads were fully operational and 86 were partially restored, he added.
Mansehra, Battagram, Ghizer and Shigar were most affected in GB, he said, where two medical camps were established and distribution of rations was ongoing.
DG ISPR also commended the Pakistan Air Force for doing a 'great job' in relief efforts and praised civil society groups operating from Karachi for providing relief.
DG ISPR said that the Karakoram Highway, blocked at eight points, has been fully cleared now. Restoration work continues at Astore bridges and along the Jaglot-Skardu Road. The DG ISPR said in Gilgit-Baltistan, the Engineering Brigade has repaired multiple bridges and is working to reopen roads in Shangla and Buner.
He informed that the Signals Unit, in coordination with Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Limited, has restored 16 BTS towers to support emergency communications.
He said three Army medical units are operating nine medical camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, where they have provided treatment to over six thousand three hundred patients.
He said urban search and rescue teams are active in Buner, supported by two medical battalions.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said medical teams from Combined Military Hospital and Military Hospital have also been deployed to provide continuous care in Buner, Shangla, and Swat. He said one Engineering Brigade is currently present at Kanju, Swat to assist the relief work.