Zardari to make first visit to flood zone

Officials said that Zardari would be visiting the flood zone but avoided giving details due to security concerns.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari was due to visit flood-hit areas on Thursday after coming under fire over his foreign trips and his government's perceived slow response to the country's worst ever natural disaster.

The floods triggered by torrential monsoon downpours have scoured Pakistan's Indus river basin, killing more than 1,600 people, forcing two million from their homes and disrupting the lives of about 14 million people, or eight per cent of the population.

The deluge, which began two weeks ago, has caused extensive damage to the country's main crops, agriculture officials said, after the United Nations issued an appeal for $459 million (292 million pounds) in emergency aid.

"Yes, it looks like he's coming," said an official in the president's office who declined to give details of Zardari's plans for security reasons.

Zardari set off on visits to meet the leaders of Britain and France as the floods were beginning, drawing howls of criticism from his many critics at home.

Agriculture is a mainstay of the economy. The International Monetary Fund has warned of major economic harm and the Finance Ministry said the country would miss this year's 4.5 per cent gross domestic product growth target though it was not clear by how much. Zardari returned home on Tuesday and has since been in the southern city of Karachi meeting officials about the crisis.

Officials from the government and international agencies are still assessing the extent of the flood damage, but a spokesman for UN humanitarian operations said a third of the country had been affected.

Gilani visits flood affected Balochistan

Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has donated Rs50 million for the flood victims of Balochistan. He has also announced restoration of subsidy for agriculture purposes in the province.

Talking to the flood victims in Sohbatpoor area of district Jafarabad, Gilani expressed grief over the loss of human lives in different areas of Balochistan. The prime minister assured to provide more funds  for the rehabilitation of the victims.

Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Khan Raisani and provincial ministers were also present on the occasion.