ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday offered assistance to India to deal with the flood affected people and called for closer collaboration in disaster management between India and Pakistan.
“I gratefully acknowledge your letter of September 7, conveying deep sympathies for the people affected in Pakistan by unprecedented monsoon rains and consequent flooding. The offer for assistance in our relief efforts is equally thoughtful. Such solidarity in the face of adversity is indeed valuable,” reads the letter sent by Nawaz.
Nawaz expressed his grief over the loss of life and property on Indian side of the Line of Control, and offered assistance in carrying out relief activities in flood affected areas.
“I was anguished to see the scale of human suffering and physical destruction as I toured affected areas of Kashmir the other day. I am aware that the Kashmiris on the other side of the Line of Control have also faced heavy loss of life and material damage. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult time, and we remain prepared to extend a helping hand, in whatever way possible, to the efforts for their relief and rehabilitation.”
Terming South Asian region as one of the most disaster-prone regions of the world, Nawaz said that as the two countries work on common goals of peace and stability, they should also focus on deeper causes of recurrent floods and inclusion of closer collaboration in disaster management as part of agenda of peace and development in the region.
“I believe closer collaboration in disaster management should be a part of our agenda of peace and development in the region.”
COMMENTS (16)
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When people are dying of hunger & thirst, nawaz is building metro bus. We criticised India for the mars mission, but we should also cancel metro bus project and divert the funds to eradicate polio and poverty. GO NAWAZ GO. NO METRO BUS.
The best offer of "help" may be to hit the "Pause" button on terrorist infiltration from PoK as a humanitarian measure.
@PrasadDeccani: They can give Nawaz a shovel to dig. It will take him all day to dig a foot. No can do.
Just worry about the one million IDP's starving and wet. The yearly deluge, that the govt. did not prepare for,..again, is here. Has already cause death and destruction. Nawaz should donate a few millions dollars out of his own and Shahbaz's pockets. He has enough to spare. He is the PM. Set an example. Help YOUR country. That is undergoing flooding misery that You did not prepare for. Besides, he will make the money back in a few months.
Go Nawaz Please Go
He himself needs urgently assistance, to cope with the social disaster, which he and his Government have triggered.
We need to continue to focus on dams.
The KPK government has been a woeful disaster and not made use of the topography of region to make dams.
Federal Govt. meanwhile is fully focused on bigger dams.
Pakistan must not accept Bharati help. Pakistan must not depend on others! Bharat forcefully ccupied kashmir against Kashmiri people's will. They open dam water into Pakistan and kill Kashmiri in Pakistan, what's the difference in Bharat occupied Kashmir and Kashmir in Pakistan.
What is wrong with PM, can't he see the devastation in Lahore and other parts of country.
I don't mind helping him in India but he should help the compatriots and then offer assistance to other countries !!!!
Neither party has the guts to accept help from each other - but acknowledging/thanking each other for making the offer is a good thing.
@PrasadDeccani: Dams, canals cannot be dug when the river is in spate. So any relief right now will be limited to moving people to higher areas, providing food, warmth and medical relief.
Are you kidding me? help the people in you own constituency first
@Janab:
Usually, infrastructure a country needs to put in place to drain flood waters is in the form of dams, wide canals and catchment areas. If my understanding of geography of Kashmir is correct, water bodies flow from India into Pakistan. Which means, if canals are to be dug as a fix to floods, PMs of both the countries need to help each other.
@Dr Dang: You should have asked "Who is accepting help?". This should not become a point scoring exercise. I sincerely hope that PM Modi takes up Pakistan on their offer and sends across the list of stuff that would be useful. When it comes to help in dealing with natural disasters, no help can be enough.
I hope that PM sharif means his offer to help. Not just to reciprocate Modi's offer to help. Also when you offer help ,you want to have that capability. Mere word do not carry weight. You have to have disaster management capability of intl. level. India had proved in past ( Ex. in Sunami ,When India decline Intl offer to help) In pakisan case that have not shown that capacity of disaster mgmt. in past , So at present PM sharif words just don't sound seriousness rather mere bamboo like hollow word.
Both are 'offering' help, but who is helping ?