Pakistan to take up concerns over relief efforts in Kashmir with India
Senators urge India to stop discriminatory attitude in providing relief to flood affected people of Indian Kashmir.
ISLAMABAD:
Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday expressed its concerns over lack of relief efforts in Indian Kashmir and decided to lodge a formal protest with India through the Foreign Office.
The Committee members were of the view that India, which calls itself world’s biggest secular democracy, should stop its discriminatory attitude in providing relief to the flood affected people of Indian Kashmir.
According to an official press release, Chief Secretary AJK told the committee that the losses in AJK are mainly due to landslides caused as a result of rains and flash floods.
He further said that floods have nothing to do with the water coming from India and the increase in water flow was purely because of extensive rainfall.
Expressing concerns over the preventive and precautionary measures to minimise losses in AJK, the senators proposed that iron gabions should be built to avoid landslides which caused loss of infrastructure and precious lives.
The chief secretary, however, stated that the mountain terrain in AJK has wet soil and the situation after extensive monsoon rains gets uncontrollable. These mountains have become weak after the 2005 earth quakes and landslides have become a regular happening.
He informed the committee that other than Mirpur, there is no flat land in AJK and there is no possible way of changing the life patterns of people living on mountains.
Briefing the senators, DG SDMA said that 3,000 people have been evacuated from Bagh, Poonch, Kotli and Mirpur. The senators were shocked by the devastation caused by floods and asked the administration to come up with the detailed report in the next meeting.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Muhammad Birjees Tahir proposed to the committee that Chairman NDMA, DG Metrological Department and Foreign Secretary should also be called in the next meeting of the committee.
Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday expressed its concerns over lack of relief efforts in Indian Kashmir and decided to lodge a formal protest with India through the Foreign Office.
The Committee members were of the view that India, which calls itself world’s biggest secular democracy, should stop its discriminatory attitude in providing relief to the flood affected people of Indian Kashmir.
According to an official press release, Chief Secretary AJK told the committee that the losses in AJK are mainly due to landslides caused as a result of rains and flash floods.
He further said that floods have nothing to do with the water coming from India and the increase in water flow was purely because of extensive rainfall.
Expressing concerns over the preventive and precautionary measures to minimise losses in AJK, the senators proposed that iron gabions should be built to avoid landslides which caused loss of infrastructure and precious lives.
The chief secretary, however, stated that the mountain terrain in AJK has wet soil and the situation after extensive monsoon rains gets uncontrollable. These mountains have become weak after the 2005 earth quakes and landslides have become a regular happening.
He informed the committee that other than Mirpur, there is no flat land in AJK and there is no possible way of changing the life patterns of people living on mountains.
Briefing the senators, DG SDMA said that 3,000 people have been evacuated from Bagh, Poonch, Kotli and Mirpur. The senators were shocked by the devastation caused by floods and asked the administration to come up with the detailed report in the next meeting.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Muhammad Birjees Tahir proposed to the committee that Chairman NDMA, DG Metrological Department and Foreign Secretary should also be called in the next meeting of the committee.