Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on a one-day visit to review the flood damages from the recent monsoon rains and distribute relief funds to the affected people.
Floods swept across GB on July 21, causing landslides, leaving many stranded, and damaging more than 500 houses, roads and other infrastructure. So far, 10 people, mostly tourists, have lost their lives, with between 10 and 15 tourists still missing.
Upon arrival at Gilgit Airport, GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah, Chief Minister Gulbar Khan and other officials welcomed the prime minister, PTV News reported.
The visit comes after PM Shehbaz chaired a high-level meeting last week to review the monsoon damage, where he reaffirmed the federal government’s full support for relief and recovery efforts in GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Kashmir Affairs and GB Minister Amir Muqam, Climate Change Minister Dr Musadik Malik, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, PM’s political aide Rana Sanaullah and PM’s coordinator on GB Shabbir Ahmed Usmani are accompanying the premier.
“The prime minister will meet with the victims of rains and floods in Gilgit and distribute relief funds,” PTV added.
PM Shehbaz will be briefed on the damages caused by the recent rainfall and he will also hold meetings with Governor Shah and CM Gulbar.
In a statement on the occasion, GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said, “The hopes of flood affectees are attached to the prime minister.
“GB has faced losses worth more than Rs20 billion due to the worst destruction caused by the floods,” Faraq highlighted.
As floods and landslides hit GB in late July, CM Gulbar had appealed to the federal government for Rs7bn in emergency funds to deal with climate-induced disasters.
“Cooperation from the federal government plays the role of Oxygen for GB,” the official said, stressing that “homeless people with wrecked houses and eroding settlements were looking forward to remedies for their wounds”.
Terming PM Shehbaz’s visit a “good omen”, Faraq welcomed the premier to the region.
The devastating impacts of climate change have become more visible in GB as unprecedented heatwaves, erratic weather patterns and glacial melting have triggered cloudbursts and intense floods across the region.
Last week, more cloudburst-induced floods hit the Ghizer and Hunza districts.
On Friday, a glacier burst in GB’s Bagrot Valley led to the death of a 12-year-old boy, while his father was injured. The same day, Rescue 1122 officials said one person was rescued, while three other family members went missing after they had attempted to rescue a man who had jumped into the Ghizer River.