Flood-hit Pakistanis still waiting on promised rebuild

Published

12 months ago

June 6, 2023

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Flood-hit Pakistanis still waiting on promised rebuild

Noor Bibi lost her mother, her daughter and the roof over her head in the catastrophic floods that drowned Pakistan last summer.

One year later she remains homeless, living with the remnants of her family in spartan tents marking where the village of Sohbat Khosa was gutted by the deluge in southern Sindh province.

Noor, a farm worker approaching her 60s, prays for “someone with righteous thoughts that will help us build some good houses in an elevated place”.

“If it flooded again, we would not bear such big losses,” she told AFP.

But government pledges to rebuild flood-ravaged swathes of Pakistan so they are resilient to future extreme weather have largely failed to materialise.

The monsoon deluges of last summer submerged a third of the country, killing 1,700 people and displacing eight million more.

Climate change is making those seasonal rains heavier and more unpredictable, scientists say, raising the urgency of flood-proofing the country.

A failure to do so will be most acutely felt by the poor, who tend to live in the most vulnerable areas.

Here in Dadu district, which was heavily flooded, no rehabilitation is visible. Rare pieces of public infrastructure remain in disrepair and housing reconstruction is left to locals or NGOs.

In January, Islamabad announced a “Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework” valued at $16.3 billion, but it remains confined to paper.

International donors have also pledged $9 billion, but most of the cash will come in the form of loans.

Villagers’ crops were swept away in the floods, depriving them of livelihoods that might have allowed them to pave their own way to recovery.

With pooled funds, the residents of Sohbat Khosa only raised enough for a toilet and water tank.

Their best hope is the Alkhidmat Foundation, a Pakistani NGO, which plans to build around 30 new homes.

“The government seems to not exist here, and if anything is done by the government, that is only corruption,” said Ali Muhammad, a coordinator for Alkhidmat in Dadu.

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KP CM Gandapur’s interim bail extended till May 28 in arson attack case

Published

1 hour ago

May 18, 2024

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KP CM Gandapur's interim bail extended till May 28 in arson attack case

A district and sessions court of Rawalpindi on Saturday extended the interim bail of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur till May 28.

The additional district and sessions judge conducted hearing of interim bail plea for Ali Amin Gandapur in a case of arson and meddling government affairs. Advocate Muhammad Faisal Malik appeared on behalf of the KP chief minister.

During the hearing, a request was submitted by KP CM Gandapur for exemption from attending court proceedings which was accepted by the court.

Gandapur had made the request due to his official engagement in government affairs. Later, the additional district and sessions judge extended the interim bail of CM Gandapur till May 28.

It should be remembered that a case was registered against Gandapur in Nasirabad police station.

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CM Maryam directs measures for land record digitalisation

Published

1 hour ago

May 18, 2024

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Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has issued directives to implement concrete measures for the digitalization of land records across the province.

Presided over a crucial session focused on Board of Revenue reforms, CM Nawaz received a comprehensive briefing on the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement (PULSE) project.

During the session, officials from the Punjab Land Record Authority and Management of State Land provided insights into the project’s business plan and execution strategies.

The digitalization of land records under the PULSE project is being undertaken with the support of the World Bank.

This ambitious initiative aims to digitize all land records in Punjab on an owner-based system, marking a significant step towards transparency and efficiency in revenue management.

Key highlights from the briefing include the categorization of land properties into clear, and disputed categories, denoted by green, yellow, and red respectively.

Each buyer will be assigned a unique property number, streamlining legal processes and reducing complications associated with property transactions.

The implementation of a transparent partition of land and parcel document system will enhance the transparency and fairness of revenue management.

The digitalization process will also simplify the Record of Rights (Fard) and property transfer system, ensuring accessibility and efficiency for citizens.

In a move to facilitate overseas Pakistanis, the government plans to introduce services such as overseas property transfer, mutation, registration, and e-survey.

CM Maryam Nawaz has underscored the importance of swift action and collaboration among relevant departments to expedite the digitalization of land records.

Provincial Information Minister Azma Bukhari, MPA Sania Ashiq, chief secretary, P&D chairman, SMU head and other officials attended the session.

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PM directs envoy to extend all possible help to Pakistani students

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2024

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PM directs envoy to extend all possible help to Pakistani students

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the Pakistani ambassador in Bishkek to provide all possible help to Pakistani students.

Prime Minister Sharif contacted the Pakistani Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hassan Ali Zaigham by telephone and directed to provide all kind of support and assistance to the Pakistani students. He also ordered the Pakistani ambassador to visit the hostels and meet the students.

On this occasion, the Pakistani ambassador informed the prime minister about the current situation in Bishkek and said no Pakistani was killed in the incident.

He said the embassy was assisting the wounded students. The prime minister emphasised to keep in constant touch with the parents of the students and provide them timely information.

PM Sharif directed that all kinds of medical facilities should be provided to the injured students, and arrangements should be made for immediate return of the injured students who were willing to return to Pakistan.

Government of Pakistan will bear the cost of return of students. The prime minister said he was personally monitoring the situation in Kyrgyzstan.

“We will not leave our students alone in this situation. Our government is also in touch with the government of Kyrgyzstan,” said the prime minister.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep concern over the attacks on students from Pakistan and other countries in Kyrgyzstan. He directed the Pakistani ambassador in Bishkek to provide all possible help to the Pakistani students.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the Pakistani Embassy had provided emergency numbers and was continuously monitoring the situation.

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