ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged the federal government to immediately launch an international appeal for flood assistance, warning that millions of victims risk being cut off from vital aid.
In a post on X, Bilawal criticised what he called an incomprehensible “delay” in initiating the appeal.
“This is standard practice for disasters of this scale internationally. It was done for the last floods when I was foreign minister, before that the 2010 floods and the 2005 earthquake. Countries all over the world do the same within the first 72 hours of such disasters,” he said.
We welcome the federal government decision to announce climate and agricultural emergency following PPPs demand.
However; the federal government has still not announce relief through the Benazir income support program for flood impacted districts especially Gilgit Baltistan,…
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) September 12, 2025
“There is no excuse to cut off the millions affected from this assistance. We demand the government initiate this process immediately,” he added, while welcoming the government’s decision to announce a climate and agricultural emergency.
Rising toll and devastation
The floods, triggered by relentless monsoon rains and glacial melt, have so far killed at least 900 people across Pakistan, according to officials. Crops, livestock and entire communities have been swept away, with Punjab, Sindh and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa among the worst-hit.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik told reporters on Thursday that more than 2.4 million people have been moved to safe locations in Punjab, while 150,000 have been evacuated in Sindh. “Crops and livestock have been destroyed. In some areas, protective embankments were breached deliberately to reduce water pressure,” he told reporters.
He added that while the situation along the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers was under control, water flows at the Head Panjnad and Guddu barrage remained dangerously high. Relief operations were ongoing nationwide, he said, with thousands of tents and ration packages already distributed.
‘Climate emergency’
Federal Minister for Energy and Climate Change Musadik Malik said Pakistan was facing one of the world’s worst climate crises. “Rising temperatures are accelerating glacier melt. Pakistan is among the most climate-vulnerable countries,” he said, warning that more rains are expected in central Punjab and Azad Kashmir between September 16 and 18.
“The floods and rains have already killed 900 people. This is why the prime minister has declared a climate emergency,” he added.
Malik praised welfare organisations for their role in rescue operations but stressed that advance planning for future monsoons must begin now. “We must act together for the sake of our children’s future,” he said.
Bilawal, who has toured central Punjab, South Punjab and Sindh in recent days, voiced solidarity with farming communities, calling agriculture the “most devastated sector”. He also demanded immediate relief through the Benazir Income Support Programme for affected families.
