Shahbaz Sharif Directs Flood Relief Efforts in Dera Ghazi Khan

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a visit to flood-hit Dera Ghazi Khan on Thursday directed authorities to step up rescue and relief efforts in affected areas, Radio Pakistan reported. 

The CM was also briefed about flood relief in DG Khan. Speaking to the press, he said he was monitoring the flood situation and rescue activities himself.

Shahbaz Sharif cut short a visit to London in order to personally monitoring relief activities in flood-hit south Punjab districts. He was in London for a medical check-up, but decided to immediately return home, a Punjab government official earlier told Dawn. In his instructions to the cabinet committee on floods, the chief minister called for accelerating relief activities in the affected areas. He directed the committee to visit the flood-hit villages to monitor relief activities while the concerned administration and institutions of the affected districts should perform their duties in an efficient manner. He said food and other requirements of the affected people should be fulfilled.

He said fodder should also be arranged for the cattle of the flood-tossed people. cut short a visit to London earlier The Chief Minister’s visit to DG Khan comes a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited flood-hit Chitral. Earlier this week, the PPP Secretary General Sardar Latif Khosa criticised Shahbaz Sharif for extending his stay in London at a time when a large number of people in south Punjab were affected by the flood.  Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada while addressing a meeting in Muzaffargarh directed officials to be on high alert in order to provide relief to flood-hit areas in the province. He said an initial amount of Rs5 million had been released for flood-affected districts. The minister also pledged to issue a supplementary grant of Rs17m to these districts as needed.