‘Rise above party politics’: Pakistanis in US appeal to Pakistan government amid floods

Islamabad: Leaders of the Pakistani-American community warned against the government’s appeal to donate to the Prime Minister’s Fund, saying this is not the time for partisan politics. ‘No, this is not the time for party politics.’ The Washington, Virginia chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) He recalled the 2005 earthquake where the community in the larger Washington region sent two containers of goods to Pakistan.

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“And we’re ready to do that again.” However, the leaders urged the community to rise above party politics and focus on helping the flood victims, Dawn reported. This comes as the Pakistan government urged the Pakistani-American community to help rain and flood victims across the country, while community leaders asked people to “rise above party politics” during this natural disaster.

Dr Khalid Abdullah, who heads the Washington chapter of an international organization called Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), suggested focusing on immediate relief and “increasing our capacity to deal with such disasters”.

He said, “Monsoon is not new nor floods. Such things have a regular pattern. By now, we should be ready to absorb the excess water and even use it to our advantage. was.”

Meanwhile, Dr Talha Siddiqui, who is associated with the largest group of Pakistani physicians called APPNA, advised sending “money, tents and medicines”. He also cautioned Pakistani authorities to be prepared for post-flood infectious diseases, “which often cause more damage than floods.”

Pakistan is grappling with its worst natural disaster in more than a decade. The floods have affected the lives of lakhs of people. At least 937 people have been killed and 1,343 injured since June 14, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 116 districts, including 66 districts, have been officially declared as ‘disaster hit’.

Meanwhile, nationwide rainfall is 2.87 times higher than the national 30-year average, with some provinces receiving more than five times their 30-year average.

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The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that around 33 million people are being affected in Pakistan. As of August 25, Pakistan has experienced 375.4 mm of rain – 2.87 times more than the national 30-year average of 130.8 mm.

These rains mainly occurred in Balochistan, Sindh and parts of Punjab, with Balochistan receiving five times the 30-year average and Sindh 5.7 times the 30-year average, the statement said. On 26 August, the Flood Forecasting Department (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a warning that in the Kabul River at Nowshera in KP province, as well as in the tributaries of the Kabul and the Indus, from very high to exceptionally high- Level flooding is expected. Rivers till August 28