Indo-Pak Floods: Modi and Nawaz visited floods hit areas
Agha Iqrar Haroon
Islamabad: Massive floods in India and Pakistan are playing havoc with people living at the both sides of the Kashmir valley and Punjab. Indian Prime Minister and Pakistan Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif spent their Sunday to visit floods hit areas across the Indo-Pak border. Narendra Modi had an aerial view of Indian held Kashmir while Nawaz was having aerial view of Sialkot district—just the other side of the Indian held Kashmir. Both prime ministers visited floods hit areas along with their political teams and announced special grants for rehabilitation of people who lost almost everything of their lives in recent floods.
The death toll from flooding in Indian Kashmir climbed to 175 while figure is 110 in Pakistani Kashmir and Punjab. Armed forces of both the countries are busy in evacuating and providing rehabilitation support to people who are trapped in floods. Reports reaching to Islamabad indicate that thousands of homes, military bases and hospitals inundated in both sides of Kashmir valley.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew over the Kashmir valley to review impact of worst flooding there in 60 years has submerged villages and ruined crops.
“This is a national level disaster,” Modi said. He announced 11 billion rupees ($180 million) in disaster relief payments, as well as compensation to victims and their relatives. Modi met state chief minister Abdullah and other officials in Jammu.
Grateful to @PMOIndia for additional assistance of Rs.1000 crore and continued support @narendramodi
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) September 7, 2014
Some 2,500 villages have been partially or completely submerged across the area, while thousands of people are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued in Indian held Kashmir.
On the other side of the border, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif took an aerial view of flood-hit areas and landed in Sialkot that is situated at the foothills of Indian Held Kashmir on the side of Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid an aerial visit of the flood-hit Head Qadirabad area and met the flood affectees in Sialkot. He said that recent rains have broken all the previous records of last 20 years. He said that the government had limited resources on its disposal and damages could be averted with new projects and increased resources. He directed administration to provide maximum support for the rehabilitation of floods effected people.
