Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari conducted a visit to the flood-ravaged areas of Kasur on Friday, declaring Punjab the most affected province and calling for a collective national effort to cope with the widespread destruction. He was accompanied by a high-level party delegation, including former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider. Chairman Bilawal stated that while the provincial administration is doing good work, a coordinated response between local, provincial, and federal governments is essential to deliver effective relief.
Outlining a multi-phase recovery plan, the PPP Chairman announced his intention to formally request the Prime Minister to immediately disburse aid to affected families through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), a mechanism successfully used in the past. Noting that farmers have borne the brunt of the losses, he stressed that agriculture is the backbone of the economy and demanded the declaration of an agricultural emergency in Punjab, coupled with federal support for seeds, fertilizers, and relief in electricity bills and loan installments.
Looking ahead to reconstruction, Bilawal stated that damage assessments for homes, businesses, and infrastructure would be conducted, followed by a rebuilding phase. He appealed to the federal government to initiate a housing reconstruction program in Punjab similar to the one underway in Sindh and promised support for Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which have also suffered significant flood damage.
In a strong diplomatic rebuke, Chairman Bilawal accused India of violating the Indus Waters Treaty by refusing to provide timely flood data, which he claimed exacerbated the disaster. He condemned this attitude as a forgetfulness of “humanity” and labeled it “water terrorism.” He vowed to raise the issue at international forums to compel India to either honor the treaty or return Pakistan’s rivers, asserting that Pakistan would never tolerate such actions. He concluded by assuring victims that he would personally convey their demands to the highest levels of government.
