The second batch of aid included further relief supplies, shelter material, humanitarian aid, food and medications for people affected by the floods that hit the country, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The Joint Operations Command of the UAE Ministry of Defence is continuing its humanitarian operations in Pakistan, through the launch of a second airlift of humanitarian aid from the UAE.
The second batch of aid included further relief supplies, shelter material, humanitarian aid, food and medications for people affected by the floods that hit the country.
The humanitarian aid was dispatched as per the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to support flood-hit Pakistan.
The armed forces have dedicated military aircraft to transport humanitarian aid on account of the competitive edge they have gained in transporting relief material regionally and internationally.
The provision of the UAE aid falls under the Article No.9 of the ‘UAE’s Principles of the 50’, which considers foreign humanitarian aid an integral part of the country’s ethical commitment toward friendly countries.
Earlier this week, the Joint Operations Command started operating an air bridge to transport humanitarian aid provided by the UAE to Pakistan.
Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, said that a number of other aid planes will be flying to Pakistan over the coming days to provide the required support.
He added that the move highlights the strength of relations between the two countries and that the UAE has contributed over the past years to alleviating the severity of many humanitarian crises that Pakistan witnessed, especially those related to natural disasters.
Al Zaabi stressed that the Emirati humanitarian support extends to provide a helping hand to all affected communities around the world, based on the global humanitarian role of the UAE, whose principles were laid down by the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Charity provides aid
The Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation has also provided urgent relief aid to Pakistan, which witnessed torrential rains and floods that resulted in deaths, injuries and damage to infrastructure in several provinces.
Hamad Salem bin Kardous Al Amri, Director-General of the Foundation, said that under the directives of Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the foundation has begun providing urgent relief aid, which includes 5,000 tents, to ease the suffering of those affected by the repercussions of these difficult climatic conditions.
He added that – since its inception – the foundation has been keen to respond swiftly to humanitarian conditions and provide support and assistance to all target groups in different regions of the world without distinction to race, colour, gender or belief. This aid aims to alleviate the suffering of the affected Pakistani people during these challenging conditions, he further added.
Shehbaz appeals for more support
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed to the international community for further support, saying “much more is required to be done”.
“It is a yawning gap between our requirements and what we are receiving at this point in time,” he said and pointed out that this year the intensity of rains has been three to four times more than the average of the last 30 years.
“Pakistan is facing the toughest time of its history,” he told foreign journalists at a press briefing telecast live on Zoom.
The death toll in Pakistan’s catastrophic flooding has increased to 1,162 as the cash-strapped country struggles to rescue and care for millions of people displaced by the surging waters.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the victims included 384 children and 231 women, and the death toll is expected to further increase in the coming days, dpa news agency reported on Wednesday.
More than 33 million people in some 116 of Pakistan’s 160 administrative districts have been affected by the floods triggered by incessant monsoon rain since mid-Jine, with at least 72 districts being declared disaster areas.
The floods inundated over 2 million acres of agricultural land, destroying crops of cotton, rice, dates, tomato, chilli and other vegetables.
On Tuesday, the UN issued a flash appeal for $160 million in emergency aid to help Pakistan.