LAHORE: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye has offered full support to Pakistan as devastating floods wreaked havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab and other parts of the country.
During a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Turkiye president expressed condolences and solidarity with Pakistan over the devastation caused by the floods.
President Erdogan conveyed his heartfelt sympathies on the loss of precious lives and property, assuring that Türkiye stood ready to extend all possible assistance, including support in rescue and relief operations.
Thanking the Turkish President for his thoughtful sentiments and generous offer of help, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the call reflected the strong and time-tested brotherly ties between Pakistan and Türkiye. He noted that both nations had always stood by each other during challenging times.
The two leaders also recalled their recent interactions earlier this year and expressed the hope of meeting again soon on the sidelines of the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin, China.
It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab’s three major rivers, Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej, are experiencing extremely high floods, while floodwaters are moving towards Sindh.
The floods have breached embankments at several locations, submerged hundreds of settlements, and destroyed standing crops. In various incidents, at least 25 people have died, and many others are missing.
This was made worse when India started flooding its rivers, which led to massive destruction in various parts of Punjab.
Rescue efforts continue, and more than 45,000 have been removed to safer areas. Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Narowal, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur, Okara and Pakpattan are the worst-affected districts.
The water flow in the river Ravi at Shahdara is 191,000 cusecs, and this can increase to 200,000 cusecs. Notices have been issued on the evacuation of adjacent settlements, and 22 villages in 5 tehsils of Lahore have already been cleared.
High-level flooding continues at several locations, including Kot Nina, Jasar, and Saifon. In the Chenab River, Marala is experiencing moderate flooding, but the situation is extremely dangerous at Khanqi and Qadirabad, where water flows range from 859,000 to 996,000 cusecs.
More than 50 villages in Submariyal are submerged, and 8 people have died. The floodwaters are expected to reach Muzaffargarh by Friday. In the Sutlej River, Ganda Singh Wala faces an extremely dangerous flood situation, with a water flow of 261,000 cusecs.
