The Pakistan Army has been called to help the local administration in managing and dealing with the urban flooding crisis, the military’s media wing said in a statement issued on Thursday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the “Army [was] called to assist civil administration for managing Urban Flooding Situation in Karachi”. With regard to the implementation of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s orders on Wednesday to send the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chief to Karachi, a private news channel earlier reported that a decision had been made to provide assistance in relief activities in Pakistan’s financial capital.
According to reports, the government also sought the Pakistan Army’s services for the cleaning of Karachi. An emergency approval from the cabinet was obtained through a circulation in this regard. With the military’s help, Karachi would be cleaned and damage caused by the torrential rains earlier this week repaired.
In another development, NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal called on Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah after Imran Khan tasked him to clean rain-hit Karachi. According to the CM House spokesman, the meeting was also attended by Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah. They discussed the situation developed in the city in the aftermath of the two-day rainfall that saw urban flooding in parts of the city.
