ISLAMABAD – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) yesterday said that flood victims largely relied on self-help and rulers must wake up to support them.
Speaking at a joint news conference, PPP Central Secretary Information Nadeem Afzal Chan and General Secretary Punjab Syed Hassan Murtaza said that there should be no politics on floods.
Chan said the PPP avoided political point scoring, unlike other parties. He noted that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari personally visited flood-hit areas across the country to stand with victims.
“In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf) has ruled for 13 years, encroachments and the timber mafia made the devastation worse. A judicial or parliamentary inquiry commission must investigate this negligence,” he demanded.
He added that PPP had even acknowledged good initiatives by rival governments, pointing out that Bilawal praised Punjab’s relief efforts during his visit to Kasur.
Chan highlighted concerns over alleged inequitable distribution of relief goods in Punjab, accusing the provincial government of favouritism.
He acknowledged that Punjab’s Rescue 1122 performed exceptionally, but criticized other institutions for focusing more on “TikTok politics” than actual relief.
PPP Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza painted a grim picture of devastation across rural Punjab, especially in Faisalabad division, Chiniot, and surrounding areas.
“The damage is beyond description. Farmers have lost their crops, and villagers have seen their only source of income, livestock, swept away by floodwaters. This is their greatest economic loss,” he said.
Murtaza lamented that farmers were already reeling from poor government policies and now faced fresh ruin. “Even the sanctity of their homes and privacy has been violated. It is tragic that citizens themselves had to organize relief on a self-help basis while the government machinery stood idle.”
Both the leaders urged the government to present Pakistan’s climate change case more forcefully before the world and to implement permanent safeguards against recurring floods.
“Every year, we suffer devastation. Why are permanent preventive measures never taken?” Chan questioned.
Murtaza added that institutions created for disaster and earthquake management must be subjected to a performance audit. “We need accountability. If these institutions cannot prevent such recurring tragedies, then their role must be reassessed.”
The PPP leaders acknowledged that despite official shortcomings, the Pakistani nation had once again shown resilience and unity.
They paid glowing tribute to the martyrs of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), crediting their sacrifices for the continuation of democracy in the country. They also launched a scathing critique of the government’s handling of recent floods, demanding accountability, reforms, and permanent solutions to climate-induced disasters.
“Today democracy exists in Pakistan because of the blood and sacrifices of those martyrs. We salute them,” said Nadeem Afzal Chan.
