UAE authorities contact COAS Bajwa, pledge relief items for flood victims

ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities on Monday contacted the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and pledged flood relief equipment for flood victims.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the UAE authorities had contacted the COAS for flood relief assistance.

“UAE has pledged 20 aircraft sorties flood relief equipment to assist the flood victims across Pakistan,” the ISPR added.

A day earlier, the first consignment of relief items from the UAE arrived at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi. The consignment from UAE for flood victims has been sent on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s in the wake of severe floods in the country.

The relief goods included tents, food, medicine and other items. UAE Ambassador to Pakistan and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal received the relief goods at the airport.

On Saturday, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed called Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and offered condolences to the victims.

He reiterated the UAE’s full support to Pakistan in overcoming the crisis. PM Shehbaz Sharif thanked the UAE president for the urgent relief dispatched to improve the living conditions of those affected by the floods, noting the country’s long-standing support to Pakistan.

According to reports, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has ordered the dispatch of 3,000 tons of critical aid to support the victims of the floods in Pakistan, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

Relief teams have also been dispatched to support institutions in providing food aid, shelter, and medical supplies to those impacted by the floods and torrential rains, which killed over 1,000 people and displaced thousands more.

The UAE relief teams will also provide all kinds of humanitarian support to Pakistani cadres and institutions concerned with efforts to secure the safety of the affected and their food, medical and logistical needs.