Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday appealed to the federal government to waive electricity bills for farmers and people affected by recent floods, as he toured inundated areas of Punjab.
He stressed the need for an agricultural emergency to help farmers devastated by crop losses. Bilawal said he had suggested to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) be used to distribute financial compensation to flood victims, as it was during the COVID crisis and the floods of 2022 under the PDM government.
The PPP leader also urged the Foreign Office to mobilize international assistance and called on UN agencies working in Pakistan to contribute to relief and rehabilitation efforts.
While Bilawal appealed for political unity and asked all parties to set aside their differences in facing the crisis, he avoided giving specific answers when questioned about shortages of boats, life jackets and flood camps, saying only that the state was doing its best amid an unprecedented disaster.
This year’s monsoon floods have claimed more than 900 lives, destroyed standing crops and displaced thousands across Punjab and Sindh. Water inflows in the Indus River are expected to rise further, with high flows forecast at the Guddu barrage in the coming days.
