Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced a comprehensive Flood Relief Package to support those affected by the recent rains and flash floods. In a televised address to the nation, he said the devastation had caused heavy human and material losses across the country.
The prime minister stressed that helping flood victims was not charity but a duty of the state. He directed electricity distribution companies to implement emergency measures without delay. As part of the Flood Relief Package, residential consumers in affected areas will have their one-month electricity bills waived. For commercial and industrial users, the collection of August bills has been postponed.
Shehbaz Sharif explained that the federal government would bear the full cost of the waived bills. Those who had already cleared their dues would receive refunds in the next billing cycle. He added that the losses in the agricultural, commercial, and industrial sectors were still being evaluated. More steps under the Flood Relief Package would follow if damages exceeded the initial estimates.
The prime minister pledged that he would not rest until every displaced family was properly rehabilitated. “I will not stop until every affected person returns home,” he said. Power distribution companies, he added, had been strictly instructed to ensure immediate compliance with the relief directives.
The ongoing floods have so far claimed at least 972 lives, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The natural disaster has destroyed homes, crops, and livestock in Punjab and is now pushing into Sindh. Experts warn this could worsen food inflation and deepen economic hardships for the already struggling nation.
Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed reported that more than 4,500 villages were submerged in Punjab along the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers. Of these, 2,334 villages were hit by the Chenab, 1,482 by the Ravi, and 672 by the Sutlej. Overall, 4.498 million people were affected, with 2.451 million safely evacuated.
Authorities have also set up 396 relief camps in the worst-hit areas. Nearly 1.91 million livestock were relocated to safer places as part of the Flood Relief Package. The prime minister assured the nation that the rehabilitation process would continue until every affected family and community is brought back to normal life.