New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday, August 29, expressed “heartfelt condolences” on the devastating floods in Pakistan, which have caused losses of billions of dollars and killed over a thousand people.
In a tweet posted on his official account, Prime Minister Modi posted that he was “saddened to see the devastation caused by the flood in Pakistan”.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by this natural calamity and hope for an early restoration of normalcy,” he posted.
Saddened to see the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by this natural calamity and hope for an early restoration of normalcy.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 29, 2022
Significantly, he did not address his condolences to his Pakistani counterpart or government.
The two South Asian neighbours continue to have strained relations, with both sides having withdrawn their ambassadors and frozen ties for over three years.
Pakistan had announced a “national emergency” last week, describing the floods as a “climate-inducted humanitarian crisis of epic proportions”.
On Monday, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said that the death toll had reached 1,136, damaging nearly 10 lakh houses and destroying thousands of kilometres of roads.
Pakistan’s planning minister Ahsan Iqbal told Reuters that the initial estimate of economic losses from the floods could reach at least $10 billion.
The floods arrived just as the economy was already in crisis mode, facing high inflation, a depreciating currency and a current account deficit.
Foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan would be launching an appeal asking United Nations member states to contribute to relief efforts.
Foreign aid has already started to arrive in Pakistan, with Turkey sending four aircraft laden with assistance, while UAE has also sent relief material in two planes, as per Dawn.
China has already sent several planeloads of relief assistance, with Bahrain pledging one aircraft with tends and relief material.
Japan announced that Japan International Cooperation Agency would be coordinating the delivery of emergency assistance of relief goods in two batches. Belgium and Singapore offered 300 tents and $50,000 in assistance, respectively, for the flood victims. Singapore Red Cross also plans to launch a public fundraising appeal to support the relief and recovery operations.
