ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 :Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik said on Monday that all federal ministers were directed to immediately move to flood-affected regions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir to personally supervise relief and recovery operations.
“The Prime Minister has ordered that ministers be on the ground to coordinate efforts,” Malik said while addressing a press conference here.
Flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and National Disaster Management Authority Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, Musadik said every minister will be responsible for ensuring that electricity, water supply, and road networks are restored quickly in the affected areas.
He said major highways would be reopened within 24 hours, while special teams were working to fix badly disrupted power grids and water systems.
“Our goal is to ensure that every federal resource reaches those who need it most,” Malik said.
He pledged that the federal government will provide immediate relief and long-term support to communities devastated by recent floods, stressing that no distinction will be made between federal and provincial responsibilities in tackling the crisis.
“I want to express my condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones, their homes, or their livelihoods,” Malik said adding that “No one can truly compensate for such losses, but the federal government will do its utmost, alongside the provinces, to restore homes and support the affected families.”
Malik also underlined Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change despite its negligible contribution to global emissions.
“Pakistan emits less than one percent of the world’s carbon, yet suffers some of the worst consequences — from glacier melting to cloudbursts and flash floods,” he noted. “The top seven or eight polluting nations are responsible for nearly 75 percent of emissions, and paradoxically, they also receive 85 percent of global climate financing.”
Calling this a “clear hypocrisy at the international level,” Malik said Pakistan would continue to raise the issue on global platforms, while also working to strengthen its own disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
He revealed that a fully integrated early warning and weather prediction system is being developed with the help of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to provide timely alerts and save lives.
The minister urged provincial governments to relocate vulnerable communities living along riverbanks and mountain streams. “These are not ordinary drains — when flash floods come down from the mountains, they bring destructive force. We must protect our children and move them to safe zones,” he said.
Malik assured the public that future infrastructure and development projects would be delivered “on time, on budget, and with quality,” under strict monitoring to avoid the years-long delays that have plagued past initiatives.
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