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ISLAMABAD: At least 30 people have been killed and more than 1.5 million affected as high floods in the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers submerged over 2,300 villages across Pakistan’s breadbasket province of Punjab this week, the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) said on Saturday.

The deluge, driven by record monsoon rains and water releases from upstream India, has inundated swathes of Pakistan’s most populous province, crippling rescue and relief operations and forcing mass evacuations. Officials warn the flood threat would intensify in the coming days as fresh rains lash northeastern Punjab and flows peak at major headworks.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority’s most recent monsoon toll, more than 830 people have died across Pakistan since June 26.

In Lahore, the PDMA confirmed two lightning-related deaths during the latest thunderstorms, while floods elsewhere in Punjab have left 30 people dead. 

“Due to severe flooding in rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab, 2,308 villages have been affected,” Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said in a statement released by the PDMA. 

“A total of 1.516 million people have been impacted while 481,000 trapped residents were rescued to safer places.”

He said 511 relief camps and 351 medical camps had been set up in flood-hit districts, along with 321 veterinary camps. Around 405,000 animals have also been shifted to higher ground.

“Compensation for citizens’ losses will be ensured under the instructions of the Punjab chief minister,” Javed said, adding that damages to farmers would also be assessed.

The NDMA said it had dispatched emergency rations to Sialkot and Narowal, some of the worst-affected districts, at the request of Punjab authorities. 

“NDMA has provided 500 ration bags each for flood-hit areas of Sialkot and Narowal,” the agency said. “A convoy of eight trucks has been sent carrying relief goods … while more consignments are planned for Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Chiniot and Jhang in the coming days.”

RISING WATERS

Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) data on Saturday showed exceptionally high flood levels at Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej and at Balloki on the Ravi, with the Chenab at Trimmu projected to rise to similar levels within 24 hours and Panjnad expected to reach very high flood on September 3. The Indus at Guddu was also forecast to swell dangerously by September 5.

“Exceptionally high flood level will continue in river Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala,” the FFD bulletin warned, adding that the Chenab at Trimmu was on track to reach the same threshold within a day.

DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia told reporters in Lahore 303,000 cusecs of water were flowing at Ganda Singh, where the army and local administration had evacuated 20 villages overnight.

He added that more than 175,000 cusecs were flowing at Head Marala on the Chenab, while dangerous levels were expected at Head Islam in the next 24 hours.

Punjab’s flooding crisis comes amid what the Met Office described as the ninth spell of monsoon rains, expected to continue until September 2. Heavy showers were recorded in Mandi Bahauddin (81 mm), Hafizabad (63 mm), Jhelum (50 mm), Sialkot (47 mm), and other districts over the past 24 hours.

The PDMA also reported that India’s Bhakra Dam is currently 84 percent full, Pong 94 percent, and Thein 92 percent, raising concerns of further cross-boundary water surges. 

Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of releasing excess flows into downstream rivers during monsoon peaks, intensifying flood risks in Punjab’s agricultural belt.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday held a key meeting with a delegation of leading investors and businessmen from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and shared with them various investment opportunities in Pakistan, an official said.

The delegation, led by Mohamed Baradei, Group CIO of the Abu Dhabi-based EIX global investment and strategic advisory firm, was briefed on the state of Pakistan’s economy and the wide-ranging structural reforms undertaken recently, according to Finance Adviser Khurram Schehzad.

Aurangzeb highlighted the achievement of a primary surplus after many years, the return of inflation to single digits, stable currency, robust foreign exchange reserves and validation from leading international rating agencies which are now aligned in their improved assessment of Pakistan’s economy.

The development comes as Pakistan, currently bolstered by a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, continues to make efforts to boost trade and foreign investment as it treads a long path to sustainable economic growth.

“Senator Aurangzeb underscored the government’s commitment to addressing investor concerns, noting that taxation reforms, tariff rationalization, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and a series of bold structural measures were aimed at fundamentally transforming the DNA of the economy,” Schehzad said on X.

“He informed the investors about promising opportunities in the mining sector, especially the Reko Diq project, which is expected to significantly strengthen Pakistan’s external sector through sustainable foreign inflows.”

The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.

Policymakers in Pakistan consider the Emirates an optimal export destination due to their geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.

Both countries have stepped up efforts in recent years to strengthen their economic relations. In Jan. 2024, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure.

Aurangzeb noted while Pakistan’s exports and remittances were “healthy,” the country’s stock exchange has been witnessing unprecedented activity, with over 70,000 new investors entering the market that reflected the growing confidence among both domestic and foreign investors.

He shared updates on the government’s upcoming industrial policy, which will provide a roadmap for further improving the investment climate, and noted that bold tariff reforms and the launch of digital and export promotion policies indicate the government’s future trajectory of reforms.

“[The visiting UAE delegation] expressed confidence in Pakistan’s potential, pointing to the state of its infrastructure, its demographic advantage, and the opportunities available for strategic and long-term investments,” Schehzad said.

“They emphasized that they brought not only capital but also strategic know-how to the table, and conveyed their strong interest in being ahead of the curve as Pakistan continues on its reform journey. The delegation also underscored that increasing capital and human flows between Pakistan and the UAE would contribute to deepening economic ties, noting that both countries were well positioned to grow together through mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations.”

The finance minister reaffirmed that Pakistan attaches great importance to its partnership with the UAE and hoped that the momentum generated by this engagement will translate into concrete investments and joint ventures, further strengthening economic bonds between the two nations.