International community’s response to Pakistan floods

The support and solidarity from across the UK, for the flood affected people of Pakistan, has been tremendous.
Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan has been at the forefront in raising awareness about the devastation caused by the unprecedented rains and floods and appealing for urgent help.

News spoke exclusively to the High Commissioner and asked about Pakistan Mission’s flood relief efforts so far.

The gist of High Commissioner’s replies to our questions is shared below with our audience:

Pakistan has been ravaged by the unprecedented rainfall and severe flooding during this monsoon season. The amount of rainfall received in monsoon this year, is 170% higher than the previous record. 33 million people have been affected so far; with 5.5 million people needing urgent life-saving support. Over 1200 people have sadly died so far.

Under this dire situation, I made an urgent appeal to the Pakistani community in the UK and to the friends of Pakistan to come forward and donate for the relief and rehabilitation efforts. We also widely shared the information about the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.

I also convened a meeting of the prominent members of Pakistani community, political councilors, and UK based charities and briefed them about the devastation caused by the floods. My appeal to the community was that of unity in these difficult times. I must say that the response of our community to my appeal has been commendable.

I also met with the senior UK Government authorities including Lord Tariq Ahmed, FCDO Minister, Lords and MPs and briefed them about the scale and enormity of the devastation. I held detailed meetings with the CEO of UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) whose organization has so far raised £16 million for the flood relief and rehabilitation efforts. I held similar meetings with the UK Head of Islamic Relief and senior officials of several other charities. The response from the UK based charities has been commendable indeed.

To mobilize our community and charities, I also visited Birmingham and met with the community and UK charities to raise awareness about the scale of destruction caused by floods. All four Consulates of Pakistan in the UK have been instructed to proactively reach out to the community and donors supplement flood relief efforts.
I went on the BBC and Sky News to reach out to the wider audience and raise awareness about the toll the monstrous floods were taking on the people of Pakistan. Similarly, we arranged several interviews of the Pakistani leadership with the UK media.

We have received overwhelming response from across the UK. We have received messages of solidarity and support from Her Majesty The Queen, Prince of Wales, outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, newly elected Prime Minister Liz Truss, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer, Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon, besides several UK Ministers, Lords and MPs. The UK Government has announced £16.5 million for flood relief operations for which we are thankful to them.

To facilitate our community in making donations, we have also created Pakistan High Commission London’s account with the UBL UK so that funds could be sent to Pakistan directly. Similarly, I have established a 24/7 Flood Relief Coordination Unit at the Mission which is available over the phone to respond to the queries by the community.

In the past, Pakistan has witnessed many a challenging situation. In the face of adversity, we have always pulled together as one nation. The current situation demands of us, a similar expression of solidarity and support.
My appeal to the British nationals of Pakistan origin, and friends of Pakistan is that you come forward in this hour of trial and help us save the flood affectees.

I would also like call upon our ethnic media to please play their role in raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis faced by Pakistan and support the national cause.