'While global attention has rightly turned to the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, I must urge us not to forget another unfolding tragedy,' says IFRC official
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Friday warned that Pakistan is facing one of its worst monsoon seasons in recent memory, with floods claiming hundreds of lives and displacing more than a million people.
Farid Abdulkadir Aiywar, IFRC head of delegation for Pakistan, urged the international community not to overlook the unfolding disaster, which he described as “quietly but relentlessly” devastating communities across the country.
“While global attention has rightly turned to the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, I must urge us not to forget another unfolding tragedy,” Aiywar told reporters.
Since late June, torrential rains have triggered severe flooding, landslides, and destruction across nearly every province, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, at least 884 people have been killed and thousands more injured as of Sept. 5. More than 1 million residents have been evacuated, while nearly 9,400 homes have been partially or fully destroyed. The floods have also wiped out over 6,180 livestock, cutting off communities from clean water, food, and healthcare.
Aiywar said the IFRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent are scaling up emergency assistance but stressed that greater international solidarity is needed.
“The crisis is far from over. Entire communities remain underwater, families have lost everything, and access to safe water and health care is becoming more urgent by the day,” he added.
