ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deployed an urban search and rescue team to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah caused catastrophic flooding and landslides, resulting in more than 400 deaths. Officials said the mission aims to support large-scale humanitarian operations as Sri Lanka struggles with widespread devastation.
According to Radio Pakistan, a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft departed on Wednesday carrying a 47-member rescue team and 6.5 tons of essential equipment. The team includes trained personnel equipped for search, rescue, and emergency response operations.
During a departure ceremony in Islamabad, National Disaster Management Authority Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said Pakistan was extending full support to the cyclone-hit nation. He stressed that Pakistan stood in solidarity with Sri Lanka during this crisis.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had directed “full-out support” for the affected population. Malik added that a Pakistan Navy ship in the region was immediately tasked with assisting Sri Lanka and evacuating stranded civilians.
He described Cyclone Ditwah as “unfortunate and unprecedented,” noting shifting global weather patterns and rising cyclonic activity in nearby regions. He said the deployed rescue team was highly competent and had supported multiple international missions in recent years.
Malik also confirmed that Pakistan dispatched 200 tons of relief cargo from Karachi on Tuesday via a commercial container ship. He said the government was ready to send more assistance if requested.
He emphasised that climate change was threatening “all nations alike” and urged global cooperation on early warning technologies and disaster preparedness.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also expressed condolences to Sri Lanka and said more aid consignments would be sent from Lahore and Karachi. He assured Sri Lanka’s ambassador that Pakistan would extend every possible form of assistance.
The development followed a statement from the Foreign Office claiming that India was obstructing Pakistan’s emergency relief flights. The Pakistan High Commission in Colombo said Pakistan’s C-130 aircraft had been awaiting clearance for days and accused India of blocking humanitarian operations through “shenanigans.”
It said Pakistan’s rescue team, field hospitals, sniffer dogs, and nearly 200 tons of supplies remained grounded at Noor Khan Air Base until authorities shifted to a sea route.
