Saudi Arabia has announced a relief package for the calamity-stricken Gwadar, where five people lost their lives and hundreds of houses were damaged due to heavy rains. Nawaf Bin Saeed Ahmad Al Maliky, the Saudi Ambassador, visited Balochistan and assured humanitarian aid for Gwadar’s residents.
“We stand by our Pakistani brothers during this challenging period,” Ambassador Nawaf Bin Saeed Ahmad Al Maliky stated following his meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
The ambassador pledged 9,000 shelter camps and an equal number of ration packs for the affected inhabitants of Gwadar. He also addressed the crowd in Urdu and cheered ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ while announcing the relief package for the province.
Sarfraz Bugti, Balochistan’s Chief Minister, praised Saudi Arabia for extending aid supplies to the province. He acknowledged climate change as a pressing issue and highlighted Gwadar’s unprecedented rainfall this year.
“We are making concerted efforts to rehabilitate the victims,” Bugti stated.
Previously, Gwadar was declared a calamity-hit area following the torrential rains last month. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also visited the city, which suffered extensive damage from severe storms last week.
Approximately 3,100 houses in Gwadar and 2,500 in Jiwani were destroyed. Additionally, 95 houses were completely demolished, and nearly 200 livestock perished.
Officials reported that 355 individuals were accommodated in government residences, while 800 were rescued and relocated to their relatives’ homes. The Pakistan Army and Navy established hospital camps to provide healthcare to the casualties.
