Iran MP urges more aid for Pakistan

As the month-long floods in Pakistan continue to devastate more areas, an Iranian lawmaker says the Islamic Republic can play a more effective role in dispatching aid.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran can play a more significant role in sending relief aid to the flood-hit Pakistani people,” a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran’s Parliament (Majlis), Gholam-Reza Karami, told IRNA on Sunday after he wrapped up a visit to the flood-stricken country.

According to the Iranian lawmaker, the Pakistani people expect the government and nation of Iran, as a Muslim neighboring country, to send more aid to help the flood victims in Pakistan.

Karami further pointed out that a major disaster has happened and the Pakistani people are facing serious problems.

Pakistanis in the flood-devastated areas are in need of Iran’s short-term aid including food, medicine, tents and medical teams, he went on to say.

The lawmaker noted that the Islamic Republic can also provide Pakistan with long-term aid by participating in the country’s reconstruction process.

Heavy torrential monsoon rains that moved steadily from north to south since late July triggered massive floods which affected more than 20 million Pakistanis and left five million people homeless.

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have been ordered to evacuate as flood waters threaten several cities near the Indus River, the worst-hit area of southern Sindh province.

Nearly 800,000 people are also stranded in areas that can only be reached by air.

Iran was among the first countries to dispatch relief supplies to Pakistan and has announced its readiness to help reconstruct Pakistan’s flood-ravaged regions.

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mashallah Shakeri said on Sunday the Islamic Republic has sent 5,000 tents to Pakistan and another 2,000 tents were dispatched in the past few days.

“We are ready to provide temporary shelter for the people affected by the flood by sending more tents. The Iranian Red Crescent Society is setting up a camp for the flood-hit people in the province of Sindh. Today, the IRCS’s staff set out for Karachi to oversee the Iranian relief effort,” the Iranian envoy further explained.