Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Saturday visited Buner district to assess the destruction caused by the recent Buner flooda, chairing a high-level meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on relief and rehabilitation measures.
Provincial cabinet members Syed Fakhar Jehan, Naik Muhammad and Sohail Afridi, provincial lawmaker Riaz Khan, National Assembly member Barrister Gohar, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and senior district administration officials attended the session. The meeting opened with prayers for the victims of the Buner floods.
Officials briefed the chief minister that devastating cloudbursts damaged 5,380 houses across seven village councils of Buner. So far, 209 deaths have been confirmed, 134 people remain missing and 159 are injured. Rescue teams have successfully evacuated 3,500 stranded people, while search operations are continuing for the missing.
The large-scale emergency response includes 223 rescue officials, 205 doctors, 260 paramedical staff, 400 police personnel, 300 civil defence volunteers and three army battalions. Heavy machinery has been deployed, including 10 excavators, 22 tractors, 10 dewatering pumps, five water bowsers and 10 bulldozers.
Relief teams are providing food supplies, medical care, tents, blankets and mattresses to displaced families. Road clearance operations have already restored six kilometres of the Pir Baba road and 3.5 kilometres of the Gokand road. Debris has been removed from 15 separate landslide-hit sites. Relief emergencies have been declared not only in Buner but also in seven other flood-affected districts.
Chief Minister Gandapur praised the timely response of provincial institutions and the district administration, calling their work “commendable”. He directed civil authorities to demonstrate the same commitment during rehabilitation and warned that no effort should be spared.
“The provincial government will compensate all losses, ensure immediate payments to families of the deceased and the injured, and prioritise the restoration of damaged infrastructure,” Gandapur said. He announced that 1.5bn rupees had already been released for relief efforts.
The chief minister added that the provincial government would ensure abundant availability of food, medicines and other essential items for the flood victims. “We will not leave the victims of the Buner floods alone in this difficult hour. Their rehabilitation and resettlement remain our top priority,” he said.
Gandapur expressed gratitude to the prime minister and all provincial chief ministers for extending their cooperation and solidarity during what he described as a “testing time” for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
