PRIME Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has assured flood victims of full support…. During meetings with the people and speaking on different occasions, the prime minister correctly said that it is the government’s duty to extend full support to needy people, particularly those hit hard by flash floods in different parts of the country. …Mobile teams of the National Database Registration Authority will visit parts of the affected localities, mainly in Rajanpur, to facilitate people. …[T]he prime minister said that the government is taking all steps possible for the wellbeing of the people … without seeking support from other countries.

It is worthy of appreciation that the government has devised a plan to take precautionary measures for the protection of people in case of floods in future and that facilities will be provided on the basis of merit, irrespective of their political affiliations…. The prime minister said that his party was determined to bring about positive change in the people’s lives. … The PPP, he claimed, was the largest political party that has roots in the masses equally in all the four provinces, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the federal capital. That is why it was the only hope of the common people. He urged his party workers to serve the masses and start preparations for mustering public support in the next general elections….

The flood victims are in dire need of government support almost in all the low-lying areas. The rulers are duty-bound to play their role in facilitating people and minimising their agonies. The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also faced numerous problems due to the flash floods of 2010. Many of them are still waiting for official support. Many of the bridges, culverts and other infrastructure are yet to be given proper attention.—(Sept 25)

Selected and translated by Ali Hazrat Bacha.