ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal has assumed the charge of chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

On recommendations of the Minister of Defense and approval by the Federal Cabinet, the Establishment Division has issued the notification of the appointment of Lieutenant General Mohammad Afzal as Chairman NDMA.

He succeeds Lieutenant General Omar Mahmood Hayat who retired from the service last month.

General Afzal is an officer of the Engineers Crops of Pakistan Army and has served as Engineer-in-Chief at GHQs and as Chief Technical Adviser to Chief of the Army Staff. He has also served as director general Frontier Works Organization (FWO).

Lieutenant General Mohammad Afzal has a vast experience of various staff and command duties during over 35 years of his service.

NDMA is the lead agency at the federal level to deal with the whole spectrum of disaster management activities. It is the executive arm of the National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC) which has been established under the chairmanship of the prime minister as the apex policy making body in the field of disaster management.

In the event of a disaster, all stakeholders including government ministries, departments, organisations, Armed Forces, INGOs, NGOs, UN agencies work through and form part of the NDMA to conduct one window operations.

NDMA manages the whole Disaster Management Cycle (DMC) which includes preparedness, mitigation, risk reduction, relief and rehabilitation.

A National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) is prepared and is followed towards provision of better services to the affected ones.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2019