ISLAMABAD: At least two military personnel embraced martyrdom, while two others were injured during relief activities, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Wednesday.

Addressing a joint press conference with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chief Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, Gen Chaudhry said flood response units had already been mobilised in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

He said that around 28,000 people had been rescued during the operations.

NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Malik said that nearly 210,000 people had been safely evacuated from flood-affected regions, with no casualties reported.

Lt Gen Malik said new rainfall was forecast between Aug 29 and Sept 9, especially in catchment areas already inundated. Authorities in Punjab, KP, AJK and GB had been alerted, while downstream water flows were being monitored at Panjnad, Kotri and Guddu. Panjnad is expected to see a surge of 600,000 to 700,000 cusecs in the coming days.

The ISPR chief stressed that despite floods near the working boundary, army posts remained manned with “strict vigilance”, and none had been abandoned. He confirmed that two personnel had embraced martyrdom and two others sustained injuries during the relief efforts.

The military has established 29 medical camps in Punjab, KP, GB and AJK, providing treatment to over 20,700 people and distributing 225 tonnes of rations.

Army aviation had conducted 26 sorties. Three major bridges — two in KP and one in GB — had been repaired, while 104 roads were cleared in coordination with civil authorities. The Karakoram Highway is fully open, and the remaining routes in GB are expected to be cleared within 24 to 48 hours.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025