DADU: Over one thousand villages and five lakh acres of agricultural land have been damaged by floods in Dadu and Larkana districts. A ... correspondent, who visited the flood-affected areas, says thousands of people have been rendered homeless and seven lakh acres under the rice crop have been damaged. The correspondent also says that some 20 breaches have occurred in the Main Nara Valley Drain.

[Meanwhile, as reported by the staff reporter,] Pakistan will pay over Rs 31 crore as interest on IMF drawings alone during the current fiscal year, according to official figures. This is three times more the amount that Pakistan paid as interest to the IMF during the year ending June 1975.

Officials said the increase ... related to anticipated additional drawings from the IMF under the oil facility programme. They pointed out that Pakistan would have to make additional drawings during the current year to the extent of 76 million SDRs, equivalent to US dollars 90 million, to meet its balance of payments problems. Besides, Pakistan will have to pay 101 crores as interest on foreign loans during the year. This excludes an amount of Rs 8 crore to be paid as interest for food credits.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2025