Two Chinese relief flights carrying 300 tents and 9,000 blankets landed at Nur Khan Air Base, Rawalpindi, on Sunday to assist families affected by the recent floods. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) described the aid as a reflection of China’s enduring solidarity and friendship with Pakistan in times of crisis.
Federal Minister for Communications Amir Muqam, who received the consignment along with NDMA Chairman Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik and Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, expressed deep gratitude to Beijing for its timely humanitarian support. He noted that the aid would provide much-needed relief to thousands of families struggling with displacement and loss.
The NDMA said the assistance will strengthen ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations, particularly in Punjab, which has been severely hit by heavy monsoon rains and excess water released by Indian dams. Since late August, floods have killed more than 130 people in Punjab alone, damaged vast agricultural land, and displaced millions nationwide.
China’s latest contribution follows its earlier pledge of $14 million in humanitarian goods and $2 million in emergency cash assistance to Islamabad. Officials stressed that the aid is not only a humanitarian gesture but also a reaffirmation of the long-standing Pakistan-China partnership, often described as “higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the ocean, and stronger than steel.”
Pakistan’s government, with NDMA leading relief operations, is mobilising all available resources to expedite recovery efforts, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed a comprehensive damage assessment report to be completed soon.
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