Pakistan has sent an urban search and rescue team to cyclone-affected Sri Lanka, where severe flooding and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah They have claimed more than 400 lives.
According Radio PakistanA Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying a 47-member team along with 6.5 tonnes of essential equipment left to participate in humanitarian and rescue efforts.
Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad to bid farewell to aid on Wednesday morning, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said the urban search and rescue team was being sent to help people affected by the cyclone in Sri Lanka.
He stated that Pakistan and its government stood in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. The NDMA president further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had extended “all support” to help those affected.
“Pakistan has committed all its support since November 28, when the cyclone hit Sri Lanka,” he said. He said a Pakistan Navy ship in the area was immediately tasked to stay with the Sri Lankan government and evacuate people stranded in the rains.
The NDMA president said Cyclone Ditwah was “unfortunate and unprecedented” because a decrease in the number of hurricanes had previously been observed in the South Pacific, and more cyclone-related activity was observed in the southern Indian Ocean and southern Arabian Sea.
He said the urban search and rescue team sent for assistance was a “very competent military team” that also had experience in being a key search and rescue partner for other teams in the recent past. He said the team will remain on the field as long as necessary.
Malik said the government had also yesterday sent 200 tonnes of cargo assistance to Sri Lanka that would leave Karachi on a commercial container ship.
“The prime minister has also promised additional support from Pakistan if required,” he added.
Malik also said that climate change threatened “all nations equally,” and stated that now was the time to “gather global knowledge” on early warning systems.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also spoke at the press conference and expressed his “deepest condolences” to Sri Lanka on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan.
He added that another shipment of aid would be sent from Lahore, where planes from Sri Lanka would arrive, and an additional shipment from Karachi.
“Everything possible will be done for the government of Pakistan,” said the Sri Lankan ambassador, who was also present at the ceremony.
“We are with you in these trying times,” he said.
The development comes a day after the Foreign Office (FO) said India was preventing humanitarian assistance from being sent to Sri Lanka by air, prompting Islamabad to send aid by sea to the South Asian island.
A statement issued by Pakistan’s High Commission in Sri Lanka also said Pakistani planes were awaiting clearance to fly and accused India of blocking the humanitarian aid operation through “mischief”.
He said that since Saturday, Pakistan Army and NDMA were ready for relief operations in Sri Lanka.
“However, for more than two days, Pakistan’s emergency relief mission, comprising C-130 aircraft carrying a fully equipped urban search and rescue team, field hospitals, highly trained sniffer dogs and nearly 200 tonnes of life-saving supplies, has remained stranded at Noor Khan Air Base in Islamabad due to delaying tactics deployed by India to grant flight clearance to C-130 aircraft,” it said.
Prime Minister orders full support for relief efforts
Yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz also chaired a meeting in Islamabad called to review relief activities in parts of Sri Lanka affected by Cyclone Ditwah, the state broadcaster reported. Radio Pakistan reported.
Detailing the details of the meeting, the report said that the Prime Minister directed the relevant authorities to provide full support to the ongoing relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
The report quoted Prime Minister Shehbaz as saying: “Pakistan will also play an important role in the restoration and rehabilitation of flood-affected areas of Sri Lanka after the search and rescue phase.”
He expressed regret over the loss of life due to the cyclone and said that “we stand with the government and people of Sri Lanka during this crisis,” according to the report.
He added that participants in the meeting were informed that an urban search and rescue team from Pakistan would depart for Sri Lanka on Wednesday (today), along with additional relief supplies to be sent via commercial sea vessels.
The meeting was also informed that Pakistan Navy ship Saif had participated in relief operations during its deployment to Sri Lanka. A helicopter aboard the Pakistan Navy ship rescued a family who had been stranded for five days, the report said.
He further stated that the meeting participants expressed their “resolve to continue providing relief and rescue assistance in Sri Lanka.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz also received a phone call on Tuesday night from Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
During the conversation, the Prime Minister expressed grief over the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka. He conveyed his condolences to the people and government of Sri Lanka, especially the families who lost their loved ones in the catastrophic floods and landslides that claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of people across the country.
The Sri Lankan President thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz for Pakistan’s expression of solidarity with his nation as well as the provision of humanitarian assistance. He appreciated that Pakistan was among the first countries to respond after the cyclone.
