Staff Report
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari has announced that the provincial government will introduce a Chief Minister’s Relief Card to assist flood victims, ensuring a dignified process where no one has to wait in lines.
Addressing a press conference at DGPR, she said the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was created under a law, but “politics should not be done on everything.” She emphasized that Punjab’s Chief Minister and her team are actively present on the ground, personally supervising relief operations.
“The Chief Minister worked like a laborer in the flood-hit areas, sitting with people and listening to their sorrows. I have not seen any CM so emotionally connected to the public,” she said. Paying tribute to officials who lost their lives during rescue and relief efforts, she mentioned PDMA officer Abdul Rehman and Pattoki AC Farhan Ahmed, both of whom died in the line of duty.
Bukhari detailed the scale of devastation: 7,794 villages across Punjab were affected, impacting 2.6 million people and 2.1 million livestock. The floods, which began around August 25–26, are still ongoing. Initial surveys show 5.9 million people were affected by in-side flooding, while 1.6 million were impacted by out-side flooding. Three rivers overflowed, hitting 27 cities, while 2,213 relief teams are currently engaged in the field.
“The Chief Minister of Punjab and her team have proven their commitment to the people by being present everywhere floods have struck. This new style of governance shows sincerity and service, while critics only indulge in slander,” the Information Minister concluded.
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