As devastating floods continue to disrupt lives in parts of Pakistan, defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif blamed India for the crisis and made a bizarre claim that the floodwaters flowing from across the border carried dead bodies into Pakistan.
Khawaja Asif made the claims during a visit to flood-hit areas in Sialkot when he told reporters that floodwaters flowing in from India brought with them corpses, livestock, and piles of debris, a Pakistani news portal, Dialogue Pakistan, reported
The minister further claimed that this had hampered the work of municipal teams trying to drain water from the region.
Asif said locals reported witnessing corpses swept across the border, pointing out that Sialkot lies downstream from water channels originating in Jammu, and regularly suffers flooding when water is released from the Indian side.
According to Khawaja Asif, India had twice informed Pakistan before releasing water into the rivers.
The comments have triggered a wave of criticism and ridicule across Pakistani social media, with many accusing the minister of diverting attention from his government’s failures in infrastructure and flood preparedness.
India issues flood warning to Pakistan
Earlier this week, India shared information about severe weather and possible heavy flooding with Pakistan out of concern for “public safety” as several cross-border rivers remain in spate, a person aware of the development told HT, requesting anonymity.
The bilateral Indus Waters Treaty, which India halted in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, continues to be in “abeyance” and no hydrological data are being exchanged under any mechanism of the pact, including the Indus Commission, the person said.
Pakistan floods: Over 800 killed, thousands displaced
The floods across Pakistan displaced nearly 250,000 people, and officials said more than 1 million people were affected. Crops and businesses were destroyed, and many were unable to leave their homes, AP reported.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, senior minister of Punjab province, said floods hit 1,432 villages located along the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers, affecting about 1.2 million people and displacing 248,000 others.
She said nearly 700 relief and 265 medical camps have been set up in the flood-hit areas, and food and other essential supplies are being delivered to them.
Floods have killed more than 800 people in Pakistan since late June.
According to the provincial irrigation department, this is also the first time in 38 years that the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers have been in high flood simultaneously in Pakistan, forcing rescue workers to intensify operations across multiple districts.
