Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed anguish at the loss of lives and property caused by the recent floods and offered assistance to Pakistan to tackle the disaster.
Expressing his grief over the loss of life and property on the Pakistani side of Line of Control, Modi offered assistance in relief work to Pakistan in a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, saying, “In this hour of need, I offer any assistance that you may need in the relief efforts that will be undertaken by the Government of Pakistan. Our resources are at your disposal wherever you need them.”
This humanitarian gesture by Modi comes against the backdrop of his visit to the disputed Kashmir valley, following the devastation caused by massive flooding in River Jhelum. Declaring the Jammu and Kashmir floods a “national level disaster”, Modi had called upon other states to pitch in relief assistance.
The Indian premier announced that Indian Rs 200,000 will be provided to the next of kin of each person killed in the calamity and Rs 50,000 would be provided to each grievously injured person.
“I visited some of the areas affected by unprecedented rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir today. The devastation caused by the record rains and the consequent flooding is unprecedented. There have been many deaths and heavy damage to property and infrastructure,” Modi’s letter added.
On the other hand, Pakistan also expressed deepest condolences over the loss of lives in India caused by torrential rains and flash floods and offered assistance to the Indian government in relief efforts.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “We also feel the pain of the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir and are ready to help in whatever way possible to mitigate the suffering of the people affected by the floods.”
