Death toll from Pakistan floods near 1,100 as international aid trickles in
Islamabad, Aug 29: The death toll from the devastating floods in Pakistan neared 1,100 on Monday, as international aid began trickling in following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led cash-strapped government's desperate appeal for aid to deal with the crisis that has displaced 33 million or one-seventh of the country's population.
Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman called it the "monster monsoon of the decade," while Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the floods have impacted Pakistan's economy by USD 10 billion.
At least 1,061 are dead and 1,575 injured, according to the latest data issued on Monday by the National Disaster Management Authority, the chief national organisation tasked to deal with natural calamities.
It said that about 992,871 houses were totally or partially damaged, leaving millions without access to food, clean drinking water and shelter.
Around 7,19,558 livestock are also dead, as millions of acres of fertile farmlands have been inundated by weeks of constant rains.
At least 11 people, including women and a child, were drowned and several others remained missing when a boat carrying 30 flood victims capsized in the swollen Indus river in Sindh's Sehwan on Monday. The incident happened when the people affected by the floods were migrating from submerged villages to a safer location.
A senior police official said that Sindh police officials along with the Pakistan Navy rescued seven people while the search for the remaining missing victims is underway.
Officials said the final death toll due to floods could be much higher, a grim forecast as thousands of villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province remain cut off from the rest of the country as swollen rivers destroyed roads and bridges, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.
Pakistan's Energy Ministry said that restoration of power in Sindh and Balochistan provinces remained top priority, Geo TV reported.
Unable to cope with one of the worst catastrophes, Pakistan sought international help and the world has responded, with humanitarian assistance and solidarity messages coming from several countries.
Citing an aide to Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, the BBC said the country was desperate for international support.
"Pakistan has been grappling with economic issues, but now just when we were about to overcome them the monsoon disaster hit," Salman Sufi said, adding that funding from a lot of development projects had been rerouted to the affected people.
The US, UK, UAE and others have contributed to a disaster appeal, but more funds are needed, officials here say.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was saddened to see the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan and hoped for an early restoration of normalcy.
"Saddened to see the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by this natural calamity and hope for an early restoration of normalcy," Modi said in a tweet.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi. Separately, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a message of condolence to Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif.
After the floods struck, China responded immediately, and will continue to provide urgently needed assistance to Pakistan and support the country in its disaster relief work, Xi said.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth said she was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and property in Pakistan due to the floods, asserting that the UK stands in solidarity with the country.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it's heartbreaking to see the continuing devastation wrought by the floods in Pakistan. "My thoughts go to the victims and those helping with an heroic relief effort. The United Kingdom is sending support and continues to stand by the people of Pakistan in their hour of need," he tweeted.
Pope Francis on Sunday exhorted the international community to help Pakistan, adding that he was praying for the victims.
Last week, the UN said it had earmarked 2.6 million pounds for relief measures in the country.
The first Turkish plane with relief goods for flood victims arrived on Sunday.
Similarly, the Turkish Red Crescent Society is providing cash assistance of Rs 16,000 and 300 kits, 600 jerry cans, and 1,500 mosquito nets to 300 families in Jafferabad.
Moreover, 100 tents and 1,000 blankets will be sent by air cargo along with humanitarian aid by the Ministry of Interior, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkiye said.
The first flight from the UAE, carrying over 3,000 tonnes of relief goods arrived at the PAF Base Nur Khan on Sunday.
At least 15 planeloads of relief goods from the UAE would land in the country in the coming days.
Qatar Charity, a humanitarian and development non-governmental organisation, has delivered aid to flood-affected Afghan refugees and the underprivileged members of the host community in Balochistan, in collaboration with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
The aid has benefited more than 9,000 Afghan refugees and individuals from the host community.
The Canadian government allocated USD 20,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for flood relief operations in Pakistan, Canada's International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said.
Canada is also a donor to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, which has allocated USD 3 million for flood response.
France Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Sunday offered condolences on the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan and offered assistance during a telephone call with her counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Bilawal thanked her for France's expression of solidarity and offer of assistance to Pakistani people in this hour of need".
The Pakistan government had been trying to reach out to the affected people by providing essential food items and shelters.
Prime Minister Sharif plans to visit affected areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited flood-hit areas in Sindh's Khairpur Qambar-Shadadkot areas.
The annual monsoon, which began on June 14, is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but it can also bring destruction.
This year more than double than usual rainfall has been recorded, according to official estimates.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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