Zardari visits flood zone

President comforts victims:

PAKISTAN: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari tried to comfort victims of devastating floods Thursday on his first visit to the area after criticism of his trips abroad and his government’s perceived slack response.

The floods, triggered by torrential monsoon downpours, have swamped Pakistan’s Indus river basin, killing more than 1,600 people, forcing two million from their homes and disrupting the lives of about 14 million people, or 8 percent of the population.

The deluge, which began two weeks ago, has caused extensive damage to the country’s main crops, agriculture officials said, after the United Nations appealed for $459 million in emergency aid and warned of a wave of deaths if help failed to arrive. “We have a huge task in front of us,” John Holmes, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement. “If we don’t act fast enough, many more people could die of diseases and food shortages.” The International Monetary Fund has warned of major economic harm and the Finance Ministry said the country would miss this year’s 4.5 percent gross domestic product growth target though it was unclear by how much.

Wheat, cotton and sugar crops have all suffered damage. Agriculture is a mainstay of the economy and the United Nations has estimated rehabilitation will cost billions of dollars.

Zardari, widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, set off on a much-criticised trip to meet the leaders of Britain and France as the floods were beginning.

Two days after returning home, he flew to the city of Sukkur on the banks of the swollen Indus river in the southern province of Sindh to inspect the destruction and aid efforts.

SUKKUR, Friday, Reuters