Islamabad – Pakistan’s foreign minister on Sunday, appealed for financial help to deal with "overwhelming" floods.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis took the time to highlight the plight of tens of thousands of people in Pakistan who have been forced to flee their homes due to severe flooding, which has wreaked havoc on the country.

During the Angelus in L’Aquila on Sunday, Pope Francis appeals for the people of Pakistan hit by devastating flooding and prays for the people of Ukraine and all those who suffer because of war.

During the Angelus, he called the situation “a harsh calamity.”

“I want to assure the people of Pakistan, hit by a flood of disastrous proportions, of my closeness. I pray for the numerous victims, for the wounded and those forced from their homes, and that international solidarity might be prompt and generous.”

Climate change devastates country
Unusually heavy monsoon rains caused devastating floods in both the north and south of the country, affecting more than 30 million people and claiming more than 1,000 lives.

Image Courtesy: Dawn

The South Asian nation which is already in an economic crisis, facing high inflation, a depreciating currency and a current account deficit.

The IMF board will decide this week on whether to release $1.2 billion as part of the seventh and eighth tranches of Pakistan's bailout programme, which it entered in 2019.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said after relief efforts, the country would have to look at how to develop infrastructure that was more resistant to both floods and droughts and address the huge changes faced by the agriculture sector.
-VN/Reuters