Islamabad: Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) leadership held a meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to discuss the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Pakistan’s Merged Areas, with particular focus on district Kurram and the Tirah Valley.

The meeting took place at the PRCS National Headquarters, where PRCS Chairperson Farzhana Naek met with ICRC Head of Delegation in Pakistan Christoph Sutter to review the emerging challenges and urgent humanitarian needs of affected communities.

During the discussion, the PRCS chairperson highlighted that the fragile and sensitive nature of the Merged Areas requires immediate, well-coordinated humanitarian intervention. She stressed that communities in Kurram and Tirah Valley are facing increasing vulnerabilities and emphasized the importance of timely assistance to address their basic needs. Farzhana Naek also reaffirmed the value of PRCS’s long-standing partnership with the ICRC in responding to humanitarian crises across the country.

The ICRC head of delegation reiterated the organization’s commitment to further strengthening its collaboration with PRCS. Christoph Sutter expressed the ICRC’s readiness to support PRCS in responding to the evolving humanitarian situation in Tirah district and Kurram Valley. He affirmed continued assistance to the PRCS Merged Areas Branch through the PRCS National Headquarters to ensure an effective and coordinated response.

He also commended PRCS for the deployment of National Disaster Response Teams (NDRTs) to the affected areas, describing the move as timely, proactive, and essential in addressing urgent humanitarian needs on the ground.

The meeting concluded with a joint commitment by PRCS and ICRC to enhance coordination and partnership efforts, emphasizing their shared responsibility to provide timely and life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities across Pakistan.