The Awami Development Organization, a representative body of international non-governmental welfare organizations active in Pakistan, has been continuously engaged in a series of initiatives for flood-affected victims, starting from the devastating floods of 2010 up to the floods of 2025, in collaboration with global aid agencies. Following the completion of major welfare projects in Jalalpur Pirwala in Multan, and in the Ahmedpur Sial and Shorkot tehsils of Jhang, the organization has now initiated the distribution of rations in areas of Kabirwala tehsil, Khanewal, where an emergency situation arose due to unprecedented flooding. This effort is being carried out in partnership with international non-governmental organizations, UNOCHA, and APHF.

Recently, kitchen sets and winter kits were distributed in the town of Faqir Sial, Kabirwala tehsil. The event was hosted by CEO of Awami Development Organization, Mehr Tufail Loohanch, and locally supported by Program Organizer Mehr Irfan Sial. The chief guest, Assistant Commissioner Kabirwala, Rana Amir Liaqat, stated in his address that the efforts of the Awami Development Organization for flood victims are commendable, providing solace to 250 flood victims and the distressed public. He particularly thanked the compassionate benefactors present, Mehr Tufail Loohanch, and the media representatives who took time out from their busy schedules.

The 2025 flood was the worst in history, especially impacting Union Councils Kund Sargana, Ghag Bagh, Kot Islam, and Haveli Koranga, which suffered the most. Out of the 260 villages in Kabirwala tehsil, 122 were severely affected by the flood, inundating over one hundred thousand acres of land. Our population was affected, but the damage to the aforementioned Union Councils was far greater than in other Union Councils. However, we salute the resilience, courage, and hard work of the victims in this hour of crisis. It is not an easy task to leave your homes, to have your crops destroyed, and to relocate your livestock. Leaving one’s home is the most difficult. We are well aware of the devastation in Faqir Sial and its surrounding villages; when the floodwaters were at their peak in the early days of September, all land routes were cut off.

The situation where we stand today was even more dire, and evacuations were being carried out by boat. The Punjab government continued to supply rations to the affected areas to a large extent, but reaching aid where there were no land routes presented a significant challenge. However, your hosts have not abandoned the victims from the flood days until today; their assistance has continued. We are grateful to Mehr Tufail Loohanch and the Awami Development Organization for arranging kitchen sets, winter kits, and rations for a large number of victims, and we commend the efforts of Mian Irfan Haider Sial Faqir. At this event, Chief Executive Officer of Awami Development Organization, Mehr Tufail Loohanch, stated in his address that he is extremely grateful to Rana Amir Liaqat, Assistant Commissioner, Kabirwala tehsil, for taking the time to be with us.

Your presence here today brings joy to the faces of the people sitting in this gathering, signifying that the district administration shares in their sorrow and pain during this difficult time. Also present at the event were Mian Khizr Hayat Sial Faqir, Mian Irfan Haider Sial Faqir, Mian Rizwan Haider Sial Faqir, Mian Qayyum Sial Faqir, Mian Mustafa Sial Faqir, and a personality who unfortunately had to leave due to an unavoidable commitment, Mian Nasir Mehdi Sial Faqir, whose cooperation was invaluable at every step when we were working for flood victims in Ahmedpur Sial and Shorkot tehsils of Jhang district.

Additionally, I am grateful to Mehr Tariq Mehmood Sial, Deputy District Officer Prosecution, Shorkot tehsil, who is seated on the stage. The Awami Development Organization has been engaged in various human welfare activities in different districts of Pakistan for the past 35 years. Alongside our other development work, our performance in various projects across different districts of Pakistan over the past 35 years stands as a testament to our capabilities in any emergency situation. In times of any disaster, flood, or emergency, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers and sisters, and today we stand with the flood-affected residents.

We are also grateful to Assistant Commissioner Kabirwala, Rana Amir Liaqat, for his special cooperation, and to Program Organizer Mian Irfan Haider Sial Faqir, his brother Mian Nasir Sial Faqir, Mian Rizwan Haider Sial Faqir, Mian Qayyum Sial Faqir, and Mian Mustafa Sial Faqir for their assistance in organizing the program. He also paid tribute to his team members, Shamon Khan, Qasim, and Shahid Qureshi. He expressed gratitude to Mian Nasir Sial Faqir for his consistent support. Renowned political leader Haji Ahmed Nawaz Haraj also attended the event. It is a fact that the Awami Development Organization entered the field at a time when over thirty-three million people were severely affected by the recent devastating floods in Pakistan, and approximately sixty lakh people required immediate assistance.

The United Nations agency UNOCHA provided special support, along with the cooperation and partnership of APHF. However, observers suggest that despite an effective network of international relief organizations in the country, international aid agencies should demonstrate the enthusiasm for providing direct aid to Pakistan that is usually seen. In 2025, various regions of Pakistan faced the most severe floods and unprecedented rainfall in the country’s history, causing severe damage to infrastructure in a total of 112 districts across all four provinces, as well as in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, resulting in over a thousand fatalities. According to initial estimates, there is still a significant gap in aid required for the damages caused by the floods in Pakistan, particularly for the reconstruction of houses.

A large number of people in Ahmedpur, Shorkot tehsils of Jhang, and Kabirwala tehsil of Khanewal are still deprived of adequate shelter. This requires not only coordinated efforts for the restoration of housing for these individuals but also the involvement of international aid agencies. M.R. Malik, a member of Amnesty International, stated that the mechanism established by the Awami Development Organization for immediate action in Jalalpur Pirwala, Multan district, Ahmedpur Sial and Shorkot tehsils of Jhang district, and now in Kabirwala tehsil of Khanewal district, is rarely seen.