Speaking in the National Assembly, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the flood disasters facing Pakistan are not the result of any natural disaster but are a manifestation of the wrong policies of the people and the elite. He said that houses, hotels and housing schemes were built by occupying the natural channels of rivers and rainwater drains, which ensured large-scale damage in the recent rains.
The Defense Minister said that storm drains in Sialkot were filled with pollution and many areas were flooded due to heavy rains. According to him, construction on waterways in many parts of the country, including Swat, made natural disasters more devastating.
He said that politicians squandered public resources and only repaired the roads from the top and put up pictures, but in reality the infrastructure was unstable. The people themselves exposed these fraudulent projects.
Khawaja Asif stressed that instead of wasting time waiting for big dams, small dams should be built immediately to conserve water. According to him, there should be no politics on national issues, but practical steps should be taken with solidarity.
The current situation in Pakistan requires that sustainable plans be made to prevent natural disasters instead of temporary statements. If illegal encroachment on river lands and reckless constructions are not stopped, new disasters will become our destiny every year.
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