(BBC) - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has cancelled a trip to next week's UN General Assembly in New York because of floods in Sindh province.
His office said he was staying in the country to direct relief efforts.
 |
| Badin, -, PAKISTAN : Pakistani flood-affected children shelter underneath charpoys and a tarp in Badin on September 16, 2011. The United Nations said that it was stepping up aid to Pakistan, where monsoon floods have killed 270 people, affected over 5.5 million others and destroyed 1.1 million homes. AFP |
Pakistani leaders were accused of neglecting victims of floods that swept the country last year and are accused of being slow to respond once again.
This year about six million people have been affected so far, with fears some areas will remain submerged for months.
Aid agencies are again warning of a disaster and have launched emergency appeals. At least 269 people are already confirmed to have died.
The authorities are accused of being months behind schedule in repairing dams and embankments damaged by last year's floods.
'We're worried'
Mr Gilani has been in Iran in recent days, while President Asif Ali Zardari flew to London last week on a private visit.
The prime minister's office now says he "will visit flood-affected areas and supervise relief efforts".
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will address the General Assembly in his place.
President Zardari was heavily criticised for visiting the UK in August 2010 when Pakistan was hit by its worst floods in living memory.
And although he and Mr Gilani visited areas flooded by monsoon rains earlier this month, there is growing criticism that the government is not doing enough.
The destruction in Sindh province is once again on a massive scale.
Thousands of refugees are streaming to Karachi, Hyderabad and other urban areas unaffected by the floods.
More than two million people are suffering from flood-related diseases following the torrential rain, aid officials say. Cases of malaria and diarrhoea are increasing.
At least 7,000 people are being treated for snake bites. |
E-mail
