Harjit Sajjan, Canadian minister, visits flood-stricken Chitral

Harjit Sajjan, Canadian minister, visits flood-stricken Chitral

Harjit Sajjan, the Minister of International Development for Canada, visited flood-affected communities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district of Chitral. He underlined that Canada supports Pakistan’s immediate need for assistance and rehabilitation.

He was accompanied by Wendy Christine Gilmour, High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan, Iqra Khalid, Member of Parliament of Canada, Hafiz Sherali, President of the Ismaili Council for Pakistan, and Akhtar Iqbal, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan.

The Canadian minister engaged with the locals in Chitral and watched the flood response and early recovery efforts of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in areas that were severely damaged.

Over 9000 individuals were evacuated from the flood-affected areas by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), the principal response organization for the AKDN. Since the flooding started, the organization has given food packages to more than 4000 people. Over 50,000 patients have been treated in medical camps established by the AKAH in Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Harjit Sajjan, Canadian minister, travels to flood-stricken Chitral

Harjit Sajjan also went to Brep, a Chitral village that had experienced flooding. He visited regions where AKDN agencies are implementing the current Global Affairs Canada (GAC) supported programmes of Broadening Economic and Social Transformation for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Recovery (BEST4WEER), Foundations for Health and Empowerment (F4HE), and SehatmandKhandaan (SMK). He had discussions about climate change resilience, youth employment, and women’s empowerment.

Pakistan and Canada have had a long-standing friendship. The Canadian government has voiced its worry at this critical juncture and pledged to help the nation’s rescue efforts.

No nation can be ready for a climate emergency of this magnitude, according to a statement from the Canadian minister. He claimed that Pakistan is receiving assistance from his nation for immediate relief and rehabilitation efforts.