Decision taken after provinces’ requisition for deployment in flooded areas.

ISLAMABAD    -   The federal government on Fri­day approved deployment of Pa­kistan Army troops throughout the four provinces of the coun­try to assist the civilian govern­ments to cope with the human­itarian crisis and emergency situation that emerged as a re­sult of the rain-induced floods.

The interior ministry has for­mally notified the deployment under the Article 245 of the Con­stitution.

The deployment was made af­ter all four provinces includ­ing Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan had sent requisition to the min­istry for deployment of troops in their respective flood-affect­ed areas.

The Article 245 pertains to functions of Armed Forces, which says that the “Armed Forc­es shall, under the directions of the Federal Government, defend Pakistan against external ag­subject to law, act in aid of civil power when called upon to do so.”

Pakistan Army is be­ing deployed to help the ci­vilian governments in re­lief and rescue operations in flood-affected areas of all the four provinces un­der the Constitution; Interi­or Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan was quoted as saying this by the Ministry of Inte­rior in the statement issued here yesterday. The minister said that the Punjab govern­ment had requested for de­ployment of Army to help it in flood-affected areas of district Dera Ghazi Khan while KP had requisitioned the troops for deployment in district Dera Ismail Khan.

He further said that the pro­vincial government in Baloch­istan had asked for deploy­ment of Army in its various districts including Naseer­abad, Jhal Magsi, Sohbatpur, Jafarabad and Lasbela while the Sindh government had asked for deployment in all its flood-affected areas.

Rana Sanaullah said that the situation of floods was being continuously moni­tored at a control room es­tablished by the interior ministry. “We will not leave alone the flood-affected peo­ple at any cost,” he said, add­ing that saving human lives was the top property of the coalition government. He concluded that the feder­al government was provid­ing all necessary resources and funds to the provinces to help them to cope with the climate-induced disas­ter, subject to law, act in aid of civil power when called upon to do so.”