UAE sends more aid to support Pakistan flood victims

The UAE has dispatched additional humanitarian aid to support those affected by the recent floods in Pakistan.

Ships carrying 200 containers of food and medical supplies recently arrived in Karachi that will benefit more than 500,000 families.

Hamad Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, accompanied by Bakheet Ateeq Al Rumaithi, UAE Consul-General in Karachi, attended the event commemorating the arrival of the ships.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, was also present.

During the event, Al Zaabi said that the UAE, under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was among the first countries to help Pakistan through the crisis by dispatching an air bridge comprising 62 planes.

International humanitarian aid and solidarity are key pillars of the country’s foreign policy, he added, noting that the UAE Embassy in Islamabad and the UAE Consulate in Karachi have established an action plan and clear strategy since the start of the floods in coordination with its partners.

Field teams have reached thousands of families in 17 affected areas in Sindh Province, as well as 10 areas in Balochistan.

Emirati charity and humanitarian foundations, most notably the Emirates Red Crescent, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, and Sharjah Charity International have been present on the ground since the start of the crisis.

"The aid provided by the UAE to Sindh and Balochistan provinces are part of its urgent relief efforts, underscoring the country’s approach to supporting affected communities around the world through relief and humanitarian programmes," said Al Zaabi.

For his part, Minister Bhutto Zardari lauded the UAE’s support for people suffering from dire conditions.

He also thanked the UAE’s leadership for continuously supporting the Pakistani people, highlighting the historic and deep-rooted relations between the two countries that were established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.