Landlords diverted flood-waters into villages: Pak Ambassador
Wealthy Pakistani landowners diverted flood waters away from their properties into unprotected villages as the nation suffered its worst ever deluge, the country's Ambassador to UN has alleged.
Wealthy Pakistani landowners diverted flood waters away from their properties into unprotected villages as the nation suffered its worst ever deluge, the country's Ambassador to UN has alleged.
Calling for an enquiry, Abdullah Hussain Haroon said there was evidence the landowners had connived to burst embankments to protect their standing commercial crops and diverted the swelling waters to unprotected villages.
"Over the years, one has seen with the lack of floods, those areas normally set aside for floods have come under irrigation of the powerful and rich," Haroon told the BBC's HardTalk programme.
"It is suggested in some areas, those to be protected were allowed, had allowed, levies to be burst on opposite sides to take the water away. If that is happening the government should be enquiring."
His comments come as allegations have surfaced that prominent land-owners including PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif had got flood waters diverted from their land holdings.
The unprecedented floods submerged nearly one-fifth of the country claiming more than 1,760 lives and affecting about 17 million people.
More than 3.6 million hectares of productive land were also submerged by the floods.