Govt wants to permanently resolve missing persons' issue: Ahsan Iqbal

KARACHI: The Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday deemed the issue of missing persons a challenge for the state and said that the government wants to permanently resolve the matter.

Speaking during an event in Karachi, the minister said that the Pakistan Movement was led through ballot and vote, but Ayub Khan brushed aside the movement.

“We have to decide if the Constitution holds supremacy in the country or a few classes,” Ahsan said, adding that Pakistan will not be strong if the economy isn’t.

Ahsan Iqbal urges nation to support flood victims

Earlier, the minister — who also heads National Flood Response Coordination Centre — visited the flood-hit areas in Sindh’s  Khairpur Nathan Shah tehsil where he stressed people to participate in the relief activities rather than engage in politics.

“It is the duty of every Pakistani who is spared from the ravages of floods to contribute to the rehabilitation of the victims,” he said, adding that children and women remain the most vulnerable due to food shortages.

Ahsan inquired about the difficulties being faced by the local administration, civil society, and the people residing across relief camps in the affected area.

Commenting on the loss incurred by Pakistan following flood devastations, he said that while Pakistan had faced more than $30 billion in losses due to the recent floods and torrential rains, the country’s economy was able to come out of the crisis.

He added that the foreign aid being received for flood victims could help stabilise the Pakistani Rupee.

The minister said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was dispatching emergency support and praised the services of civil administration, armed forces, and members of civil society for their relentless efforts to provide relief to victims.