Special relief camp by Pakistan Army in the Cholistan

On the one hand, the intensity of the heat, along with the drought, this year has broken all the records of the past. By the way, both Punjab and Sindh provinces are in the grip of heat but the people living in the Cholistan are worst affected by this change of weather. Where thousands of families were displaced in search of water, thousands of their animals died of thirst. It is hot every year but this year the lack of rain has set a new record. Thus the drought took the form of a natural disaster for the people of Cholistan. In this situation, under the influence of public outcry and newspaper reports, the provincial government and the district administration of Bahawalpur, after filling a few dry tobas in the Cholistan, considered that they had done their duty. The tobas they filled with bowsers were a joke with the locals. In addition to stomach ailments, the increasing incidence of "heatstroke" became a separate test for Cholistanis. These incidents were taken seriously by the Pakistan Army and immediately Army medical relief camps were set up at various places in the Cholistan, special shelters were set up to provide shelter to the cows and buffaloes and special arrangements were made for the supply of clean water. After filling the tobas with water, they were allotted only to quench the thirst of the animals. This was the first time that the Pakistan Army had provided clean drinking water to the people of Cholistan to control the spread of stomach ailments. Separate treatment centres were set up for sick animals. Surprisingly, much attention was paid to the advertisement of this work in the newspapers more than the amount of water delivered there by the district administration but similar measures were taken by the Pakistan Army in the Cholistan during the last 2 weeks. Neither the NGOs , the government has appreciated the services of Pak Army in which medical facilities have been set up and separate water supply arrangements have been made for the people and their animals in remote areas nor did our media pay attention to it.

While the affected people of Cholistan on social media do not tire of praying to the Pakistan Army for the assistance provided by the Pakistan Army in this emergency situation for the first time in history to provide clean drinking water to the people of Cholistan.

This is the first time that the Pakistan Army has set up Army Relief Centers in Cholistan from May 24, 2022, to the most remote areas of Cholistan where medical aid, food and water supply to the people and "livestock" continued. According to the information received, by June 1, 2022, the Pakistan Army had provided 300,000 litres of clean water to the people in these areas. Medical centres treated 4,500 patients and provided free medicine. In addition to distributing more than a thousand bags of flour and rice, 3,000 packets of ghee, pulses and food were distributed. As far as livestock is concerned, from May 24 to June 1, in addition to vaccinating 2500 animals, medicines were also provided to them. Shaded shelters for animals provided shelter to more than 7,000 animals. This series of services to the people of Cholistan by the Pakistan Army is still going on. Pak Army has started working on a project together, apart from installing tube wells there, plans are being made to install hand pumps, on which work will be started soon. In order to bring about a revolution in the Cholistan in the form of tree planting, it will be possible to reduce the heat and drought there in the future. Providing water is a daunting task. However, if the Pakistan Army has embarked on this campaign, it will surely complete it.

    Not only in the Cholistan but in most of the cities of Punjab including Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Okara, Sahiwal, Pasrur, Shakargarh, Kasur, Sialkot, Zafarwal, Marala, Daska, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Mailsi, Medical centres have been set up in all these cities to provide immediate medical aid to heat-stricken patients, where dozens of "heatstroke" patients are being provided free medical treatment. 

All of these centres have medical staff at all times, including essential medicines, who provide immediate medical assistance to the patient in case of fever or "heatstroke". These medical centres have beds to treat six to eight patients at a time. The fame of the Pakistan Army's special measures for heat stroke patients in this hot summer season has also reached the international media presenting the Pakistan Army as a great facility for the public. It is a global recognition that the Pakistan Army is always at the forefront of protecting and serving the people during all kinds of natural disasters. The Pakistan Army had also played a significant role in controlling the recent fire in the Sherani area of ​​Balochistan and saving the orchards of Chilgoza. However, it is the responsibility of the provincial governments to be equipped with the necessary equipment, machinery and experienced manpower to protect the people from loss of life and property in an emergency situation. But unfortunately, on the one hand, there is a lack of intentions and on the other hand, such measures have never been among the priorities of our political elite. That is why, whether it is floods, torrential rains, earthquakes, or new natural disasters in the form of extreme heat, our political governments, like in the past, still look helpless or unconcerned about the problems of the public.

Urdu Copy

Written by Khalid Baig,

Published in Daily Nawa-i-Waqt,

Date:06 June 2022.