SWAT: The district administration in Swat on Sunday initiated a large-scale operation to remove illegal constructions built along the Swat River.
The move comes after a recent Swat tragedy in which 17 people went missing after being swept away by a sudden rise in the river’s water level while picnicking near the riverbank.
The fatalities in the incident on Sunday rose to 12 after the body of a child was recovered from the river in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to Rescue 1122 Swat, the child’s body, swept away by floodwaters in the Swat River, was found downstream in another district.
Meanwhile, the restaurant owners staged a protest on the Fizagat Bypass Road against the anti-encroachment operation and blocked traffic.
The protesters accused the authorities of discrimination against smaller businesses, claiming powerful hotel owners have been spared while their modest establishments were reduced to rubble.
“We have valid court documents,” said one protester. “Yet our hotels were razed without any legal notice. This is a blatant injustice.”
Amid the protests, police arrested three individuals accused of obstructing the anti-encroachment drive.
However, the district administration said that the drive will continue at all costs to prevent further disasters.
Furthermore, at least 20 people have been killed across KP amid heavy rainfall and landslides, according to a report by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The PDMA report confirmed that another 10 people were injured due to rain and flooding, while over 50 homes in Swat were partially damaged and six destroyed.
Fatalities were also reported in Swat, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Charsadda, Malakand and Shangla.
Separately, speaking to the media in Daska, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expressed deep sorrow over the Swat tragedy, terming the rescue operation as a “breakdown.”
“Children were washed away in front of their parents. This is not just a natural disaster, it’s a failure of preparedness,” he said.
“Rescue teams came empty-handed… no preventative measures were in place,” the defence minister claimed.
Meanwhile, adviser to the chief minister on information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif accused Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz of politicising the tragedy. “While she criticises Ali Amin Gandapur, the healthcare crisis in Punjab is being ignored,” he claimed.
He praised KP CM for promptly suspending six officials over their alleged negligence during the floods.
