Angelina Jolie nudges world to ‘do more’ to help Pakistan flood affectees

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie who is currently on Pakistan visit to show solidarity and support for the flood victims visited National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) on Thursday.

The humanitarian activist has come to Pakistan on Sept 20 to divert world’s attention towards the large-scale destruction wreaked by recent monstrous floods which has put almost one-third of the country underwater.

Deputy Chairman NFRCC Ahsan Iqbal welcomed Jolie and thanked her for visiting Pakistan during the most catastrophic floods in the history of Pakistan.

The Hollywood star who is a special UN envoy for refugees and had previously been in Pakistan as a special UN envoy after a deadly 2005 earthquake and after flooding in 2010, was briefed about flood response and measures taken thus far.

Jolie said she was deeply moved to see people’s suffering during her yesterday’s visit to Dadu in Sindh province where she met flood victims. She said that she was with flood affected people and would make her efforts to let the world know the ‘scale of devastation these climate changes have done and the life saving support they need.’

The US star was impressed by the Pakistan Army which was busy round-the-clock in the relief activities.

Whatever relief activities I have seen, they are being provided by the Pakistan Army, Jolie said adding that the Army men were saving people’s lives.

She, however, said that the people whose lives had been saved, they still were not safe. “The destruction which I have seen, the world has no idea of it,” she maintained.

She was of the view that if the world help didn’t reach in next few weeks, then these people could not survive. She said she had not seen such a large destruction in her entire live. She said that the affectees needed food, shelter and medical facilities on urgent basis.

Last time when I came here, I found Pakistanis hosting Afghan people, but today they have been confronting themselves with an enormous natural calamity, Jolie said urging the world to ‘do more’ to help the Pakistan flood affectees.

The world must take cognizance of the Pakistan situation as this is matter of life and death of millions of people, she added.

She regretted that the countries which were less responsible to contribute to climate change, they were bearing the brunt of global warming most.

She said her heart was with the people facing this calamity and she expressed her resolve to visit Pakistan again and again to extend help to the flood affectees here.