The Nation, Aug 11
ISLAMABAD – Though President Asif Ali Zardari sought briefing on both the Karachi security and flood situations as soon as he reached back from Europe, he will be off again within next fortnight to another visit abroad leaving entire criticism apart.
Foreign Office sources told The Nation that the President would go to Russia for attending a quadrilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan scheduled to be held on August 18. “Basically, it is a multilateral one-day event but the President would certainly hold bilateral meetings with his counterpart and other relevant Russian functionaries,” the sources added.
When contacted President’s Spokesman Farhatullah Babar confirmed saying, “Yes, you can give out this news that the President would visit Russia after a week or so,” making it clear there would no postponement due to the floods. Though he had yet to get details of the visit but he thought it was a bilateral event.
Irrespective of the hype of criticism on visits abroad leaving the people in floods as they perceive, the Presidency appears to be taking it the other way round insisting that the head of the state visiting abroad would create awareness about sufferings of the people either due to floods or because of terrorism.
Earlier, the spokesman told the media that President Zardari on Tuesday called Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza for a meeting in Bilawal House, Karachi.
He said that law and order, the flood situation and the measures taken for relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims were discussed during the meeting. The President directed Malik and Mirza to reach the bottom to the recent wave of targeted killings and apprehend those involved regardless of their association.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online//Politics/11-Aug-2010/Ignoring-criticism-President-readies-for-another-trip

2. Taliban ask govt to reject foreign flood aid
ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has urged the government not to accept any foreign aid for victims of the worst flooding in the country’s history.
TTP Spokesman Azam Tariq on Tuesday said that the Taliban would themselves provide money if the government stopped accepting international help.
“The government should not accept American aid and if it happens, we can give $20 million to them as aid for the flood victims,” he added.
“We will ourselves distribute relief under leadership of our chief Hakimullah Mehsud among the people if the government assures us that none of our members will be arrested,” Tariq said http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010811story_11-8-2010_pg1_8

3. Blame game is on in the face of misery
By Khaleeq Kiani in Dawn, Aug 11
ISLAMABAD: With worst ever floods in Pakistan’s history wreaking havoc across the country, some of the government agencies are engaged in an internal blame game about the warning mechanism and flood management, suggesting that human leniency might have contributed to the catastrophe.
Informed sources told Dawn that officials of some government agencies were seen passing on to each other the blame for slow response to emerging floods at a recent meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. The meeting was informed about heavy material damage to defence facilities and reserves in Nowshera (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) as a result of inundation and flooding.
These sources said officials of the Ministry of Water and Power and its attached Federal Flood Commission (FFC) told the meeting that they did not have proper warning about the expected floods and hence they were left with a very limited response time to minimise losses.
Some of the participants said warning issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on June 21 was taken lightly by the agencies responsible for mitigation measures and did not pass on the Met office’s advisory to other agencies and provincial governments. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-blame-game-is-on-in-the-face-of-misery-180-hh-14

4. Relief work to take months: NDMA
By Iftikhar A. Khan in Dawn, Aug 11
ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday that relief work in the flood-hit areas would be completed by the end of November.
“We will complete the relief phase by the end of November,” NDMA spokesman Ahmad Kamal said at a press briefing.
However, another official of the authority told Dawn that the monsoon season normally ended by mid-September and the relief operations could be completed about two weeks after that.
He said the relief phase would be followed by the implementation of an early recovery plan.
He said an assessment of the damage would begin on Aug 25. He said the assessment and relief work would be carried out simultaneously.
Addressing the press briefing, Minister of State for Information Samsam Ali Bokhari said the latest estimate of the number of people affected by the floods was 14 million, but the figure might increase.
The minister said the official death toll was 1,245 and 1,334 people had been injured. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/relief-work-to-take-months-ndma-180

5. Angry protesters corner minister: report in Dawn, Aug 11
SUKKUR, Aug 10: Federal minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah’s vehicle was surrounded by enraged protesters at Bunder Road here late on Monday night.
For last two days water level at Sukkur Barrage has constantly been rising and due to its pressure, Bunder wall also developed cracks and water was gushing out from many points.
On Monday night, residents of different localities gathered at Bunder road and started repairing the cracks.
In the meantime, the minister reached there and enraged protesters cordoned his vehicle and shouted slogans against the government. They were not even ready to listen to the minister.
Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police rushed to the scene and broke the cordon. But the protest continued till midnight. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/angry-protesters-corner-minister-180

6. Leftists, nationalists flay Gilani’s KBD remarks: The Daily Times, Aug 11
LAHORE: Leftist and nationalist parties have criticised the idea that the current devastation by monsoon floods could have been averted had the Kalabagh Dam been built.
Commenting on views expressed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani that Kalabagh Dam would have saved the country from the devastation, the leaders of various parties said Gilani’s comments only hurt the flood victims more, especially those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.
Workers’ Party Pakistan President Abid Hassan Manto told Daily Times that the government had failed to get to the actual point, which is that they should have built other dams, like Diameer-Bhasha, instead of talking about the disputed Kalabagh project.
Labour Party Pakistan spokesman Farooq Tariq told Daily Times that it had been decided in joint meetings and reports in the past that Kalabagh Dam would have caused massive problems for the people of Sindh and KP, and would only have benefited Punjab.
He said that it was clearly stated in the GN Abbassi report that the country faced floods every seven years, while severe shortage of water was observed for the remaining six years, which meant that the remaining water could only be stored in Kalabagh Dam to serve the canals in Punjab, while depriving farmers of Sindh of their right to water.
www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010811story_11-8-2010_pg1_11

7. No new dam acceptable: Sindh leaders, technocrats: The Daily Times, Aug 11
KARACHI: Politicians and technocrats of Sindh have rejected the assertion that the Kalabagh Dam could have averted the destruction caused by the recent floods across the country..
“If the Kalabagh Dam had been built, the whole Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have been destroyed,” Pakistan People’s Party member and Sindh Culture Minister Sassi Palejo said on Tuesday. She said no new dam or canal was acceptable to Sindh and the flood situation could only be handled through an improved irrigation system.
Sindh Abadgar Board President Abdul Majeed Nizamani said that supposedly around 30 million acre feet (MAF) of water reached downstream Kotri during the current floods. “The Kalabagh Dam would have stored only six MAF of water, meaning some 24 MAF water would still have reached Kotri even if the dam was there,” he added.
Nizamani said the Kalabagh Dam was not feasible on technical grounds as well, because the country had witnessed a high-flood after the gap of around 14 years.
Nizamani said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also stated that the destruction caused by current floods would have been 10 times more had the Kalabagh Dam been built. He said floodwater would have flown back in case the dam had been constructed.
“If we accept Punjab’s claim that it would not have flown back, then why has Punjab planned to build walls up to Kabul River to save Nowshera,” he added.
Nizamani said those who support the Kalabagh Dam should keep in mind that the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had rejected the dam in 1996 on technical grounds, and the Water and Power Development Authority has not challenged IRSA’s decision despite the passage of 14 years. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010811story_11-8-2010_pg1_12