Islamabad, September 1, 2025: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday blamed commercial construction on waterways and housing societies built on riverbeds for the large-scale devastation caused by recent floods, saying the disaster was not entirely natural but a result of human negligence.
Speaking in the National Assembly session chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq — during which Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry tabled a motion on the flood situation — Asif said: “We have built hotels on riverbanks. Housing societies have been developed by narrowing river routes, and plots have even been sold inside drains. When you tamper with nature, it will respond.”
The minister noted that despite floods inflicting billions of dollars in losses every year, authorities failed to address root causes. “Instead of correcting our actions, we turn to the world and the UN for aid,” he remarked.
Asif cited Sialkot as an example where riverbeds had been occupied, leading floodwaters to enter populated areas. He questioned why so few operations had been carried out against such encroachments in recent years.
Referring to PTI lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan’s remarks, Asif agreed that Pakistan’s major dams were built under dictatorships, as military rulers could enforce decisions that democratic governments failed to achieve through consensus. “This is our misfortune — we politicise national issues and use them to advance our own interests,” he said.
While backing long-term projects like the Mohmand and Diamer-Bhasha dams, the defence minister stressed that their 15-year timelines were too long to wait for. He proposed the construction of dozens of smaller dams that could be completed within one or two years to mitigate flood risks in the short term.
Calling for a shift in political attitudes, he said: “These are matters of national interest. We should reach consensus on public issues not tied to our power but to the people. Water and climate are not political issues but national and global challenges requiring a unified response.”
