Up against nature's fury and people's ire, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said Pakistan was not capable of coping with the calamity caused by the devastating floods sweeping through much of the country for nearly a fortnight now.
He is reported to have conceded this while speaking to reporters during his tour of Sukkur in Sindh and hours after a man threw shoes at President Asif Ali Zardari during a public meeting in Birmingham.
“The government has done everything possible but it is beyond our capacity. We are facing an extremely difficult situation,'' he said reiterating his appeal to the international community to help Pakistan.
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Since practically every province of the country has been affected by the floods, the scale of devastation is much bigger than the 2005 earthquake which took more lives.
Several countries have come forward to help in the relief operations and others have pledged money for rehabilitation but the international aid and government interventions are not a patch on the crisis on hand as people face hunger and destitution while the fear of water-borne diseases looms large.