Actor Ayub Khosa, speaking on Aaj TV’s special transmission to raise funds for flood victims, says that Balochistan has been destroyed due to the floods.

“I don’t want to speak on climate change, the ozone layer, or how Pakistan is among the top ten countries susceptible to climate change, and how it is paying the price for the emissions [and carbon footprint] of developed countries like the US and the UK…and how it is their responsibility to fix the damage caused to our infrastructure. That’s a longer debate and for another time,” said Khosa.

Right now, he said, that the agencies and authorities working for flood relief - like the National Disaster Management Authority and its provincial wings - lack the service delivery mechanism to provide adequate relief.

“If I talk about my district, Naseerabad, or my village Sohbatpur… My cousin there, who I was able to get in touch with after great difficulty, told me that they don’t have anything to eat.”

He said Sohbatpur was completely cut off. “You can’t reach it through Sindh, or through nearby areas like Dera Ilyas or Dera Murad (Jamali) or even Quetta. You can’t go to Quetta from there as the route through Bolan has been cut off. You can’t travel via train either.”

He said the local administration lacks the resources to arrange aerial transport to evacuate people trapped in Sohbatpur and airlift them to Quetta. “They can’t even get to Jacobabad, which is just 15-20 kilometres from Sohbatpur.”

He pointed out that telecommunication networks were down, Quetta remained without gas, the province was without drinking water, and the road network has been submerged.

“Today, I got a call from Dasht, which is a short distance from Quetta. People there have nothing to eat.”

He said the people of Balochistan were running out of options and did not know what to do. “Even if we raise a hue and cry, it doens’t lead to anything.”

Our waterways have been destroyed, Khosa continued. “The dams that the contractors made, no one checked them. A British-era railway track has been swept away. When was it last checked? Who do we ask for help? Where do you want us to go?”

The actor grew emotional while talking about the situation in Balochistan.