Maldives National University (MNU) has begun a drive to raise money to help the victims affected by devastating floods in Pakistan. The drive is a special initiative of the students of the Faculty of Shariah and Law.
Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan Zulqarnain Ahmed attended the launching ceremony for the drive, named Help Pakistan, and inaugurated the official fund box at the MNU building. Speaking at the ceremony, he expressed gratitude to Maldivians for helping the victims, noting the disaster has caused thousands of deaths and left two million homes destroyed and 33 million people affected.
An earlier drive was conducted with the High Commission of Pakistan in the Maldives, the Pakistan-Maldives Friendship Association (PMFA), the state-run Public Service Media (PSM), and other media outlets, which raised around USD245,000 to help those affected by the floods in Pakistan.
Unusually heavy monsoon rains caused devastating floods in both the north and south of Pakistan, affecting more than 33 million people and killing more than 1,700 people. The South Asian nation was already in an economic crisis, facing high inflation, a depreciating currency, and a current account deficit.