Flood Victims in Kunjah Subjected to Humiliating Treatment as Admin Fails to Ensure Dignity
Flood-affected families in Kunjah, Gujrat, have raised strong objections over the handling of relief efforts, accusing the local administration of humiliating survivors by distributing food aid in dirty plastic bags placed on garbage-transport vehicles and exposed to unsanitary conditions. The incident has exposed serious gaps in the response of district officials and drawn outrage from both the affected community and local activists.
Despite clear and firm instructions from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to uphold the highest standards in providing aid, ensuring food quality, and respecting the dignity of flood victims, the Gujrat district administration appears to have disregarded these directions. Instead of delivering relief with care, food parcels were reportedly dumped on filth-covered ground and transported on tractor-trolleys used for waste collection, leaving victims feeling insulted rather than helped.
In what further fueled public anger, the district administration issued new rules requiring all charities, political workers, and philanthropists to obtain clearance from the Deputy Commissioner’s office before distributing any food aid. Only after approval and inspection by the Punjab Food Authority can supplies be handed out to those in need. Local residents allege that this bureaucracy has delayed relief efforts and is being used as an excuse to cover official failures, leaving flood-affected families waiting in hunger and indignity.
Survivors who lost their homes, crops, and livestock have reported a deep sense of disgrace. Many voiced their distress at being treated as an afterthought, with one elderly victim describing the distributed aid as “our disgrace” rather than help. Others questioned whether the state’s idea of relief includes treating suffering people “worse than animals.”
The situation has not only highlighted alleged incompetence and insensitivity on the part of local officials but also undercut public trust in the government’s disaster response. Social and political groups have called for immediate action against the officers responsible for this incident, cautioning that such actions could increase citizens’ mistrust and further marginalize those already devastated by the floods.
