|
Development Desk | June 2026 | 5 min read |
| META: PM Shehbaz forms a Planning Minister-led Emergency Response Committee for monsoon coordination, directs emergency fund arrangements, Rs330bn for water projects, and orders completion of 27 Daanish schools plus a new campus in Muzaffarabad. |
| ⚡ QUICK TAKEAWAYS |
| • PM has approved an Emergency Response Committee headed by the Planning and Development Minister, comprising NDMA and relevant federal ministries, to hold weekly meetings through the monsoon season. |
| • The Finance Minister has been directed to establish an emergency fund that can be rapidly mobilised for severe monsoon disasters. |
| • Rs330 billion has been allocated in the current budget to accelerate major water infrastructure projects — highlighted by the PM as a climate resilience commitment. |
| • The Climate Change Minister and NDMA Chairman will visit all provinces, AJK, and GB this week to finalise monsoon preparedness. |
| • NDMA’s briefing projects above-normal rainfall and prolonged heatwaves in July, with flooding risk elevated across vulnerable regions. |
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a new Emergency Response Committee to coordinate the federal and provincial monsoon response, directed finance arrangements for a rapid-deployment disaster fund, and allocated Rs330 billion in the current budget for water infrastructure — while in a separate meeting ordering accelerated completion of 27 Daanish schools and announcing a new technology campus in Muzaffarabad.
| Rs330bn
Water Infrastructure additional FY2026 allocation |
27
Daanish Schools under construction nationwide |
Weekly
Emergency Committee meetings through monsoon |
Emergency Response Committee — Structure and Mandate
The newly approved committee will be chaired by the Planning and Development Minister and will draw membership from NDMA and all relevant federal ministries. Its core operating cadence is weekly meetings through the entirety of the monsoon season, with close coordination with all four provincial governments. The committee is designed to function as the central nerve of the federal monsoon response — receiving preparedness updates, identifying gaps, and triggering resource deployment when severe weather events materialise.
The PM directed the Finance Minister separately to establish advance arrangements for an emergency fund that can be mobilised quickly in the event of a severe disaster — avoiding the delays that have historically accompanied emergency fund releases during flood crises when approval processes slow actual disbursement. The Climate Change Minister and NDMA Chairman were also directed to personally visit all provinces, AJK, and GB within the current week to complete the final stages of provincial preparedness review.
Full Monsoon Directives
| Directive | Detail |
| Emergency Response Committee | Formed under Planning and Development Minister; NDMA + relevant federal ministries; weekly meetings through monsoon season |
| Emergency Fund | Finance Minister directed to arrange advance fund mobilisable for severe monsoon disasters |
| Provincial Visits | Climate Change Minister + NDMA Chairman to visit all provinces, AJK, and GB this week to finalise preparedness |
| River Encroachments | Provincial governments directed to remove illegal encroachments from river channels and flood pathways in high-risk districts |
| Flood Mitigation Roadmap | All relevant institutions directed to implement comprehensive flood mitigation roadmap learned from previous flood emergencies |
| Full Resource Deployment | All federal and provincial institutions directed to deploy full administrative and technical resources for the public throughout monsoon season |
| Water Infrastructure Budget | Rs330 billion additional allocation in current federal budget to accelerate major water projects |
| ⚠️ NDMA’S WARNING: ABOVE-NORMAL JULY RAINFALL EXPECTED
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik briefed the meeting that Pakistan faces above-normal July rainfall and prolonged heatwaves this year, elevating flooding risk in vulnerable regions. This follows the same weather pattern that produced the catastrophic 2022 floods, which submerged a third of the country and caused an estimated $30 billion in damage. The committee structure and the direction to remove river encroachments are explicit lessons drawn from that experience — where blocked drainage and unauthorised structures along floodplains significantly amplified damage. |
Daanish Schools — Status and New Campus
| Institution | Status | Timeline |
| Daanish School, Kurri, Islamabad | Completed — academic activities already begun | Operational now |
| Daanish School, Bagh (AJK) | Final stages of construction | Classes from April 2027 |
| Daanish School, Bhimber (AJK) | Final stages of construction | Classes from April 2027 |
| Daanish School, Sultanabad | Final stages of construction | Classes from April 2027 |
| Daanish School, Ghanche (GB) | Final stages of construction | Classes from April 2027 |
| Daanish School, Astore (GB) | Final stages of construction | Classes from April 2027 |
| 27 schools total (KP, Sindh, Balochistan, GB, AJK, Islamabad) | Under construction | Various |
| Daanish University, Islamabad | Under construction; faculty recruitment started | Academic operations from 2027 |
| Daanish University Technology Campus, Muzaffarabad | Announced — new addition | TBA |
Daanish schools are residential educational institutions providing free boarding, tuition, and meals to talented students from low-income and backward areas — a model designed to give high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds access to quality secondary education regardless of their families’ financial circumstances. In a separate review meeting, PM Shehbaz directed authorities to expedite completion of the 27 schools currently under construction and mandated that faculty and staff appointments be made strictly on merit.
The PM announced a new technology campus of Daanish University in Muzaffarabad, AJK — extending the initiative to the territory that already has several Daanish schools under construction. He directed that the architectural design of each school reflect the cultural heritage of its region, embedding local identity into the programme’s physical infrastructure. Daanish University itself, under construction in Islamabad, has begun faculty recruitment and is expected to admit students from across Pakistan in 2027, with a specific mandate to provide opportunities to talented youth from backward regions.
Disclaimer: This article is based on official PM Office statements from two separate meetings chaired by PM Shehbaz Sharif. Daanish School and university timelines are as briefed to the PM and subject to construction progress. The Emergency Response Committee’s formation is pending any formal gazette notification.
