ALI AKBAR TURK FOUNDATION

52 killed, around 700,000 affected in Pak floods:

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 52 people and affected around 700,000 in Pakistan's troubled Baluchistan province.Floods also destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of crops, officials said Monday.Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has announced a relief and rehabilitation package of 2,600 million rupees for the flood victims but officials say the rescue operations and rehabilitation of families could take months to complete.Akbar Durrani, an official of the provincial disaster management authority said the monsoon rains had broken a 30-year-old record.Durrani said the flash floods had damaged crops spread over 350,000 acres of land in 13 districts.Baluchistan is already facing an uphill battle due to a violent insurgency by separatists while militants have been involved in targetting minority Shia Muslims.Durrani said 22 people have died in Naseerabad alone and eight in Jafffarabad. remaining casualties were reported from other parts of the province.