PM cancels US visit due to floods

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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has cancelled a visit to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly session because of floods that have hit southern Pakistan, his office said on Friday.

"The prime minister has cancelled his visit because of the floods and now the foreign minister will represent Pakistan on the visit," an official in Gilani's office told.

Earlier, PM Gilani was scheduled to visit US on September 19 for an address to the UN General Assembly.

"The prime minister will visit flood-affected areas from tomorrow and supervise relief efforts."

The latest floods, triggered by monsoon rains, have killed more than 230 people, destroyed or damaged 1.2 million houses and flooded 4.5 million acres (1.8 million hectares) since late last month, officials and Western aid groups say.

More than 300,000 people have been moved to shelters. Some 800,000 families hit by last year's floods are still homeless.

Aid groups have warned of a growing risk of potentially fatal diseases.

Last year the military took charge of rescue and relief efforts, along with aid groups. The army is active again in the latest disaster.

Pakistan's cash-strapped government already faces many challenges, from a stubborn Taliban insurgency to growing frustrations over power cuts, to tensions with ally the United States over Islamabad's approach to militancy.