JACOBABAD: The Pakistan Air Force said on Thursday that the Shahbaz airbase was under its complete operational control and brushed aside reports that floodwaters had been diverted to save the base. “There is no threat of flooding to the airbase because it is five feet above the ground level and the flow of water could have only touched the floors of the base in the worst case scenario,” Air Vice Marshal Arshad Quddus of the Southern Air Command told Dawn.
The PAF took media representatives from Islamabad to Jacobabad, Sibbi and Sukkur. The trip was arranged at a short notice apparently because of a statement made by a senior health ministry official in the Senate Committee on Health that relief operations in Jacobabad were not possible because the only airbase in the area was under the use of Americans.
Taking the media around the base, which appeared to be inhabited by Pakistani armed forces personnel, AVM Arshad spoke about the role the base was playing in relief operations.
He said: “An air bridge has been set up between the Shahbaz Airbase and other strategic airbases to supply a chain of relief goods, besides evacuating the stranded people in and around the areas of Jacobabad.”
He said that medical health assistance was continuously being provided to the affected people in the towns near the airbase.
“The Shahbaz Airbase is under complete operational control of the PAF. If you see any American let me know…. seeing is believing… there are no drones and no Americans,” he said.
He said that a few Americans were present at the airbase only to provide technical assistance to the air force which had recently acquired the upgraded F-16 fighter jets from Washington.
The AVM made it clear that the statement of the heath official was out of context.
He said: “I don’t know why a senior federal health ministry official commented over the airbase… I think he is not aware.”
The ripples created by reports about health official’s statements was also evident from the fact that the health ministry issued a clarification which said that “the domain of the Ministry of Health is restricted to a health response,” as it expressed gratitude to the PAF for designating an airbase for Jacobabad’s flood victims. The team was also taken to the Sibbi Airbase, which has been made operational after about 10 years.
AVM Asrhad said: “It was closed due to security concerns. But it is now being used to provide maximum relief services to the people in Balochistan on the direction of Air Chief Rao Qamar Suleman.”
While he was showing the journalists around, a C-130 plane landed at the airbase carrying 200 tons of relief goods.
“The relief goods will be provided to the people of Dera Allah Yar, Usta Mohammad and other adjoining areas from the Sibbi airbase” he said.
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