Pakistan faces major hunger crisis: NGO

Islamabad, Sept 19 (ANI): The world's leading independent NGO for kids - Save the Children- has warned that Pakistan faces a major hunger crisis, as the number of acutely malnourished children is set to rise steeply in the wake of unprecedented floods in that country.

"The number of malnourished and critically sick children will rise dramatically in October and November as the food crisis takes its toll," the Daily Star quoted the NGO's country director in Pakistan, Mohammed Qazilbash, as saying.

"These children have weakened immune system because of the shortage of food, making them very vulnerable to disease," he added.

According to UN statistics, over 12,000 children have become severely malnourished since heavy monsoon rains devastated large parts of the country in early August, but experts suggest that the true figure could be higher, as many vulnerable young survivors in remote areas might have missed the count.

Around 21 million people have been affected by the floods, of which, approximately three million are under the age of five, according to Save the Children.

Senior officials from all over the world will meet United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in New York on Saturday to discuss the global response. (ANI)