In northern Sindh, local authorities issued a new evacuation order for Shahdadkot, a town of about 300,000, for the remaining few tens of thousands of people to leave as floodwaters approached the town.
"Shahdadkot is certainly in danger," said relief commissioner for Sindh Riaz Ahmed Soomro. "People have been asked to evacuate, but its a very big town. People had built an artificial embankment but the pressure is increasing."
Downstream in Thatta, the towns of Sujawal, Daro and Mirpur Batoro, with a combined population of 400,000, were ordered evacuated after the swollen Indus River burst through an embankment early Thursday morning.
Many residents of the Indus delta area, about 100 km east of Karachi, had already left, but "thousands" remained, said Saleh Farooqi, director general of the National Disaster Management Agency's Sindh office. "If a second levee breaks, more towns could be inundated."
Floodwaters are beginning to recede across the country, but because of high tides in the Arabian Sea and the possibility of more rain, the risk of flooding remains in Sindh.
The spokesman for the Pakistani Army said difficulty in reaching certain areas, where 800,000 people are accessible only by air, could fuel social unrest.
"If the aid doesn't reach certain areas, then yes, the people will become restive," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.
In Sukkur, to the north, flood victims crowded relief camps and said incidents of disease were increasing. "The children are getting sick," a man who called himself Bangul told Reuters. "I myself am not feeling well."
He said some people had already started returning to their villages, even though many were still flooded. "We can only see the roof and minaret of the mosque," he said. "We think maybe it will take six months to dry up and then we can go back."
The worst floods in decades have made the government more unpopular, heightening concerns about a nation that is already battling militants.
The Taleban hinted Thursday they may launch attacks against foreigners helping Pakistan, saying their presence was “unacceptable.” The UN said it would not be deterred by violent threats.
The group has attacked aid workers in the country before, and an outbreak of violence could complicate a relief effort.
Pakistani Taleban spokesman Azam Tariq claimed the US and other countries that have pledged support are not really focused on providing aid to flood victims but had other motives that he did not specify.
“Behind the scenes they have certain intentions, but on the face they are talking of relief and help,” Tariq told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location. “No relief is reaching the affected people, and when the victims are not receiving help, then this horde of foreigners is not acceptable to us at all.”
He strongly hinted that the militants could resort to violence, saying “when we say something is unacceptable to us, one can draw one's own conclusion.”
In Washington, Pakistan's finance Minister and its central bank governor were due to join talks with the International Monetary Fund on salvaging the economy.
The meetings, which will run until Sept. 2, will focus on the future of an $11 billion IMF loan program agreed upon in 2008. If the IMF agrees to ease the loan's targets, or extend the repayment period, it would alleviate a financial burden.
