Pakistan declares national emergency to battle locusts.

ISLAMABAD -- Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said the Pakistan government had declared national emergency to combat locusts.

SAPM Awan in a tweet said that the decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The meeting also approved National Action Plan to combat locust, she said, adding that a high-level committee has been constituted for taking steps at the federal level.

The chairman of the committee will be Secretary National Food Security Division whereas Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) would be its focal person, the PM's aide noted.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Khusro Bakhtiar Friday told the National Assembly that Rs 7.3 billion would be spent in one and a half year to combat the locust attacks.

Replying to concerns regarding locust attacks raised by the lawmakers in the National Assembly on Friday, the minister noted that the plant protection department had been historically ignored.

"The department had 20 planes for aerial sprays. But now only three are left," the minister told the...