From today's BBC:
Considerable damage is expected in Sindh province Pakistan has issued a red alert as floods that have devastated northern areas sweep south into Sindh province.
Authorities have evacuated more than half a million people living near the Indus river as hundreds of villages have been inundated by floodwaters.
The worst floods in the region for 80 years have killed at least 1,600 people and affected about 12 million others.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has rejected criticism that he should return from an extended foreign trip.
In a BBC interview, Mr Zardari said the cabinet was directing relief efforts, and he was being kept up to date about the situation.
"I'm the one who's given all the powers from the presidency to the parliament. The parliament is in session - the Senate is in session. It's the prime minister's responsibility, and he's fulfilling his responsibility."
The president said he had secured promises of assistance from the countries he had visited - the UAE, France and the UK.
Helicopters grounded
Pakistan's meteorological agency has predicted further downpours in the badly-hit north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is only half-way through the region's monsoon season.
All the helicopters working in the north-west to deliver aid and rescue stranded survivors have been grounded because of the bad weather, according to Amal Masud of the National Disaster Management Authority.
Appearing on television, Prime Minister Gilani called the flooding the worst in Pakistan's 63-year history and appealed for help.
"I would ask the international community to support and help Pakistan alleviate the sufferings of its flood-affected people," he said.
Officials say 650,000 homes have been destroyed, 1.4m acres (557,000 hectares) of crop land has been flooded and more than 10,000 cows have died.
An official at the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Manuel Bessler, told the BBC that with crops swept away by floodwaters, some Pakistanis might be forced to rely on food aid to get through the winter.
He said the immediate priorities for survivors were clean drinking water and medical assistance.