Pakistan's prime minister has canceled his trip to the United States to attend next week's United Nations General Assembly, in order to deal with widespread floods at home.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said Friday that the Pakistani leader will coordinate relief efforts and begin visiting flood-affected areas on Saturday.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will address the U.N. General Assembly in New York in the prime minister's place.

Monsoon rains have flooded large parts of Pakistan's southern province of Sindh. More than 230 people have been killed and some 300,000 others have been left homeless.

Pakistani leaders were widely criticized for their response to last year's devastating floods, which killed more than 1,700 people and submerged one-fifth of the country. President Asif Ali Zardari made trips to Britain and France during the disaster.

Authorities say the recent flooding, which began in August, has destroyed or damaged some one million homes and has inundated nearly two million hectares of land. More than five million people have been affected throughout the country.

The United Nations World Food Program says it is rushing aid to Pakistan, after Prime Minister Gilani appealed to the international community for help.