News
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
President calls for united efforts to face flood challenge
* President tours flood-affected areas of Balochistan, vows all-out help to victims
* Declares Jaffarabad as model district
By Ali Hussain/app
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said that the devastation caused by the floods was too huge for any government to handle alone and called upon every citizen, non-government organisations and national institutions to forge unity to face the challenge.
“Together, we can transform the catastrophe into a great opportunity to rebuild a better and new Pakistan,” the president said during a visit to the flood-affected areas in Sindh and Balochistan. He toured the flood-hit areas of Jacobabad, Dera Allahyar and Jaffarabad along with his son and Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and daughter Bakhtwar Bhutto Zardari onboard a helicopter. Zardari later arrived at Dera Murad Jamali where he was received by Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, provincial ministers Sadiq Umrani and Maulana Wasay, Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Jamali and senior civil and military officers.
The president promised that the federal government would use all available resources to help the flood victims on war footing and said that they had the first right on the federal and provincial resources. He called for unanimity among provinces to carry out an effective international campaign to help rehabilitate millions of flood victims in the country. “We always pursued a policy of political reconciliation in the better interest of the country,” he said, adding consensus among the federating units could get better response from the international community.
Zardari visited flood relief camps and an emergency hospital set up by the Turkish government in Dera Murad Jamali and was briefed by provincial officials on the relief efforts. He thanked Turkey and the international community for their generous assistance. He particularly mentioned the medical establishments provided by Turkey, Oman and one, which is on its way from Germany and would be deployed in Osta Muhammad.
Declaring the Jaffarabad district a model for redevelopment and reconstruction, the president said that the technology-based solutions that had been employed there to address flood damage could be replicated in other flood-hit areas.
At the briefing session in Dera Murad Jamali, which was also attended by former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the president announced a grant of Rs 50 million for the relief operations in Jaffarabad and Naseerabad districts. This is in addition to the Rs 50 million being provided by the government for provision of relief goods from Utility Stores.
President Zardari announced diversion of Rs 30 million from the development funds of 14 provincial MPs to relief efforts. He urged other legislators to follow suit. The president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar quoted him as saying that around 40 tonnes of relief goods were being transported to affected areas from Quetta everyday and if required supplies would be increased.
The briefing was informed that 10 helicopters and 16 boats were continuously operating in the province. Nearly 25,000 people had been rescued and moved to safer places so far while over 25,000 tents and 20,000 blankets had been distributed among the flood victims. Later, the president visited Garhi Khuda Bakhsh and offered fateha at the Bhutto family’s mausoleum before returning to Sukkur.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk