PR. No. 297
PRESS RELEASE
Chinese Company donates 1000 tonne rice to Pakistan
Islamabad August 23, 2010A Chinese company named China Asia International Finance Ltd, based in the Sichuan province of China and KASB Finance (Pakistan) have jointly donated 1000 tonnes of rice for the flood affecttes in Pakistan. The total value of this donation is approximately US $8,50,000/-. The Chinese company is making arrangements to deliver the rice consignment to Pakistan.
Mr. Li Yan, Chairman of China Asia International Finance Ltd said that in view of serious difficulties faced by victims of current floods in Pakistan as well as due to close friendship between Pakistan and China, his company has decided to send rice to Pakistan as their contribution to alleviate the suffering of their Pakistani brothers and sisters.
The company is sending this donation in collaboration with Mr. Nasir Ali Shah Bukhari, Chairman KASB Finance (Pakistan).
**DG/Ahmad**
PR. No. 298
PRESS RELEASE
Indonesia’s Zakat Body To Provide Million Dollars
Worth Of Relief Items To Flood Affected,
Launches PAKISTAN Care PROJECT
Islamabad August 23, 2010The National Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of Indonesia launched its “Indonesia Cares for Pakistan” project envisaging immediate dispatch of medical and logistics support teams to Pakistan to take part in relief and aid efforts, says a press release received here today from Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Chairman of the National Zakat body, Prof. Dr. Didin Hafidhuddin along with Ambassador Sanaullah made announcements to this effect at a news conference here Sunday. A short documentary on flood situation in Pakistan preceded the press talk.
The special teams, nine in all, would be arriving in Pakistan starting next week and also disburse among the flood affected, relief goods, food items, medicines and other necessities worth an estimated one million dollars, Hafidhuddin mentioned..
Ambassador Sanaullah and Dr. Hafidhuddin briefed the media about the scale of floods in Pakistan which they said had even surpassed the tsunami , the Haiti earth quake and the 2005 earth quake in Kashmir in terms of wide spread damage to basic infrastructure, property and population displacement. Ambassador Sanaullah said rehabilitation of the twenty million displaced people was not an easy task and billions of dollars would be required for reconstruction process. He specially expressed concern for the large number of children, women and the elderly among the displaced people who needed prompt medical care, food and shelter.
The Ambassador praised the goodwill gesture of the National Zakat Agency saying he also expected other government and private sector organizations in Indonesia to come forward and contribute for the flood affectees in Pakistan. This was a huge challenge and the Pakistan government needed support from the international community to face it, he said. On behalf of the government and flood victims Ambassador Sanaullah appreciated the launching of a relief operation namely “ “ in the press conference. He prayed that Muslim brothers and sisters from Indonesia would generously respond to the immediate needs of flood victims who have lost all their belongings and their children and women are now wholly dependent on humanitarian aid coming from outside. Pakistan government was doing what could possibly be arranged but the scale of devastation was so huge that without help from friends it would not be possible to alienate the suffering of flood victims and to save children from dying from diseases.
It may be added that the largest religious organization of Indonesia, Mohammadiyah has already pledged 100 million Indo Rupees as relief assistance to Pakistan and other charities are also responding to the appeals made by the Pakistan Mission in Jakarta for assistance to flood affectees. The Indonesian government sent relief goods and medical personnel to Pakistan earlier this month.
**SJ/Ahmad**
PR. No. 299
PRESS RELEASE
National Humanitarian Foundation, Indonesia
to extend relief assistance worth 200 million Indo Rp
Islamabad August 23, 2010The National Humanitarian Foundation (PKPU), Indonesia would extend relief assistance worth 200 million Indo Rupees to the flood affected in Pakistan, says a press release received here today from Indonesia.
A 5-member delegation of the Foundation led by its Deputy CEO, Sri Adi Bramasetya met Ambassador Sanaullah here Monday giving details of their Relief plan.
Sri Adi informed the Ambassador that their 2-member advance team comprising Mohammad Yasin Mansoor and Arief Septyawan would depart for Pakistan on Wednesday to have a thorough appraisal of the flood situation and chalk out a relief disbursement programme. The advance team would contact other organizations and government functionaries involved in relief work for better coordination and access to the affected people. A group of 40 volunteers, all Indonesian students studying in Pakistan would later join the PKPU team in relief work, Sri Adi added. He said, PKPU would purchase all necessary items including medicines, dry rations, blankets, family hygiene kits and baby food from Pakistan.
Ambassador Sanaullah thanked the PKPU for the goodwill gesture and said Pakistan was really in need of international support to overcome the gigantic problem caused by wide spread floods. He said the Indonesian government had already sent one million dollars worth of relief assistance to Pakistan and just last week, Mohammadiyah and the National Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) had also pledged assistance for flood affectees. He said with growing information about flood situation in Pakistan, more organizations were coming forward for help Pakistan which was really appreciable.
The National Humanitarian Foundation (PKPU) was established in 1999. It maintains 17 branches country wide and also has resident representatives in Qatar, Australia, Japan, Germany and USA. The Foundation also took part in the relief efforts in the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.
**SJ/Ahmad**
PR. No. 300
PRESS RELEASE
Climate Change Poses Additional Pressure on Productivity of Land Resources
Forestation is Need of Time to Avoid Disasters like Floods In Future
……Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi
Islamabad, August 23 , 2010Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has said that land and deforestation are severe challenges, which are adversely affecting food security and economic recession in the country that are the main causes of environmental degradation. He also said that climate change related events are posing additional pressure on the productivity of the land resources. He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting regarding Sustainable Land Management (SLM) here today.
Environment Minister observed that desertification and land degradation has affected one third of the earth’s surface; threatening the livelihoods, well being and development of as many as one billion people. Nearly one third of world crop land has become unproductive and has been abandoned in past forty years. Moreover, almost three quarters of rangelands show various symptoms of desertification.
Mr. Afridi underlined that unsustainable land management practices in the country are main causes of environmental degradation. He said that Pakistan is an agricultural country having best irrigation system but proper management system should be adopted. He urged to lend efforts to address both land degradation and poverty to protect vital ecosystem and ecosystem services. Minister further said that the goal of sustainable development can only be achieved when the national programs and plans are transformed into “local actions” at community level. He also pointed out that there is need to build partnerships between different stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, local communities, international donors and private sector. He said that initiatives like Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Project are the need of time. He said that efforts to combat desertification will not only help in meeting Pakistan’s obligations for United Nations Convention to combat desertification but also would help in reducing poverty and achieve Millennium Development Goals. He also urged the need to learn tools, techniques and practices for Sustainable Management of Land and Water Resources as well as better understanding of SLM principles and practices. Federal Minister told that government is focusing to devise policies, programs and projects aimed at promoting Sustainable Land Management principles and concepts.
Environment Minister while referring the present worst condition of flood said that climate change and global warming are the major causes of such disasters however, forestation process has to increase on war footings to avoid such sort of calamity in future.
Earlier, detailed presentation about SLM was given to the Federal Minister. Comprehensive discussion was made and shared views related to subject. Secretary Environment Javed Malik, Additional Secretary Environment Kamran Ali Qureshi and other high officials of the Ministry attended the meeting.
PR. No. 301
Press Release
EARMARKS Rs. 200 million FOR FLOOD RELIEF –
OFFICIALS TO TAKE PART IN RECONSTRUCTION & REHABILITATION WORK IN FLOOD EFFECTED AREAS
Islamabad, August 23, 2010A meeting of the members of the Board of Privatisation Commission (PC) chaired by the Federal Minister for Privatisation Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan here today, decided to earmark Rs.200 million for Flood Relief in addition to the contributions out of salaries as per government directions and formulated teams comprising of PC Officials and Consultants to coordinate with the district administration for understanding relief operations in the country and to take active part in the reconstruction and the rehabilitation work in the flood effected areas.
Addressing on this occasion the Federal Minister for Privatisation Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan said that helping the flood victims was our national obligation, which needed to be given top priority by each individual as the recovery of losses caused due to devastating floods and torrential rains would need a long time to bring normalcy in the respective areas.
Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan directed the PC officials to set up tent villages, food and medical aid points in the effected areas of all the provinces to give prompt support to our countrymen who were in dire need of basic assistance. The PPP led democratic government under the leadership of the President Asif Ali Zardari and the Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was actively mobilizing the domestic resources for helping the flood victims in the phased manner, he added.
The PC officials’ teams would soon be dispatched to the areas where the water has started receding for identifying the reconstruction activity and assessing the rehabilitation requirements.
The PC board also reviewed the recommendations of the three-member committee headed by PC Board member Justice (Retd) Munir A. Shaikh, constituted to over-see the process and conduct of the resolution of the disputed claims for the settlement of the payables to PC and other defaulting buyers.
PR. No. 302
Press Release
“From people, to people”, Turkey opens its heart to the flood victims.
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010As the Turkish Air Force C-130 carrying tons of relief supplies made a touchdown at Chaklala on August 20, the planeload represented a fraction of the relief assistance being collected in Turkey for the flood affected areas of Pakistan. The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay), widely praised for its role in the aftermath of the 2005 Earthquake, is spearheading the national effort: in addition to supply of 1500 tons of relief items, the Turkish Red Crescent has separately organized a convoy of 40 Trucks to carry 700 pre-fabricated “Mevlana Houses”, with an additional 2100 pre-fabricated houses and 4000 tents to be transported through a special train. Other Turkish humanitarian organizations including the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH) and Kimse Yok Mu (Is anybody there) are also providing invaluable support on the ground by providing daily “Ramadan meals” to hundreds of families, says a press release received here today.
President Abdullah Gul has called upon the Turkish nation to stand by Pakistan by generously contributing toward the relief efforts. Prime Minister Recep Tayyap Erdogan, noting that “it is next to impossible for a country to overcome such a disaster on its own”, has personally launched a public aid campaign entitled “From people, to people”. A bank account has been opened in the Prime Ministry to channelize such donations. Similar donations are also planned across mosques and public schools through out Turkey.
Turkey has already provided $11 Million worth of humanitarian assistance to the flood victims of Pakistan. An additional $ 1 Million has been pledged by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB). Two field hospitals, each with a staff of 20 members are also being established by the Turkish government in the affected areas.
Response of the ordinary Turks to the disaster, characteristically symptomatic of the fraternal ties between the two countries, has been overwhelming. Pakistan diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul have been deluged with calls for help. The flood relief account, opened by the Embassy in Ankara has already collected more than $ 230,000/-.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey, Mr. Tariq Azizuddin, is widely credited with leading an effective media campaign to highlight the scale of the disaster both in print and the electronic media. The daily Hurriyet, one of the leading newspapers of Turkey, following its interview with Ambassador Azizuddin, has decided to construct a neighborhood ward including an asylum for the orphans and a psycho-social support centre in Nowshera.
PR. No. 303
PRESS RELEASE
CHIEF MINISTER BALOCHISTAN CALLS ON PRESIDENT
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, Chief Minister Balochistan, today called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The Chief Minister apprised the President about flood situation in Balochistan and the relief and rehabilitation efforts being undertaken for the flood affected people.
The President said that all the government institutions have been directed to expedite relief operations in the flood affected areas and to ensure cooked food and portable drinking water in the affected areas including Jaffarabad and Nasirabad districts that have been heavily affected areas in Balochistan.
PR. No. 304
PRESS RELEASE
NDMA’S FLOOD SITUATION BRIEFING AND MEETING WITH PAKISTAN BUSINESS COUNCIL
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010President Asif Ali Zardari has directed NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) to prepare plans for the future assuming that that freak weather causing floods this year could recur again in the future.
The President asked the NDMA to have a dedicated website that gives complete information about the extent of flood damages, the relief provided, the needs of different afflicted areas and possibly the forecasts for the future.
This he said during a briefing on flood update in the NDMA headquarters, the nerve centre of the relief camps, in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat today. The briefing was attended among others by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Food & Agricultural Minister Mr. Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Housing Minister Mr. Rehmatullah Kakar, Railways Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Mr. M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Foreign Secretary Mr. Salman Bashir and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar. The briefing was given by Chairman NDMA Lt. Gen. ® Nadeem Ahmed.
Briefing the journalists Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that soon after the flood situation briefing in NDMA, the President presided over a meeting of the country’s leading businessmen in the Pakistan Business Council. The leading representatives of business community who attended the meeting in the Presidency included Mr. Khalid Sherwani, ABL, Mr. Razi-ur-Rehman, CEO Atlas Group, Mr. Israr Ahmed, Dawood Group, Syed Javed, UBL, Mr. Amin Lakhani, Lakson Group, Mr. Kamran Y. Mirza, CEO Pak Business Council, Mr. Abdul Razzak Dawood, Chairman Descon, Mr. Bashir Ali Mohammad, Chairman Gul Ahmed, and others.
Representatives of the Government who attended the meeting included Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Ch. Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Food Mr. M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Finance Secretary Mr. Salman Siddique and Mr. Muhammad Fayyaz Khan and relevant federal secretaries.
At the NDMA briefing, Lt. Gen. ® Nadeem Ahmed briefed the President about latest flood situation along with provision and distribution of various items among the affectees in different flood affected areas of the country. He said that the percentage of relief items share to be distributed in various parts of the country was being regularly reviewed and revised on the basis of severity of the disaster situation in different parts of the flood affected areas.
The President said that transparency and speed were of the essence and asked the NDMA to draw up a plan for transparent distribution of cash among the affectees. He said that the model adopted for the distribution of cash among the internally displaced persons (IDPs) last year could be considered for adoption.
The President asked for special emphasis to be placed on the health sector to avoid the outbreak of epidemics.
The President said that the farmers have to be helped with seed for the next crop and a plan should be drawn by the Ministry of Food and Agricultre and NDMA in consultation with other stake holders. Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying that a clear distinction should be made between wheat for food and wheat for seed. The President asked the Government to consider buying from the farmers some of the indigenous wheat stock as seed for the next crop and if any wheat is imported from abroad it may be used for consumption as food. This, he said, would be necessary to guard against the potential hazards of unacclimatized foreign wheat as seed.
The President asked the Minister for Food and Agriculture to urgently make assessments and plans in this regard.
Addressing members of the Business Council, the President said that the Government will take up as top priority the issue of market access with the US and the European Union to help our industry running and create jobs and opportunities to partially meet the challenges of floods.
The President asked the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who was also present at the meeting to pursue with the international community the issue of market access as a single point agenda.
Mr. Babar said that the President also directed that satellite technology be used to map the direction in which columns of flood waters gushed. There is a need to study whether the flood waters could be diverted to deserts in Balochistan, Sindh and Southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said. By doing so, we may be able to convert the catastrophe into an opportunity in the future, the President said.
The President said that as a nation we have great capacity to survive hazards and there was no reason why a united nation could not successfully meet the challenges of the 2010 floods. We have survived the global recession and the earthquake in the recent past and will not only survive but also turn the flood catastrophe into an opportunity, he said.
The President said that the Government realizes the difficulties being faced by those who have lost their belongings and their homes and were facing the extreme hardships in the tents and will endeavour to further improve the service delivery for those people. The President said that the state machinery has been fully mobilized to meet public expectations at the time of distress. He said that Government’s efforts for relief and rehabilitation needed to be supplemented by all segments of society including private sector, NGOs, business communities, students, civil society and the philanthropists for their complete success and achieving of the desired targets.
The President said that he has been holding meetings with different segments of the society regularly to mobilise their full support and resources for complementing Government’s efforts. The President appreciating the nation’s time tested virtue of always putting up courageous face to even worst of the crisis said that the challenge no doubt was huge but our unity, faith in our abilities and being resilient promises us a better future and take us out of these crisis and challenges.
The participants of the Business Council meeting put forth suggestions during the meeting that ultimately turned into an interactive session. The President assured the participants that their suggestions would be duly considered and Government would benefit from the experience and insight of the business community.
PR. No. 305
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed sorrow and grief over the assassination of the brother of ANP leader Mr. Pervez Khan in Karachi today.
Strongly condemning the unfortunate incident, the Prime Minister directed the concerned authorities to apprehend the culprits involved in this heinous crime so that they could be brought to justice.
The Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathies to the bereaved family. He prayed to Almighty Allah to shower his blessings upon the departed soul and grant courage to his family to bear this irreparable loss with equanimity.
The Prime Minister directed the law enforcement agencies to keep a strong vigil upon the miscreants who wanted to disrupt peaceful life of the citizens to achieve their ulterior motives.
PR. No. 306
PRESS RELEASE
PM’S SECRETARIAT CLARIFIES PRESS REPORT.
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010The Spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat has strongly refuted the news item appearing in a section of press on 23rd August, 2010 stating that the Prime Minister made announcements of development programs worth of million of rupees during his recent visit to Bahawalpur. He termed the news item as totally incorrect and misleading.
Clarifying the factual position, the Spokesman said that the Prime Minister visited the flood affected areas of District Rahim Yar Khan on 20th August, 2010 and on the way, he inaugurated the Noorpur Gas Scheme.
The Spokesman further clarified that the Noorpur Gas Scheme was approved by the Prime Minister on 9th May, 2009. The President of Pakistan during his visit to Bahawalpur on April 21-22, 2010 had performed the ground breaking ceremony of the said scheme. On completion of the scheme by the Sui Northern Gas Company the Prime Minister only performed the flame ceremony.
As far as the non-observance of the Code of Conduct for Elections is concerned, the Prime Minister always takes special care of all prescribed rules & regulations in order to uphold the Rule of Law, the Spokesman added.
PR. No. 307
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet (Cabinet Secretariat, Inter-Provincial Coordination & Special Initiatives) was held today at Parliament House under Convenership of Senator Dr. Khatu Mal Jeewan. The meeting was attended by Advisor to the P.M. on Inter-Provincial Coordination, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Secretary Establishment and other officers from the concerned Ministries. The following members attended the meeting:- Senators Saeeda Iqbal, Shirala Malik, Kalsoom Parveen, Eng. Malik Rashid Ahmed Khan, Rehana Yahya Baloch, Fauzia Fakhar-uz-Zaman and Senator Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi,says a press release received from Senate Secretariat, Islamabad here today.
The meeting was given a detailed briefing on implementation status of Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package. Senator Mian Raza Rabbani informed the Committee that implementation on the Package is being pursued vigorously. He admitted that work could not be done with a fast pace. However, some achievements have been made.
The 7th NFC award has been finalized and share of Balochistan has been increased from 5.1% to over 9.09%. Rs.1 b each have been released to the Government of Balochistan (GOB) on account of flood relief, and for rehabilitation and settlement of IDPs of Dera Bugti. 5, 000 jobs for graduates have been created in the province. So far, nearly 6,000 jobs have been identified in the departments and corporations of the Federal Government against the Balochistan quota. These are to be filled up soon. More recruitment is also expected for the PCG in Balochistan (additionally, for recruitment, the standard criteria has been relaxed for the province of Balochistan for these two organizations). Min of Labor and Manpower has proposed sending of 4,000 to 5,000 skilled / unskilled workers from Balochistan, in different trades to meet demand within and outside the country. It has taken up matter with Ministry of Finance for release of Rs 169 m for these aspects. As part of the BISP, monthly cash of Rs.1,000 per family is being provided to beneficiaries of Balochistan province which were earlier identified by the Parliamentarians (approximately Rs 2.97 billion were disbursed from Oct 2008 to June 2010, including Rs 1.6 b disbursed from July 2009 to June 2010). The BISP has now improved it beneficiary identification mechanism by resorting to internationally recognized Poverty Scorecard Survey. A test phase, survey was earlier completed in 3 districts of Balochistan (Kech/Turbat, Muskhel and Killa saifullah). Cash grants of Rs 1000 per month per family has been given to the 13,133 beneficiaries from these districts (with total amount of Rs. 156.372 m disbursed under this poverty scorecard format). Poverty survey has also now been completed in 22 districts of Balochistan by the Population Census Organization (PCO) on priority basis. Presently, data entry for this is being done by NADRA, following with disbursement shall begin for the beneficiaries of these districts also. Following the work of the Parliamentary Committee, the 18th constitutional amendment has been enacted. Further, an implementation commission has been constituted and is monitoring the implementation process. Deletion of Concurrent List from 4th Schedule has been done as part of the 18th constitutional amendment. Further, an implementation commission has been constituted and is monitoring the implementation process. Deletion of Police Order 2002 and Balochistan Local Government Ordinance 2001 from 6th Schedule has been laws stand automatically deleted from 6th schedule on the 31st of December, 2010. New police laws and local government laws are in process of being enacted (Police Law: Govt of Balochistan (GOB) has informed that is in process of finalizing amendments to be incorporated into Police. Order. Local government: Local Govts were earlier dissolved and officers appointed as administrators (bill passed by Provincial Assembly and notified in official gazette on 9th Jan, 2010). Draft of new Balochistan Local Government Act (2010) has been approved by Provincial Cabinet and now in process of being submitted to the Provincial Assembly. Implementation of Article 153 – Council of Common Interests: This was also part of the policy proposals of the AHBP. Has been done as part of the 18th amendment. Mega Projects will now be initiated with the consent of the provincial government of Balochistan P.M. directives has been issued to this effect (all Fed Ministries/Division are to consult Govt of Balochistan (GOB) before submission of development schemes to CDWP, ECNEC and NEC). Mega projects for Appointment in BS 1 to be from the local population. A PM’s directives was issued for preference to be given to local population. As informed by Min of Ports and Shipping)(MPS), the directive has been made pat of the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) bill 2010 (section 37), which is spending approval of parliament. 142 of the 150 employees in BS 1 to 16 in GPA, being to Balochistan. Further, 82 youths working on contract have also been regularized (certificates were awarded by PM). Construction of small dams throughout the province particularly in the districts of Quetta, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Zhob etc. 13 small dams are under consideration, for which concept clearance / feasibility studies have been completed. As asked by Planning and Development Division (P&D), Islamabad keeping in view the resource availability, the Ministry of Water and Power has reprioritized and sent a lsit of 5 dams in Balochistan – (i) Hingol, (ii) Naulong, (iii) Winder storage, (iv) Pelar storage and (v) Jurk dams.
The issue of missing persons needs to be tackled more vigorously. Senator Raza Rabbani assured the Committee that it is a very sensitive issue and priority number one of the government and for a more detailed briefing on the methodology being adopted by the concerned Judicial Commission, an in-camera briefing will be given to the Committee after Eid. The Committee was informed that major check posts like uthal have been finished in Balochistan. He also informed the Committee that in the next sessions of Senate and N.A., a detailed report on package will be laid for discussion in the House. The Committee recommended that Balochistan government should put a condition in the job advertisements and contact letters that the selected candidates will not be transferred to other stations before two years job at the place of domicile. The Committee was of the view that there should be a trickle down effect and benefits of the package should reach grassroot level. The Committee highly appreciated the internship programme of the government.
PR. No. 308
PRESS RELEASE
PM STRONGLY CONDEMNS BOMB BLAST IN SOUTH WAZIRISTAN
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives including former MNA, Maulana Noor Muhammad in a bomb blast in South Waziristan today.
While strongly condemning the cowardly act of terrorism, the Prime Minister said that those elements playing with the lives of innocent people would not escape the law of the land.
The Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathies to the bereaved families. He prayed to Almighty Allah to shower his blessings upon the departed souls and grant courage to victims families to bear this irreparable loss with equanimity.
The Prime Minister praised the religious, social and political services of late Maulana Noor Muhammad for the country and the people of his area.
The Prime Minister also directed the concerned authorities to investigate into the sad incident. He also directed the hospital administration for provision of best medical facilities to the injured.
PR. No. 309
PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER CHAIRS A HIGH LEVEL MEETING TO REVIEW FLOOD SITUATION
Islamabad 23rd August, 2010President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani jointly chaired a high level meeting held Monday night at the Aiwan-e-Sadr to review the various measures undertaken and the plans drawn up by the government in collaboration with all the stakeholders for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims and steps taken for preventing the outbreak of any epidemic in the flood hit areas.
The meeting was attended among others by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister, Dr. Abdu Hafeez Sheikh, Water & Power Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Information Minister, Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira, Secretary General to the President, Mr. M. Salman Faruqui, secretary to the President, Malik Asif Hayat, Chairman NDMA, Lt Gen® Nadeem Ahmad, Chairman NADRA, Mr. Ali Arshad Hakeem and Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah Babar.
Briefing the media about the meeting Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting was apprised about the update on flood situation, the extent of devastation, immediate relief measures and the collection and distribution of relief goods among people in areas affected by torrents and floods.
The Spokesperson said that the meeting decided to distribute Rs. 20, 000 per family among the flood affectees as initial assistance. The first instalment of Rs. 5000 will be disbursed immediately. The NDMA was directed to coordinate with NADRA about the preparation of the list of affectees eligible to receive this assistance.
The meeting also decided to dispatch Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi immediately on a visit to the countries of GCC with a letter from the Head of the state highlighting the devastation caused by floods and seeking international assistance for meeting the situation.
Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting decided that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will brief the Foreign ministers of the European countries early next month on the flood situation and call upon them to allow market access to Pakistani goods to rejuvenate the industry in the country and create job opportunities. The Foreign Ministers of European countries will be meeting early next month on September 11 in Brussels, he said
The meeting also decided to hold a donors conference in Islamabad on the platform of PDF (Pakistan Development Forum). The Foreign Ministry was directed to immediately start preparation for the conference, he said.
The Spokesperson said that the President during the meeting urged for ensuring transparency in all phases of relief and rehabilitation works by all the relevant organisations and agencies busy in relief operations all over the country. “Transparency in distribution of cash and relief goods among the affectees should be the hallmark of the entire operation right from the initial relief to the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase” the Spokesperson quoted the President.
Mr. Farhatullah Babar said that the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi briefed the meeting about the UN General Assembly’s special session on Pakistan, his interaction with the world leaders on the sideline of UNGA’s session and the active response of the world community in support and assistance for the people hit hard by the worst ever floods on Pakistan.
The meeting thanked the United Nations, the international community and the donor agencies for their assistance.
