PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has appealed the international community for sending prompt relief in the earthquake affected areas of the province due to gravity of the situation especially in the worst-hit Malakand Division.
Stranded and homeless families in Dir Upper, Chitral and other hilly areas badly needed better shelters, warm clothes, food commodities and medical facilities on emergency grounds wherein the provincial government would welcome immediate assistance of world community and international relief agencies, said KP Senior Minister, Inayatullah Khan.
He made this appeal while talking to the rescue and relief authorities, affectees and mediamen during visit of the remote mountainous villages Gandigar, Hajibaba, Barawal, Rehankot and other areas of Dir Upper district on 3rd day of the devastating earthquake.
He however clarified that such an international help must be on crash basis and in practical shape rather than mere offers, commitments and assurances.
He said that the federal and provincial governments though immediately launched the rescue and relief operation soon after occurrence of the natural calamity while a joint compensation package has also been announced for the affectees but the fact has also come to surface that this earthquake proved more devastating to the people of Malakand including Dir, Chitral and Shangla Division than that of 2005.
Besides hundreds of human being killed, thousands injured, countless of people rendered homeless and exposed to spend days and nights under the open sky in immense cold and snowfalls.
Senior Minister said initial survey of damages revealed that 50 schools completely and 127 partially damaged, over two thousands houses destroyed while hundreds of cattle also perished.
Similar was the case with BHUs, medical and communication facilities, he added. He said, the quake affectees could not be left at mercy of the alarming situation and hence the world community must come forward and assist us with a missionary zeal.
Inayatullah who is also the provincial parliamentary leader of Jamat-e-Islami Pakistan, termed it good omen that his party side by side with Alkhidmat Foundation and some other NGOs have joined the government in its relief operation.
However he said such meager help due to limited resources of the government and NGOs was insufficient. He revealed that though some international bodies have contacted the KP government but the affectees direly needed a prompt help and relief.
Otherwise he cautioned that the ever dropping level of mercury and increasing snowfalls could create more room for hunger, diseases and deaths that would be so much unfortunate and tragic for entire humanity on earth.
He said situation in his visiting Dir Upper district was worsening as the damages were much more than our initial estimates. He said there was emergent need of the cold proof tents, food, medicines and other trauma facilities that was not possible merely for his government alone and we needed global assistance to cater it in better way to the maximum possible extent.
Earlier the Senior Minister distributed tents and food items of Alkhidmat foundation among the affectees in various villages.
Source: APP
