Jamaat-e-Islami Central ameer, Sirajul Haq, has called upon the federal and provincial governments to outline a joint strategy on war-footing basis for rehabilitation and restoration of people, affected by devastated earthquake in the country. He was speaking at a news conference at Al-markaz Islami here on Wednesday.
Accompanied by provincial ameer, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, and general secretary Shabbir Ahmad Khan, Haq said JI has so far made provision of Rs 200million for relief and rehabilitation of earthquake affected people elsewhere in the country. He further said more than 4520 volunteers of Al-Khidmat Foundation took part in relief operation in earthquake hit areas.
JI chief said philanthropists have extended financial assistance with open heart for the disaster affected people. According to details, he said Rs 4.7million has spent on tents, Rs 3.8million on sheds, Rs 1.6million for food assistance, Rs 1million for quilts, and Rs 2million, provided for blankets. It is national calamity, for which the process of fund raising is full swing across the country, Haq said. He urged the entire nation to extend full financial support with full zeal, like, given in previous earthquake, which struck Azad Jammu Kashmir and Balakot in 2005.
He informed that the Jamaat-e-Islami had divided KP earthquake affected areas in three zones. In Dir upper, he said the relief operation was underway under supervision of KP Senior Minister, Inayatullah, including JI MPAs, district nazims, and other elected representatives, belonging to respective constituencies.
In Dir Lower, JI chief said the relief work is being carried under supervision of KP Minister for Finance, Muzaffar Said Advocate, which was also assisting from JI MPA, district nazims, and other elected representatives of the areas. While in Buner, Shangla, and Swat, he said the provincial Minister for Zakat, Ushr, Habibullah was given task to supervise the relief operation. Sirajul Haq said the government institutions are working under their defined Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), due to which relief activities took much time in disastrous hit regions. He said there were immense cold in earthquake affected areas of KP, as people are desperately need to provide them quilts and blankets on urgent basis, he said.
JI chief said whatever steps being taken by federal and provincial governments are not sufficient to mitigate the sufferings of the disaster-hit people, therefore he asked the both governments should formulate a joint strategy to cope with the situation, and initiated rehabilitation and restoration work in earthquake affected areas in the country. There is need to seek financial assistance for disaster-hit people from outside the world, he asked.