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| December 5, 2001 | Wednesday | Ramazan 19, 1422 |
Minister calls for more relief efforts
ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: The Unicef executive director, Carol Bellamy, on Tuesday called on the minister for Kana and Safron, Abbas Sarfaraz Khan, and discussed issues regarding Afghan refugees, displaced persons and Unicef operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The minister underlined the need to deal with the problem of three million Afghan refugees already in Pakistan.
He said the international community should also focus on the old caseload and provide food and other facilities as being provided to the newly-displaced persons.
The minister said that the world community should enhance its financial commitments for Afghan relief efforts.
Mr Khan briefed Ms Bellamy on Pakistan’s three-pronged strategy for displaced Afghans, establishment of EDPs camps in the NWFP and Balochistan, progress of shifting of EDPs in camps, provision of food by the World Food Programme within Afghanistan, and the setting of IDPs camps in Afghanistan.
Pakistan would encourage and help all those NGOs and relief operators who were interested in working in Afghanistan and in establishing IDPs camps, he added. He hoped that the PMA would soon establish a camp for internally-displaced persons camp.
Referring to security issue in Afghanistan, the minister sought support for NGOs working under heavy bombing in Afghanistan. He also asked her to engage local staff for relief operation.
Ms Bellamy said that Unicef was working according to its mandate in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Polio vaccination, immunization and nutrition for Afghan children were being looked at by the Unicef.
Provision of water tankers, sanitation and educational facilities were also being arranged for all the EDPs and IDPs.—APP
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