ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Friday handed over 55 satellite phone sets to the Information Technology Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari for the disaster zone.

Awais Leghari lauded the help received and coming in from the world agencies, particularly the ITU to restore and re-install the telecommunication links in the quake-hit areas.

“Restoration of telecommunication links is extremely critical for supporting the disaster relief operations in the quake-hit region and we are doing all we can with the help of world agencies to put these links back in place,” he said in a meeting with an ITU delegation led by Tai Ogunderu, who met the minister here to hand him over 55 Inmarsats satellite phone sets.

The infrastructure of highways, link roads and telecommunication is vastly damaged but we are doing all we can with the help of international community to restore telecom links to step up relief operations and rehabilitation, he said.

He told Mr Ogunderu that offers of help from the international telecommunication community were pouring in and the Special Communication Organization (SCO) tasked with providing communication services to the region had been made the focal point for all such assistance.

Awais Leghari said the SCO was doing a stellar job, but the private sector too could assist in such efforts by rolling out their operational networks as quickly as possible.

The minister noted with satisfaction the generous response by the national telecommunication industry to the disaster.