April 24, 2006	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, April 23: Bosnia would rebuild a high school and a basic health unit (BHU) in the quake-hit Chatter Klas in Azad Kashmir.

Bosnia had the privilege of being the first country to be given a No-Objection Certificate by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) to undertake the reconstruction work, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s ambassador to Pakistan Damir Dzanko told this reporter on Sunday.

Mr Dzanko had taken over this assignment just before the October 8 quake and since then he had been engaged in either arranging relief for the Pakistani fellows or funds for reconstruction from Bosnia.

Merhamet Charity Foundation has been coordinating the efforts for collection of funds for the reconstruction of the girls high school.

Mr Hajrudin Sahic, chairman of the foundation, said 100,000 Euros had been collected for this purpose and this had been one of the biggest donation campaigns in Bosnia. Most of the donations came from students and the youth. “Through this fund, we have guaranteed necessary funding for the establishment of the school,” Mr Sahic said.

The foundation wants the construction of the school to be completed at the earliest and hand it over to the community before the start of next academic year.

The school having 10 classrooms and an information technology centre would be built on modern lines. The school would have capacity for 400 students. Previously, it had only four rooms. The Society of Writers of Bosnia offered full support for this project.

Bosnia’s Education Minister Prof Zijad Pasic, who was also present on the occasion, said that this school was being constructed to strengthen the bonds of fraternity between the two countries.

Speaking about collaboration between Pakistan and Bosnia in education, the minister said it was a priority of the Bosnian government to establish a stronger relationship with Pakistan’s Ministry of Education.