April 19, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 01, 1428

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MUZAFFARABAD, April 18: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) would formally hand over a prefabricated structure for the AJK Central Blood Transfusion Centre at its inauguration ceremony here on Thursday with AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan as chief guest.

Funded mainly by the Cashmere for Kashmir Foundation, the centre has been established on the premises of the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) at a cost of nearly $55,000 and will cater to the needs of the entire AJK population, IRC spokesperson Samia Ali said on Wednesday.

'Cashmere for Kashmir Foundation' is a component of the Irfan Kathwari Foundation, a charitable group formed by United States based Kashmiri leader Farooq Kathwari, founder and chairman of the Kashmir Study Group, in memory of his son, Irfan, who died in Afghanistan in 1992 at the age of 19.

In March last year, the Foundation had organised a two-day fund raising event in New York named 'Cashmere for Kashmir,' to assist in the relief and recovery efforts of the quake-devastated region of Pakistan.

Ms Ali said the prefabricated structure was a pre-requisite for the full restart of blood services to the entire AJK population since the central blood transfusion service was a referral point for the rest of laboratories at district headquarters level in AJK.

The centre will also strengthen the technical capacity and provide administrative support and logistical assistance such as reagents and equipment to laboratories at district headquarters level, she added.