October 09, 2007	Tuesday	Ramazan 26, 1428

LAHORE, Oct 8: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has called upon the government to apprise the people where billions of rupees, donated by governments and other organisations from all over the world to the victims of the Oct 8, 2005, earthquake, had been spent.

In a press statement issued here on Monday, Mr Khan claimed the world governments and donor agencies had donated around Rs82 billion besides other help to rehabilitate the earthquake victims. Similarly, the entire nation extended their helping hand to their brethren in distress by providing them financial as well as material aid worth billions of rupees.

Since not much had been done by the regime to rehabilitate the quake affectees, it could safely be construed that the massive relief money had been misappropriated, he added.

He said millions of the affectees continued to live in miseries in the quake-hit areas, and all the government

claims regarding their rehabilitation had proved to be a mere fraud.

“It is ironic that Gen Pervez Musharraf and his cronies have not spared even the relief money to utilise it to promoter their political interests; it is simply shameful,” he said.

The PTI chief also criticised the regime for its army operations in tribal areas. According to him, the regime had engaged the army to kill their brethren to appease Washington only to perpetuate its rule.

He said the army operations in tribal areas and in Balochistan had endangered the security of the country and the federation was growing weaker with every passing day.