LAKKI MARWAT, Aug 18: Instead of mobilising its own available recourses for relief and rehabilitation of flood-hit people the government was looking towards the international community to get aid, said Pakistan Muslim League (Like-Minded) president Senator Salim Saifullah Khan here on Wednesday.

Talking to journalists after distributing relief items among the flood victims in Darra Pezu and Ghaznikhel, he said that government failed to provide relief to flood victims despite lapse of three weeks.

He said that tens of thousands of people in the country were forced to live under the open sky and as many were stranded. “But the government machinery is out of sight and people have been left on the mercy of God,” he said.

Mr Khan asked the rulers to speed up relief activities in the flood-hit areas and focus on the rehabilitation of damaged power stations, grid stations and other government installations.

“The government should put rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure on top of its priorities as repairing of damaged roads and reconstruction of bridges would enable the humanitarian organisations to have an easy access to the affected areas,” he said.

He called upon the people to fight the calamity with patience and forge unity to steer the country out of the crises. LUCKY CEMENT:

The Lucky Cement Factory deputy general manager Muhammad Anwar Tariq and manager Human Resource Colonel (retired) Mohammad Aslam handed over relief items worth Rs1 million to Lakki Marwat DCO Mohammad Ayyaz Mandokhel for distribution among the flood-affected people.

According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, the relief items include tents, bed sheets, rice, flour, ghee, pulses, matchboxes, candles, milk and tea leaves. Mr Tariq said on the occasion that Lucky Cement had constituted several committees to visit flood-hit areas in Lakki Marwat and D.I. Khan districts to collect data of the affected families.

“The exact data will help us to provide relief goods to the deserving people,” he added.