KARACHI, Oct 11: Continuous rain and hailstorm after the killer earthquake was impeding relief operations in the Azad Kashmir, the NWFP and other areas and relief teams were finding it difficult to reach the victims.

This was stated by the Deputy Convenor of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Dr Farooq Sattar, at a news conference at the Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation (KKF) on Tuesday evening.

He said that to deal with the situation, a large number of volunteers would be required and the MQM had called an emergency meeting of its coordination committees in Karachi and London to work out a strategy for accelerating the relief operation.

He said that a 10-member team of doctors and paramedical staff of the MQM’s KKF had left on Monday night for providing medical aid to the victims of Mansehra, Abbotabad and Balakot.

The team, comprising four doctors and six paramedical members, also took with them medicines worth Rs2 million to the earthquake-hit areas.

He informed that two medical teams comprising 20 doctors and paramedical staff had reached Azad Kashmir. From there, one team will move to Balakot. Yet, another team of 10 doctors and paramedical staff was also being despatched, he said.

Dr Farooq said that over 100 relief camps, set up by the MQM in Sindh, had collected relief goods worth Rs25 million, which included atta, rice, sugar, pulses, dry milk, tea, etc, besides medicine, blankets, tents and other related items. During the past three days, the MQM had collected relief goods worth Rs70 million.

Out of this, a Rs5 million cheque had been deposited in the President’s relief fund for the earthquake victims. While medicines worth Rs5 million had already been despatched to the affected areas.

By midnight on Monday, 10 truck-loads of relief items were sent by C-130 and trains.

Three trucks were sent directly to Muzaffarabad under the supervision of the MQM’s relief teams.

Dr Farooq said that by Tuesday midnight, 25 more trucks loaded with relief supplies would be despatched to the affected areas.

He said that in view of paucity of space here, it was decided that relief items collected in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah and other areas, should be sent directly to the affected areas.

Dr Farooq lauded the spirit of Karachiites in this hour of national crisis and appreciated the way the MQM cadre had responded to the call of their leader Altaf Hussain.

He said the MQM was making all-out efforts for lending assistance to earthquake-hit people, and added that all organizational activities of the party had been suspended and everyone in the party was engaged in relief works.

He specially thanked the Corps Commander, Lt-Gen Syed Athar Ali, and DG Rangers Maj-Gen Javed Zia for their cooperation with the MQM in the transportation of relief goods.

Dr Farooq said the victims of the earthquake were expecting assistance from their countrymen in this hour of trial.

He said the relief activities of the KKF were going on vigorously and in this regard they had the cooperation of newly elected Nazim of Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal, District Nazim Hyderabad Kanwar Navid Jamil, candidate for Naib-Nazim Karachi Nasreen Jalil, candidate for Naib-Nazim Hyderabad Zafar Rajput, Town Nazims Karachi Wasey Jalil, Ismail Qureshi, Hanif Surti, Maood Hayat, Col (Retd) Tahir Mashhadi, Mumtaz Hameed, Osama Qadri, Abdul Haque, Izhar Ahmed Khan, Mohammed Dilawar and others.

He appealed to the people to celebrate eid with simplicity and cut down their Ramazan expenses and help the distressed people.

A large number of people were coming to donate blood for the earthquake-hit people in Azad Kashmir, Hazara Division, Northern Areas and the NWFP, he said, adding that about 210 pints of blood were donated at the MQM’s blood collection point at the Central Office of the KKF.

The donated blood was handed over to the Fathmid Foundation to get them to the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Planning and Development Minister, Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari, donated relief goods from the MQM at the COD.

DG Rangers Sindh Maj-Gen Javed Zia was supervising the loading of relief goods on trucks and trailers.

The MQM has also established eight relief camps in various cities of Punjab.