KARACHI, Oct 14: Founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Altaf Hussain has appealed to the Relief Commissioner, Maj General Farooq Ahmad, to ensure food airdrops in Neelam Valley on an urgent basis.

In a statement, Mr Hussain further stated that no help or relief teams had at all reached Neelam valley as yet.

Mr Hussain said on Friday when a team of doctors and paramedics under the auspices of Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation, along with thousands of rupees of medicine and medical equipment, reached Neelam Valley on an army helicopter, all the medicine and equipment were looted on landing by the desperate people, who perhaps thought that those were food provisions.

It was, therefore, necessary that food provisions should be air-dropped first before the arrival of MQM team of doctors and rescue workers. He also called for providing security to the MQM team of doctors.

Meanwhile, MQM’s KKF has despatched more relief items to the quake-hit areas with the assistance of the military. From Karachi alone, 313 trucks had been sent so far with provisions for the quake victims.

On Friday, it sent 26 trucks loaded with relief items to the army’s Central Ordnance Depot from where it was sent to the affected areas through train. Ten trawlers, loaded with relief items worth 40 million rupees, were sent to the affected areas form Sukkur and Hyderabad.

On Thursday night, MQM ferried 287 trucks and small Suzuki vans to the COD. Deputy convenor of the party, Dr Farooq Sattar visited the COD and PAF base to monitor the relief work. He was accompanied by provincial ministers Qamar Mansoor, Shoaib Bokhari, Abdul Quddoos and newly-elected Nazim of City District government of Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal. He directed the party activists to fully cooperate with military officials.

The MQM medical teams in Abottabad distributed medicines among the affected people.