BATTAGRAM, Oct 24: A number of religious groups and parties are actively working in quake-affected areas, providing relief to people. Thousands of volunteers from these organizations are in the field, helping the civil and military authorities in the work of relief and rehabilitation.

Besides the Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamaatud Dawa, groups such as Millat-i-Islamia, Dawat-i-Islami, Tehrik Minhajul Quran, Tableeghi Jamaat, Muslim Hands, Jamiat Ahle Hadis, Islamic Relief Pakistan, Islamic Relief Organization of London, Sunni Tehrik, Al-Rasheed Trust of Karachi, Anjuman Talaba-i-Islam (Noorani group), Jamiat Talaba-i-Islam and Islami Jamiat Talaba have also been playing an active role and taking relief goods to survivors.

Most of these organizations have set up their distribution points which receive supplies from their collection centres in various parts of the country.

The Al-Khidmat Foundation of the Jamaat and Jamaatud Dawa have sent a large numbers of volunteers to the areas and set up a number of field hospitals. Jamaatud Dawa’s hospital at Muzaffarabad offers orthopaedic surgery, vaccination and other services.

“We have arranged a well-equipped operation theatre which is on its way to Muzaffarabad. We have also made arrangements for two motorboats to bring survivors from villages across the Neelum River which are cut off from other areas because of landslides,” said Javedul Hassan, head of the Jamaatud Dawa’s Muzaffarabad camp.

At the Muzaffarabad field hospital of Jamaatud Dawa, a team of surgeons from Indonesia carried out 21 operations in one day.

Similarly, the Al-Khidmat Foundation has set up well-equipped field hospitals in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Balakot, Battagram, Batal and other areas.

Mohammed Riaz, in-charge of JI’s relief camp in Battagram, told Dawn that the party had also set up medical camps in the Baania, Shamlay, Banna and Batta Mool areas. Each of such camps has been provided with an ambulance. Besides, medical teams are sent to villages not accessible by road.

“Sometimes we work in coordination with military authorities to help victims in an effective manner,” said Jamaatud Dawa spokesman Mohammed Yahya Mujahid.

Mr Mujahid denied any link between the banned Lashkar-i-Tayyaba and his organization.