PESHAWAR, Oct 31: NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq has regretted what he calls cool response of the world community to suffering of the people affected by the October 8 earthquake.

The world has failed to respond to vast devastations and human losses caused by the earthquake, he said while addressing the launching of a donation campaign of the Al-Khidmat Foundation (AKF) at the Markaz-e-Mashawarat here on Monday. In the ceremony local philanthropists donated Rs11.5 million while Rs10,000 were announced by the Khyber Union of Journalists.

“We expect generous help from the Muslim world and not from Israel and we hope that in such circumstances the Muslims will not disappoint us”, Mr Haq added.

He said that the quake had hit Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Shangla and Kohistan districts of the NWFP and AJK.

He said more than 3.6 million persons had been affected over 16,923 square kilometres area. 38,600 persons had perished and 30,000 were injured in 186 union councils of NWFP while the figures were soaring day by day.

Similarly 300,000 houses were destroyed while Rs43 billion damages were caused to private properties and Rs17 billion to the public property.

He said the injured were being treated and children educated in tents in the destroyed cities and towns. He deplored that the relief was even less than 12 per cent of the actual requirements. He said only 10-12 per cent people got tents while 90 per cent were staying in open, waiting for shelter. He said people of the adjacent localities, including Peshawar, had to extend further help. He asked the Peshawarites to fulfil their foremost duty and extend generous donations. He revealed that the AKF had decided to feed 40,000 affected families for one month and for this purpose it needed Rs120 million.

Mr Haq paid rich tributes to relief workers and volunteers, adding that AKF activists were even martyred and inured in this great mission. He said the quake-hit people had the first right to Fitrana and requested all Pakistanis to deposit their Fitrana and donations with AKF.

US-based Muslim scholar Khalid Simli, who also addressed the ceremony, said that people across the world had been saddened by the tragedy in Pakistan.

He said he had established ‘Kind Heart’, a community-based NGO in America which, he said, was working in collaboration with the AKF.

MNA Sabir Hussain Awan and AKF’s coordinator Dr Iqbal Khalil also addressed the ceremony.