ISLAMABAD, Sept 23: The people in the quake-affected areas of the country still qualify to get Canadian immigration if they meet the criterion, Canadian High Commissioner David Collins said here on Saturday.

He was speaking to reporters after a certificate- distribution ceremony held at the conclusion of a two-week regional Advanced Drugs Intelligence Analysis Law Enforcement Course here.

Mr Collins said his government was committed to helping reunite close family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who were seriously affected by the calamity. The programme has not been rolled back. The only change is that the waiver of application processing fee and the Right of Permanent Resident earlier announced has been withdrawn, he said.

He said they had contributed 90 million Canadian dollars to the relief and rehabilitation activities. In addition, Canada will be providing another 40 million dollars to rebuild schools in the affected areas.

Answering a question about the difference between the Canadian assistance to Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said The situation in Afghanistan was much more desperate than in Pakistan. He stressed that a stable and secure Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan.

About the microfinance facility being offered by Canada in Afghanistan, he said 93 per cent of the applicants were women. He said Canada would provide one billion dollars to Afghanistan over 10 years.

Earlier, speaking at the certificate-awarding ceremony, the Canadian high commissioner emphasised the need for greater global cooperation on both operational issues and exchange of timely intelligence with regard to drug investigations and all transnational crimes. He observed that such training provided for better understanding of each country’s policies and practices as well as the challenges facing the respective drug agencies in joint investigations.

Mr Collins said the course, which was the fifth during three-and-a-half years, reflected the commitment of Canada and its international law-enforcement partners to support Pakistan in the fight against drug-trafficking. He said Pakistan and its regional partners should be commended for their efforts in the global war against drugs and that Canada was proud to be working along side them.

The course was sponsored by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Anti Narcotics Force and the Danish government. It was conducted by Canadian instructors Pierre Robert, Sean Neary and Leo Vaillant of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Course participants included law-enforcement agencies’ officials of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.