MULTAN, Feb 9: The Jamaat-i-Islami will establish a hospital in Multan within a year.

This was stated by JI Naib Amir and MNA Liaquat Baloch on Saturday. He was briefing local newsmen about the services the Jamaat has been rendering to the humanity under the banner of Al-Khidmat Foundation.

He said that the foundation had spent more than Rs1 billion in the service of humanity in a year — for health, education, women welfare and relief work in calamity-hit areas.

He said that the foundation was running four free dispensaries in Multan and some 25,000 patients had benefited from them.

He said the JI would set up 5,000 hide collection camps across the country on the eve of Eidul Azha.

The Jamaat volunteers would perform duties at the collection centres for three days.

He said the foundation also launched campaigns to gather funds for the oppressed Muslims of Kashmir and Palestine.

Giving details of the foundation’s work in Kandhar, Spinboldak, Jalalabad and Kabul areas of war-torn Afghanistan, he said the United Nations and the Pakistan government had appreciated Al-Khidmat’s role there.

Liaquat Baloch is the central president of the Al-Khidmat Foundation.

decision hailed: The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association has welcomed the decision of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan to start procurement of clean cotton at a premium rate.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, PCGA chairman Khalid Rasheed Chaudhry said although the corporation’s entry to the market this season was late but it was expected to have a positive impact viz-a-viz price of the remaining lots and quality of the ginning.

He urged the TCP to remain in the market to act as a stabilization factor to benefit all the segments of the cotton trade. He assured that the ginners were trying their best to improve quality of cotton by reducing the elements of contamination during the ginning process.

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan has intended to procure clean cotton from the ginners registered with it in Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Ghotki and Nasirabad at a price of Rs2,459 per 40kg (Rs2,295 per maund) besides paying extra premium ranging from Rs33 to Rs160 per maund.