LAHORE, Oct 15: Praising the national unity at this hour of tragedy, the PPP leaders at two separate news conferences in the city on Saturday enumerated the relief activities being carried out by the party in the quake-stricken Azad Kashmir and the way the victims were being reached out.
Central secretary-general Jehangir Badr and Munawwar Anjum said Ms Benazir Bhutto had made arrangements to provide food to the people affected in Muzaffarabad, Mansehra and Balakot. At least 200 “degs” of food were being arranged every day and the service would continue till the victims made their own arrangements, they said.
Provincial information secretary Naveed Chaudhry gave details of the relief activities, as decided at a meeting of the party’s provincial executive under the chairmanship of Qasim Zia. Media adviser Iqbal Sialvi accompanied him at the pre-Iftar news conference.
Mr Badr said all relief goods were sent to the party’s central organization in Islamabad which distributed them to the victims identified by the AJKPP leaders who knew better which areas had been hit hardest and needed urgent help.
According to Mr Badr, the PPP chairperson, in addition to donating Rs5 million from her own pocket, had also sent 10,000 jackets of various sizes, shawls, warm clothing and mats.
Some 350 volunteers from Sindh were reaching Mansehra and Muzaffarabad to take part in the relief activities.
Ms Bhutto, Badr said, had directed the party to celebrate Eid only as a religious ritual and donate the money meant for the ceremony to the relief fund.
The PPP chairperson, he said, had also opened an account in banks where donations could be made in dollars and euros.
Mr Badr said for the time being the party had suspended all political activities to be able to concentrate on the relief activities.
Naveed Chaudhry said 200 truckloads had been sent to the affected areas.
He said the provincial executive was of the view that the government had failed to devise a national strategy to deal with the tragedy. The confusion among the government ranks was manifested by the conflicting fatalities’ figures being given to the media. One day, he said, the government claimed 25,000 people had been killed and then it said the toll was 38,000.
Mr Chaudhry said when the enormity of the tragedy was not clear, proper planning could not be expected from the government.
According to him, the government had received Rs40 billion in foreign assistance but it did not know how to spend the amount. He underlined the need for the formation of a bipartisan parliamentary committee for the purpose.
Referring to the Oct 12 National Security Council meeting, the PPP leader said it had served no useful purpose nor had it taken any important decision. The meeting, he said, was a lame attempt at dividing the opposition parties.
The PPP leader said the needy would not get assistance nor reconstruction process would be possible unless the government took the opposition along.