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Pakistanis urged to step up donations for flood victims

Officials at the Consulate General of Pakistan and Association in Dubai on Sunday said the response from the community to the disaster had not been as forthcoming as expected.

“This is one of the biggest disasters in Pakistan’s history... even worse than the 2005 earthquake,” said Inayatur Rehman, the Pakistan Association’s acting secretary general.

“People need to come out and help with whatever they can,” he said.

The consulate has authorised the association and Pakistan Social Centers in other emirates to facilitate those who wish to make donations towards this humanitarian cause. According to the UN, over 2,000 people have lost their lives and over 15 million have been displaced by the ravaging waters. The ongoing monsoon rains have further added to the misery.

The government of Pakistan has also provided preliminary guidelines for the facilitation of foreign governments, NGO’s and the Pakistani diaspora. In order to avoid wasting time and resources on transportation of relief items, the government has said it is preferable that cash donations are sent to the Pakistan National Disaster Management Fund.

The association has already sent a little over Dh200,000 in cash to its NGO in Pakistan for relief efforts. The first container full of tents, shoes, clothes and other non-perishable items is expected to leave Dubai on Monday to arrive in Pakistan’s sea port Karachi in 10-15 days.

“Nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes, loads of clothes, tents and 2,000 packets of fruit juices and other canned food stuff are being packed in the container,” he said.

The association has also called upon people to donate medicines and blankets to its Flood Relief Camp set up in its premises. Pakistani airlines have agreed to provide support, said Inayat.

Meanwhile, youngsters are spreading the word over the Internet for help. In an urgent appeal, volunteers from Pakistan Relief-Swat Donations have asked for help in the form of kind and services.

Led by Kabul Wazir Khan, the group has previously volunteered for Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Based on UN recommendations, the group is asking for non-perishable food items as well as medicines to be delivered to camps located in the affected areas.

Collections of the first shipment are being made at The Shelter starting August 7-14 from 9am till 10pm. The shelter is located Al Quoz near Mall of the Emirates.

Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large Javed Malik has also initiated a campaign to extend support to flood victims on behalf of Overseas Pakistanis living in UAE and other parts of the world.

Malik has appealed to the affluent members of the Overseas Pakistani community to rise to the occasion and support their flood-affected compatriots.

Mobisher Rabbani of the Rabbani Foundation has partnered with Human Relief Foundation to provide food, clean drinking water and medical assistance to the flood victims. “We have already given a grant to HRF and they have already started providing relief in Nowshera.”

The foundation will also launch its second project on August 12 in which youth will be given small grants empowering them to carry out relief works, said Mobisher.

The UAE’s Red Crescent Authority in coordination with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has also provided financial aid to support the international aid efforts for those affected in Pakistan. The aid is expected to benefit 25,000 affected families.

The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for humanitarian work has started distribution of emergency relief with priority in the worst-hit areas in Swat, Peshawar, Nowshera and Rajnbur and Rogan.

The aid materials include 6,000 tents, 130,000 bags of flour, 3,000 bags of lentils in addition to 15,000 food parcels containing flour, lentils, oil, sugar, and large quantities of medical supplies.

asma@khaleejtimes.com

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