PML, JI, MQM join relief effort
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Muslim League has established PML National Relief Camp at its head office in Islamabad to help the earthquake victims in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, NWFP and Northern Areas.
Mr. Imtiaz Ranjha, the Secretary Finance and Political Affairs of PML said Senator Nisar Memon has been nominated as the coordinator of the camp established on the direction of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
The PML president who is on his way back from London after cancellation of the walima of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’ son has announced to donate Rs 10 million from his personal account to the PML National Relief Camp.
Mr. Ranjha expressed sympathies with the families hurt by the earthquake on the behalf of PML and assured them that the party will mobilise all its resources to help them out.
Terming earthquake of Saturday a national tragedy, he appealed the people to come forward and help the unfortunate people in their testing hours by contributing food, medicine, blankets and camps.
These relief goods will be collected at PML House round the clock.
Meanwhile the Secretary General Pakistan Muslim League has asked party workers to show solidarity with earthquake victims and take part in the relief efforts for their rehabilitation. He appealed the workers of the party to cancel Iftar parties and celebrate Eid with simplicity. He asked them to spend the money saved through this practice to help the poor people of NWFP, AJK and Northern Areas who have been hurt by earthquake of Saturday. He further said that a relief camp has been established at PML House in Islamabad where food, medicine, blankets and camps will be collected for the earthquake victims.
A 6-member MQM delegation led by party parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar met Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Sunday in Prime Minister House and presented a cheque amounting to Rs 5 million for Disaster Relief Fund set up for quake affectees. Minister for communication Shamim Siddiqui and minister for ports and shipping Babar Khan Ghauri were also included in the delegation.
The delegation told on the occasion that MQM soon after receipt of reports of earthquake reactivated its Khidmat-e-Khalaq Foundation and relief camps have been established as many as 50 in Karachi, 25 in interior Sindh and 10 in Punjab. Party is also dispatching medicines valuing Rs 10 million and two teams of doctors to Azad Kashmir. Prime Minister thanked the delegation and appreciated the spirit demonstrated by MQM and party leader Altaf Hussain.
Our Lahore Bureau adds: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan has set up 175 million rupees Relief Fund for the earthquake victims across Pakistan. Thirty truck-loads of food items, medicines, blankets, clothes and tents have been dispatched from Karachi while five trucks carrying identical relief goods load left Lahore for NWFP and AJK to meet the emergency needs of quake-hit people in these areas.
Besides, Alkhidmat Foundation is setting up tentage village to provide shelter to affected people. They will also set up make-shift hospitals in the compounds of collapsed civil and military hospitals in the tremor-hit areas.
Former Nazim Karachi Naimatullah Khan coupled with other JI leaders will supervise the relief operation which was kicked off immediately after the disastrous earthquake, Qazi Hussain Ahmed told a hurriedly called press conference at party headquarters Mansoorah on Sunday evening.
Flanked by JI secretary-general Syed Munawar Hasan and Al-Khidmat Foundation secretary-general Ehsanullah Waqas, MPA, Qazi Hussain Ahmed unveiled the details of immediately mobilized relief work being carried under the aegis of Pakistani Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) and Al-Khidmat Foundation and Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. He said a Central Relief Camp is set up at Islamabad with a Camp Office at Abbotabad. Doctors belonging to PIMA are setting up tentage hospitals in the compounds of collapsed hospitals in Azad Kashmir areas, he said.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed said Karachi Jamaat has set up 20 camps in the provincial metropolis while five camps have been set up in Lahore for the collections of cash and kind donations from the people. Such camps are also being set up in other parts of the country under the banner of district offices of the Jamaat.