PM stresses rescue in remote areas
Bureau Report

MUZAFFARABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday visited the quake devastated AJK capital to see the pace of relief work, and directed the rescue teams to rush to the inaccessible areas without any delay. “Relief measures are improving, more areas are opening up, but much work has to be done in Neelum Valley, while the Jhelum valley will open by tomorrow,” the Prime Minister told newsmen at Muzaffarabad stadium.
The collapsed building of the Muzaffarabad stadium is now being used to ferry hundreds of injured young old and children to hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and is serving as a field hospital as the city’s major hospital now lies in ruins. “This is terrible tragedy, unprecedented in country’s history,” he said and added “there is resilience in the people, there is a spirit of voluntarism and they have gelled together”.
The Prime Minister, who along with the President, is personally supervising the entire relief operation said the opening up of roads would enable the relief teams to reach to the far off areas. The Prime Minister was
briefed by the General Officer Commanding Major General Khalid Nawaz who said the relief teams urgently required tents and blankets, while heavy earth moving equipment was needed for removing the rubble and opening of minor roads.
He said there was need for setting up of field hospitals in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Murree as it was not possible to house thousands of injured in the field hospitals in Muzaffarabad and other affected areas. The GOC said one brigade each was deployed in Bagh, Neelum valley and Jhelum valley. He said the foreign teams were working in coordination with the Pakistan Army and were being sent to the remotest villages.
The Prime Minister said the airport at Muzaffarabad was operationalised but only small planes could land there but it was not suitable for the landing of C-130s. However he said these are being used for air-dropping relief goods in AJK and NWFP. When asked about the death toll he said it was hard to give an exact figure, but added that the Jhelum and Neelum valley were just opening up for the relief teams and the numbers could go up.