President pledges all resources to alleviate quake sufferings
By Our Special Correspondent

RAWALPINDI—President General Pervez Musharraf Monday said the Government stands resolute in the difficult hour to help alleviate the sufferings of the people affected by October 8 earthquake.
“A massive effort has already been mounted to provide needed relief to the affected people a NWFP and Azad kashmir and the Government is simultaneously charting out plans for rehabilitation the infrastructure and resettlement of the people,” he stated.
The President was speaking to Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), who along with three senior-level members of his team called on him.
President Musharraf greatly appreciated the generous response of the international community and thanked the friendly countries for their moral and material support.
On economic development, he said it is an avowed objective of the Government to distribute the benefits of recent economic gains in an equitable manner so as to reduce the discrepancies in income levels of various strata of society.
The President particularly emphasized that the Government is pursuing a social intervention package including supply of clean water,rural health care and microfinance facilities to improve the quality of life of the lower income groups.
He also emphasized that the Government is focussed on attracting investment to achieve these objectives as soon as possible.
Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, expressed his profound sympathies with the people and Government of Pakistan over the devastation caused by the earthquake of October 8, which resulted in loss of precious lives and destruction of properties and infrastructure across NWFP and Azad Kashmir.
He appreciated the Government’s rapid response to this natural calamity and also
commended the spontaneous efforts which the citizens of Pakistan have mounted to mitigate the suffering of affected population of NWFP and Azad Kashmir.
Discussing Pakistan’s economic situation, the Managing Director IMF opined that Pakistan has made remarkable economic progress in the past half decade and attended one of the made good progress on structural reforms and lauded Government’s resolve to carry forward the reform process in the future.
He appreciated the recent efforts of the government of Pakistan to enhance supplies and tight monetary policy in order to reduce inflation.
The President welcomed that Managing Director’s visit to Islamabad and thanked him for his words of sympathy for the victims of the earthquake of October 8, 2005.