Damaged educational facilities restoration top priority: PM
By Asim Hussain

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday announced that schools in earthquake affected areas would start functioning from next week and necessary arrangements are being taken in this regard.
Talking to newsmen after visiting Cantt General Hospital Rawalpindi, the Prime Minister said he had talked to Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Sikandar Hayat and Chief Minister NWFP Durrani to take appropriate measures to revive schools in the quake hit areas.
The Prime Minister said 250 big tents for fifty children each capacity are being dispatched by the Federal government to open schools in the affected areas so that there could be no disturbance in the study of the children. He said that tents would be reached in the affected areas of Muzaffarabad, Balakot and other areas for opening of the schools.
Appreciating the efforts of Pakistan army and other NGOs for helping the victims of earthquake especially in providing medical treatment at this Cantt General Hospital, the Prime Minister announced Rs. 50 million grant immediately as medical facilities for the injured.
Prime Minister appreciated the dedication and commitment of the doctors belonging to civil and military and foreign doctors including from South Africa and Cuba who had been working with missionary zeal in the hospital.
The Prime Minister also ensured to provide full financial assistance and latest medical equipments to the hospital to make it fully functional for the treatment of the earthquake victims.
The Prime Minister said relief and rehabilitation work is in full swing and routine life is coming back with gradual improvement on daily basis.
He said the government has enhanced the pace of rehabilitation work and providing temporary shelters to the affected people. He said many brotherly countries including UAE had engaged actively to build new hospitals in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot. The hundred bed hospital with the cooperation of UAE in Rawalakot would be ready within four to five months.
Shaukat Aziz said the rehabilitation work has entered in next phase where besides field hospitals, many other infrastructure of the damaged hospitals is being repaired.
Basic needs like electricity, roads and water supply are improving in the affected areas and life in Muzaffarabad and other big cities is going towards normal with these relief measures.
Reply to a question, the Prime Minister said Pakistan has already submitted a formal proposal to India to open Line of Control at five points to allow relatives living across the LoC to meet each other in this critical time but Pakistan is still waiting reply from India.
He said President Pervez Musharraf extended the offer with good intention, now it is the responsibility of India to accept it to pave the way for meeting the Kashmiris living across the LoC.
He said that Pakistan is ready to provide relief goods to the Kashmiris living in Occupied areas who have been affected with October 8 earthquake and similarly there is no harm to receive the help from them.
Shaukat Aziz said that Prime Minister of AJK is inaugurating a relief camp in Muzaffarabad today to collect relief goods for the affected people of Occupied Kashmir.
Replying to question about the demand of tents in the affected areas, the Prime Minister said government is actively engaged to provide maximum number of tents to the affected people. He said ten thousand of tents from being brought from Jeddah while NATO is bringing thousands of tents from Turkey. He said the tent manufacturers in Pakistan has offered their whole capacity to the government and added that very soon the government will buy seven thousand tents daily from them to meet the shortage in the affected areas.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that the requirements of the tents for all the affected areas would be met by November 15. He said the brotherly country Turkey has also ordered manufacturing of one million tents for Pakistan.
Shaukat Aziz said with the help of Pakistan army, NGOs and international organizations there has been no shortage of food and medicines in the affected areas although it is worst than the Tsunami.
He appreciated the enthusiasm and dedication of the people shown in the help of their brothers who were affected due to the earthquake.
Earlier, the Prime Minister alongwith Federal Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Minister for Health Muhammad Nasir, Minister of State for Health Shehnaz Sheikh, Minister for State for Overseas Pakistanis Tariq Azim and Secretary Health Syed Anwar Mahmood visited different wards of the hospitals and enquired about the health of the patients.
The Prime Minister inquired about the medical facilities being provided to the injured and directed the hospital administration to ensure the continuity of it.