Karzai assures all-out help for quake rehabilitation
By Uzma Zafar

ISLAMABAD—Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed deep sorrow with the Pakistan government and people on the quake disaster during a visit here Monday and assured full support and help in rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
The Afghan President met President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, conveying his country’s solidarity with the brotherly neighbour.
Talking to reporters after the meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at the PM House, he said he came here personally to express Afghan people’s profound sense of sorrow over the heavy loss of life and damage to infrastructure.
Afghanistan has already announced half a million dollars in, besides four helicopters, 30 tonnes of dry fruit and 35-member rescue and relief team for Pakistan. It observed three-day mourning after the October 8 earthquake.
President Karzai said he wanted to come here the next day after the quake but decided to delay the visit as Pakistani leadership, government and people were busy in immediate relief and rescue operation.
He said Afghan people for over 30 years had seen the best hospitality from brothers and sisters in Pakistan, which would be remembered for ever.
He said it had been confirmed that 100 Afghan refugees had also died in the quake, adding that the Pakistan government had been taking good care of the injured refugees.
If the injured Afghans wanted to come to Afghanistan, his government would provide them all assistance, he added.
Appreciating the good work of the NGOs in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, he expressed the hope that they would do the same good work in Pakistan’s earthquake affected areas.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz thanked the Afghan President for his visit and support at a time time when Pakistan is going through the aftermath of a major disaster.
He informed the Afghan President that Pakistan has to face great and immense challenges of rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan would learn from Afghanistan’s experiences and added it would work closely with the neighbour for building peaceful, progressive and vibrant Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan was depending on its friends like Afghanistan and appreciated Kabul’s prompt sympathy and help for earthquake victims.
The Prime Minister said Afghanistan government had sent financial assistance, relief goods, helicopters, teams of doctors and officials to help the relief and rescue efforts.
“We are really touched by the feelings of the people of Afghanistan,” he said, and adding that the people of Pakistan would remember the visit of President Karzai at this time for sharing the grief and helping relief efforts.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan and Afghanistan have deep relations rooted in common history, culture and religion and ties in commerce, trade and many other areas were steadily growing.
He said Pakistan firmly believes that a strong, stable Afghanistan is good for its own people, good for its neighbours like Pakistan and good for the world.
Shaukat Aziz said, “We in Pakistan are committed to supporting Afghanistan in any way; we are very pleased that the trade between the two countries has crossed dollars 1.2 billions and is rising”.
The Prime Minister said both Pakistan and Afghanistan have shared views on major international issues. “We both believe in peace in the region and peace in the two countries”.
He said both the countries are also committed to ensuring security and fighting terrorism across the world and in the region. Shaukat Aziz said the Joint Economic Commission would meet in January to further promote bilateral trade.