UK MPs assure support to help quake victims

LONDON—British MPs hailing from mainstream political parties and Leader of House of Lords Baroness Valerie Amos assured Islamabad’s envoy to Britain Dr. Maleeha Lodhi of extending every possible help for the quake victims.
The leader of House of Lords Baroness Amos, chairperson of All Party Pakistan Parliamentary Group in the House of Commons Terry Rooney and Chairperson of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the Commons Morgaret Moran were speaking at a meeting convened by Dr. Lodhi at Pakistan High Commission to seek their support for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the quake-stricken people here on Tuesday.
Despite the House of Commons in session, it was attended by over thirty British MPs belonging to major British political parties. In her brief remarks Baroness Amos said British Government was talking to the United Nations and its partners in the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Union and other Non-Governmental Organizations to emphasize that they should not only identify the problems of the quake-victims but also take practical steps for their rehabilitation.
Britain and Pakistan enjoyed very close relations, Amos said, adding she would ensure that pressure was maintained to ensure a sustained international efforts for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people. She said many British nationals were quite concerned over the devastation wrought by the calamity on of Oct 8.
Declaring the situation as very grave and urgent Pakistan’s envoy to London Dr. Maleeha urged British MPS to do three things necessary to help the affected people. While appreciating generous assistance from the UK, she appealed to British MPs to use their influence on the British Government to make a long- term commitment of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected people. She told them an international donors conference had been convened by Pakistan in Islamabad on Nov 19 which would be opened by President Pervez Musharraf while UN Secretary General Kofi Annan would attend it.
Secondly she urged them to bring the focus on the scale of disaster brought about by the quake through creating more awareness because the media attention was drifting away. She heaped praise on the mainstream British media to run the Disaster Emergency Committee’s appeal for donations as well as their own calls for giving money for the relief work.—APP