President urges donors for aid with open hearts
Promises transparent utilization
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday appealed to the world community, international financial institutions and donors to participate in the November 19 international conference in a big way to support Pakistan financially in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged areas.
Speaking to Islamabad-based envoys at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President presented an assessment of the damages and called for generous assistance both in cash and kind, while also assuring complete transparency in the disbursement of the funds.
He however observed that financial contribution would be preferable as it would give flexibility in carrying out large-scale rebuilding on egalitarian basis for quake survivors in the mountainous area, shattered by 7.6-magnitude October 8 earthquake.
“We will welcome assistance in kind such as sponsorship of houses, schools, hospitals or even villages - but financial assistance will help us build housing and infrastructure on equal basis for all,” he said ahead of the conference Pakistan is hosting to muster sustained international support in the massive reconstruction phase.
He said the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and Pakistan are jointly working out the cost of reconstruction.
President Musharraf stressed that the entire process from collection of funds to their disbursement would be transparent and all finances would be accounted for through audit.
In this context, he said committees comprising elected representatives, local government representatives, Pakistan Army officers and revenue officials would be engaged in the process of disbursement of funds to avert any chances of misappropriation.
He informed the envoys that a precise database is being compiled for determining the number of houses, health facilities, educational institutions etc in each village, tehsil and district.
On raising various kinds of infrastructure all over the quake zone, he said it would be need-based as the Government wants to improve the quality of life in the affected region and not just restore the old facilities.
In this regard, he said, a colossal task is rebuilding roads and bridges destroyed in the calamity in the vast mountainous regions of NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, the Government would prioritize provision of safe drinking water, electricity and gas to the people, President Musharraf said.
He said the provision of gas would help stem deforestation in the areas as people
would be able to use inexpensive fuel to meet their energy requirements.
Dilating on rehabilitation, the President said the Government would also focus on restoring lives of vulnerable segments including orphaned children and amputees and lodge them at a large facility, close to the capital, where they will have access to healthcare, education and other support.
He disclosed that rehabilitation centres, to be known as “Aashiana,” would house the people left destitute, including widows, in the country’s worst natural disaster.
President Musharraf also spoke of engaging the country’s youth and professionals in the reconstruction phase through a national volunteers movement. These volunteers would join Pakistan Army in assisting the people to restart their lives.
He expressed Pakistan’s gratitude to the international community for extending prompt assistance in rescue and relief operations and said the country alone could not have managed the task of unprecedented proportions.