MMA to observe Sympathy Day with quake victims

LAHORE—Countrywide "Sympathy Day" (Youme Eisar ) will be observed across the country on Oct 8 in order to express solidarity with the quake-hit people.
This call is given by the MMA president and ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Qazi Hussain Ahmad in a press statement on Tuesday Qazi Hussain Ahmad said billion of dollars poured in the national kitty form foreign countries besides inland donations for the relief and rehabilitation of quake-hit people. He said the nation and elected representative have not been informed as to where did the government spend this money.
He said the formation of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was questioned in the very outset but military dictator did not trust any civil institution or elected forum to oversee the relief operations. General Pervez Musharraf arbitrarily appointed a serving army general head of the relief body which was answerable to none but his appointing authority. This made relief operation process shady from day one. Lauding the role of JI al-khidmat wing under the supervision of former Nazim DCG Karachi Niamatullah Khan in providing relief and later on taking care of rehabilitation of the quake-hit people Qazi Hussain Ahmad said the Al-Khidmat sent 2014 truckload of relief goods comprising food items, 40,700 tarpaulin. Besides, 18 temporary schools were set up in tents soon after the relief work started.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad said the quake-affected people are still in need of resources to rehabilitate them on permanent basis. He appealed the nation to generously donate in the earthquake fund of Al-Khidmat on Oct 8 so that miseries of the suffering people are mitigated ahead of winter and every quake-hit people gets shelter. —Agencies