President monitors relief activities in flood hit areas

ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday visited various flood-affected areas of Sindh through satellite video conferencing and interacted with the elected representatives and government officials to monitor flood relief activities in the province. The President focused on the drainage issue, availability of seeds for the Rabi crop 2011-12 and distribution of Pakistan Cards among the flood affectees. During video conferencing, the fifth in series, held at the special Flood Control Cell of Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President visited districts of Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tando Allah Yar, Mirpurkhas, Matiari and Umerkot.Those who were present during the video conferencing included among others Information Minister Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Minister for Water and Power, Syed Naveed Qamar, Secretary General Salman Faruqui, Farahnaz Ispahani, Fouzia Wahab, Mehreen Anwer Raja, Secretary Information Taimur Azmat Osman, Chairman NDMA Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qadir, Chairman NADRA Ali Arshad Hakeem, Chairman PARC Dr.  Iftikhar Ahmed and other senior officials.Read More...

Meeting challenges by devastating floods huge undertaking : Dr. Firdous

ISLAMABAD, Oct 17 (APP): Meeting the daunting challenges posed by the devastating floods on both socio-economic and human fronts is a huge undertaking and certainly beyond the capacity of any single nation.This was stated by Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting while speaking at a reception which was attended by a large gathering of Pakistani community members and media representatives at Mubarik Centre, Sharjah, said a press release here Monday.The Information Minister said that it was hallmark of the great nations that they face calamities with courage and fortitude and Pakistan’s history witnessed and people of Pakistan have proved that they are brave nation and are fully capable to overcome all crises.Read More....

Pakistan’s Information Minister launches flood appeal on Turkish media

ISTANBUL, Oct 14 (APP)  Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan here Thursday night launched an appeal to help the 2011 monsoon flood victims of Pakistan. The appeal was launched at Samanyolu television of Turkey in collaboration with Turkey’s leading NGO Kimse Yok Mu. The Minister spoke about the magnitude of the floods and the expectations from the international community. She said Pakistan  has appealed for US $ 357 million through United Nations and it has great expectations from Turkey. “Recent floods are huge catastrophe and Pakistan government cannot handle it alone because war against terrorism and consecutive floods have stretched our capacities and resources Dr Awan said, according to a message received here on Friday.Read More.....

President monitors flood relief activities in Mirpurkhas Division through video conferencing

ISLAMABAD,Oct 10 (APP):President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday visited and interacted with the elected representatives as well as government officials concerned of the flood affected areas of Sindh and monitored the flood relief activities through satellite video conferencing from the special Flood Control Cell of Aiwan-e-Sadr. Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that on the directions of President, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and relevant provincial ministers, including those of Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), were encamped in Mirpurkhas to discuss issues about Mirpurkhas division comprising of Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Sanghar and Umerkot via video conferencing.Read More......

Officials to accelerate pace of road network restoration in rain hit areas

SHAHDADPUR, Oct 7 (APP): The Chairman Senate, Farooq H. Naek has directed the concerned officials to expedite pace of road network restoration in the flood affected areas of Sindh.During his visit to Shadadpur on Friday, he took strong exception to the complaints that inundated roads, connecting rain hit areas with other parts of the province was a hindrance in the ongoing relief work in the areas in need.Talking to media, after distribution of food packs and other essential items among the flood victims in the relief camps, he said most parts of Sanghar district, including Shadadpur, continues to remain submerged due to unexpected intensity of downpour as well as encroachment on rain drains that hindered easy flow of water into the sea.
“The government is fully conscious of its responsibilities and has initiated emergency measures for drainage of the water,” he told the journalists.Read More.....

Senate Chairman distributes relief goods among rain victims

NAWABSHAH, Oct 7 (APP): Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek said that Senate distributed Rs. 20 million relief material among the rain-hit people.He was talking to media after distribution of relief material at a relief camp at Nawabshah on Friday.Senator Dr Seemeen of PML(Q), Senator Khalid Mehmood Soomro of JUI-F and Senator Abdul Haseeb of MQM were present on the occasion.Chairman Senate said that Senate is symbol of Federation and Senate members at this time are present at Nawabshah- the home town of President Asif Ali Zardari.
He said that the President is personally overseeing the relief activities.Farooq Naek stated that relief work is in progress wherever the Senate team visited the site.He said that floods caused heavy damages,infrastructure has collapsed, schools and college building have damaged. Read More.......

President discusses charity campaign for flood victims with Shoaib, Sania

ISLAMABAD, Sept 29 (APP): Cricketer Shoaib Malik and his wife tennis star Sania Mirza called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday and discussed with him their charity campaign and efforts aimed at raising funds for the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in Pakistan.Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza while expressing profound grief over the devastation caused by the recent floods in Pakistan, said that they would launch a fund raising campaign within and outside the country to help their Pakistani brothers and sisters in this hour of need. Read More.....

President for transparency in purchases, supplies for flood victims

ISLAMABAD, Sept 28 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday directed the Sindh Government to keep an eye on the prices and quality of medicines and other supplies for the flood victims and make available all procurement orders on internet for the sake of transparency and public information. This he said while visiting and interacting with elected representatives and government officials of some most affected rain-hit areas of Sindh through special video conferencing room set up here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr and monitoring relief work in around dozen of districts in Sindh. Read More....

Benazirabad flood victims to get 10,000 houses on President Zardari’s order

NAWABSHAH, Sept 27 (APP): On the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari 10,000 houses would be constructed for the rain-hit people in district Shaheed Benazirabad, where all basic amenities would be provided. This was said by Ziaul Hasan Lanjar Coordinator to MNA Faryal Talpur while talking to media at Nawabshah Press Club here on Tuesday. Read More......

France to give Rs 60 million to NDMA, Rs 30 million to NGOs for flood relief

ISLAMABAD, Sep 26 (APP): France will provide 60 million rupees to National Disaster Management Authority and 10 million rupees each to three non-governmental organizations in Pakistan, as flood relief assistance. The assistance comprises shelters (tents, blankets, tarpaulins) for 700 families; two water purification plants and other related material (tanks, jerrycans, water purification tablets) which will provide drinkable water to 40,000 people daily and 1.2 tons of medicines. Read More....

Zubia Rubab Malik MPA presents Rs.one million cheque for flood-victims

ISLAMABAD, Sept 26 (APP): Ms. Zubia Rubab Malik, MPA,PML(Q) on Monday presented a cheque for Rs.one million to the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in Prime Minister’s Relief Fund 2011 for flood-victim at Prime Minister’s House. The Prime Minister appreciated the humanitarian gesture of the MPA and  also her offer to volunteer herself for any national service. He maintained  that this gesture will help mitigate the sufferings of the rain victims of  Sindh.Read More.....

People should donate generously in PM’s relief fund: Dr Firdous

SIALKOT, Sept 25 (APP): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that PPP-led government is utilizing an hefty amount on the uplift of rural areas across the country.Talking to women after inaugurating the sui gas projects in adjoining village Chak Kareem here on Sunday, she said that the provision of basic amenities like sui gas, electricity and means of communication was top priority of the government.It was credit of the people’s government which provided the facilities in remote and politically neglected areas across the country, she said. “We believe in practical work to resolve people’s problems on priority basis in the country,” she said.Read More.....

President says rain havoc in Sindh a wake up call

KARACHI, Sept 23 (APP):  President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said that the havoc caused by floods during the last two years was a wake-up call for everyone to search for permanent solutions to natural disasters rooted in climate change.He also called upon the national and international experts and the United Nations (UN) agencies to devise workable and practicable plans for countering the vagaries of climate change.The President was addressing representatives of various UN agencies engaged in relief and rehabilitation work in Sindh, at Bilawal House here on Friday.Spokesman to the President Farhatullah Babar said that the UN agencies and donors, whose representatives attended the meeting, included UNICEF, WHO, FAO, UNHCR, USAID, WFP and UN Habitat among others.Read More.....

Dr. Firdous urges media to highlight plight of flood victims

SANGHAR, Sept 23 (APP): Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan Friday urged the media to highlight the plight of the flood affected people so that international community could realise the gravity of the situation and extend assistance to them.“This year the nature of the disaster and its magnitude is different as compared to last year’s floods,” she told reporters during a visit of a relief camp established at Government Higher Secondary School Sibghatullah Shaheed located on Mirpurkhas-Sanghar Road. Read More....

Zardari monitors flood relief operation in Sindh for third consecutive day

KARACHI, Sept 22 (APP)-President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday personally monitored progress of relief and rehabilitation measures for  rain and flood victims in Umerkot, Thatta and Tando Allahyar districts of Sindh for the third consecutive day, through video conference facility set up here in Bilawal House.Public representatives of the respective areas including Members of National Assembly (MNAs) and Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) and district officials were present in the monitoring cells in Sanghar and Umarkot to take questions, make suggestions and explain plans for the future.Sindh  Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan was also present with the President in the Special Control Room. Read More.....

NA standing committee members to raise funds for flood victims

ISLAMABAD, Sep 22 (APP): National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Thursday decided that the actively would take part in fund raising campaign for flood victims and would visit the flood-ravaged areas of Sindh and each member would contribute Rs 25,000 to Prime Minister’s flood relief fund.The decision was made during the meeting of the committee chaired by its Chairperson Belum Hasnain,MNA. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan informed the meeting that the Federal Cabinet members have decided to donate one month salary in the PM’s flood relief fund. Read More....