Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday expressed confidence that the world community would step forward and extend full support to Pakistan in rebuilding and rehabilitating its over 3.5 million people, rendered homeless by the October 8 earthquake.
"We have to provide shelter to the homeless, hospitals, schools, roads, water and sanitation and the most important of all to help the traumatised people begin a new life, Shaukat Aziz told reporters at Kufalgarh, a village perched up in the mountains near Bagh.
Pakistan is hosting an international donors conference on November 19 to seek long term support of the world community in rebuilding the devastated areas in AJK and NWFP.
"We are hopeful that the world community will step forward," the Prime Minister said.
He said according to the damage assessment report, Pakistan requires 5.2 billion dollars, including $3.5 billion for reconstruction and 1.7 billion dollars for relief and rehabilitation.
With the noise of overhead helicopters heading with the relief goods to the forward areas, he said delegations from over 60 countries and many international organisations will attend the conference and visit the devastated areas to personally assess the situation.
The Prime Minister said provision of shelter to the homeless was a major challenge the government was facing, owing to the inaccessibility of the area before the first winter snowing.
Shaukat Aziz, accompanied by AJ&K President Sardar Mohammad Anwar and Premier Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Faisal Saleh Hayat and Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Jatoi, earlier visited a shelter house.
The houses have been constructed by using wooden planks plastered with mud as walls and timber beams to hold the steel sheets for roof.
Around 6000 of such houses are being built by an NGO Muslim Hands of UK with the support of Helpers Foundation to provide better shelter and cover to the people from the harsh winters.
The Prime Minister appreciated the spirit of community mobilisation for construction and also the effort put in by the NGO.
He was also informed that the government had asked the people to construct walls of cement blocks, stones or bricks up to a height of four feet from the ground, while the rest would be of other light material to make them safer in case of earthquake.
The Prime Minister handed over keys of completed houses to the new owners. Many a women received the compensation cheques from the Prime Minister, with tears in their eyes, for the loss of their loved ones.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister prayed for those who lost their lives, for the injured still recovering and asked the people to stand united and seek Allah Almighty's help in meeting this colossal loss.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz appreciated the nation, which stood united and did all within its means to reach out to their brethren in need. "The People of Pakistan will not leave their Kashmiri brethren in this hour of need."
He also spoke high of the role of country's armed forces for rising to the occasion and reaching out to the inaccessible areas, despite their own losses.
The Prime Minister thanked the international community for rushing to help the affected people and said the people of Pakistan are grateful for this humanitarian gesture.
He later visited a tent village in Arja, tehsil Dheerkot, set up by Ameer Begum Welfare Trust.
The village is part of similar setups catering to around 1500 people in 225 tents and is being looked after by MNA Robina Shaheen Wattoo.
Addressing the gathering, Shaukat Aziz said tents were no alternative to what they had before, and assured that the government was committed to bring life back to normal and provide the people homes.
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