A Meena Bazaar fundraiser organised by the spouses of Pakistani diplomats on Sunday raised more than Rs4 million for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Swat and adjoining areas. The event got immense response from some 5, 000 Chinese, Pakistani and foreign nationals, who made contributions, sampled Pakistan cuisine and bought Pakistani handicrafts.
Ambassador Cong Jun of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the wife of Pakistan's ambassador to China, Zohra Masood Khan jointly inaugurated the fundraiser.
Taranum Bashir attended and addressed the event as a special guest and mingled with the guests. Prior to the fundraiser, Ambassador Masood Khan and diplomats of Pakistan embassy had reached out to the Chinese and Pakistani students, academics and businessmen as well as the diplomatic corps. The result was an impressive turn out, as top diplomats and Chinese Entrepreneurs, Pakistani businessmen, bankers and airline executives, along with their families attended the event.
Pakistani students especially showed up in large numbers. Cong Jun in a moving speech said that Chinese people always stand by with their Pakistani brothers and sisters. Ambassador Khan briefed the audience about the efforts being made by the Government of Pakistan.
He said that Pakistan would rely primarily on its own resources to provide shelter, food to IDPs and take care of other humanitarian clusters such as water, health, sanitation, camp management and education. 'But the scale is so massive, as the number of IDPs are more than 3 million that we cannot do it alone. We need the help of the international community with relief, early recovery and rehabilitation.'
'In Pakistan we are fighting fierce war against terrorism. This is the threat to Pakistan, to China and to the international community,' he pointed out. Due to violent activities of militants, more than 3 million people including men, women and children have been displaced and dislocated from Swat, Dir and Buner.
Addressing Madam Cong, Khan said, 'For Pakistani, you not only representing the Chinese Ministry, but also the entire Chinese nation. Our nation has risen to alleviate their suffering, but the challenge is so enormous that without help from our friends, it is very difficult to elevate the sufferings of IDPs, which is one of the biggest exodus in the recent history of mankind.'
Further, 'We have opened schools for the children in camps, but they want to return to their homes. Their parents want return to their homes and neighbourhoods, he added.
Khan also said that the Government of Pakistan has time and again made the commitment that it would ensure the return of the large number of IDPs to their abodes for which a number of plan including provision of better health, education and other civic amenities would be provided. At present they were braving the scorching heats in their tents, though government in its part has provided them fans and water coolers, education and health facilities in their makeshift abodes.
Addressing the occasion, Madam Cong said, 'Pakistan is our close friend and the Chinese government and people cannot forget the help Pakistani people had extended following the horrible calamity on May 12, 2008 that struck parts of Sichuan province.' 'Pakistani people will always find their Chinese brethren at their time of need,' she noted.
The visitors were entertained with Pakistani songs, while the wives of Pakistan staff at the embassy sold Pakistani cuisine and handicrafts to raise funds for the IDPs.
The bulk of the proceeds will be deposited in the Prime Minister's relief fund. In the Meena Bazaar, contributions were made by several Chinese organisations: CNPC ($20,000), CATIC (RMB 30,000), Sinohydro (RMB 20,000) and CZEC (RMB 20,000). Several Chinese and Pakistani philanthropists also made donations towards IDPs.
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