Federal Minister for Northern Areas, and Kashmir Affairs, Makhdom Faisal Saleh Hayat has appreciated the efforts of Pakistan army, various organisations and foreign relief agencies for helping the quake affected people.
Talking to PTV, he said the government was making all out efforts to rehabilitate and facilitate the people. The rescue efforts had gained momentum and every effort was being made to help the victims, he added.
Faisal said there was a dire need of tents, blankets, medical facilities and basic necessities of life.
The Minister has also thanked the US government for the generous assistance and added the US helicopters had played an important role in shifting the injured people from Azad Kashmir to Islamabad. He also referred to the two American ships that brought heavy machinery to augment relief operation.
Majority of injured had bone fractures, ministries of health, social welfare and women development were planning to provide artificial limbs for the injured people, he said and added serious patients would be sent abroad for treatment.
He ruled out large-scale migration of people of Azad Kashmir to other parts of the country' as a result of the earthquake.
Faisal said that Azad Kashmir government had restarted its normal functioning after the quake and it was being helped properly.
Faisal said that one of the challenges was to save the survivors from acute winter weather. He hoped that tents in appropriate number would be arranged before the acute weather sets in. government was trying to get heated tents in maximum number while stoves would also be provided to keep the tents warm.
The minister said that government was trying to use new technology for building new houses and added that new Muzaffarabad city could be constructed at the present site or a site near to it.
Meanwhile, Faisal Saleh Hayat appreciated Norwegian Refugees Council for sending a large number of tents in aid to quake-hit areas of Azad Kashmir.
He was talking to a delegation of Norwegian Council at Azad Jammu Kashmir Council.
The delegation informed the federal minister that its NGOs wanted to set up a tent village in areas of Azad Jammu Kashmir, where aid had not reached so far.
The Norwegian team informed that the order had been placed to a firm in Lahore to manufacture 600 tents daily for the affectees of Azad Kashmir.
Faisal Saleh Hayat assured them that helicopters would be provided to them on low fare for transportation of relief goods to quake-hit region.
He also briefed the delegation about life and material losses of the earthquake.
"Many survivors are not ready to leave their native places, that is why we need more tents urgently to settle them as per their desire", the minister said and informed that a total of 25,000 tents had been dispatched to quake-hit areas so far.
NGOs and social workers from 20 countries were taking part in aid and relief operation. Similarly, 12 countries had established field hospitals in the quake-hit areas, he added.
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