Pakistan's envoy to London Dr Maleeha Lodhi has said that Pakistan was hoping for a generous response at the upcoming donors' meeting to be held in Geneva on October 26.
Pakistan would be looking for an immediate assistance and critical long-term support to accomplish the great task of rehabilitation and reconstruction, she said in an interview with a private channel here.
To a question, she said Pakistan had higher expectations from the rich industrialised countries of the West and hoped they would be generous in pledging help at the donors' conference.
The envoy appreciated the swift and generous response from the international community including the NGOs and UK-based charities.
"Pakistan has so far received an assistance of over $500 million besides receiving many consignments of relief goods from more than thirty two countries," she said.
However, the international assistance received so far was not enough given the enormity of the challenge being faced by Pakistan following the devastating earthquake. "The response so far is good but we need more," she said.
She acknowledged the way and manner the Islamic countries had come forward to help their Pakistani brothers and sisters in distress like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Turkey and these were just some of the countries who quickly moved to provide assistance.
The scale of the tragedy and the area was so large that an enormous effort would have to be launched to first provide the victims relief and to rehabilitate them. "It is the biggest tragedy than the Tsunami because of the area of devastation and that too in a difficult mountain terrain and because of the number of people who were rendered shelterless and displaced," she said.
Questioned over the role of the overseas Pakistanis, she said they had responded in an unprecedented show of solidarity and compassion. Their response had been simply great.
The envoy greatly appreciated the British public whose generous contribution had helped the Disasters Emergency Committee in Britain raised 15 million Pounds. In addition, different organisations across Britain had collected close to three million pounds and more money was being collected.
She appealed to all to continue to do whatever they could in raising funds for the relief operation.
Dr Lodhi once again thanked and appreciated the National Union of Students and other student organisations across the UK for their efforts to collect funds. NUS has already declared October 27 as the 'National Day of Action' for the earthquake relief.
To a question she said despite restoration of 90 percent road links, Army was using mules to ferry relief goods to the inaccessible areas.
She appealed to the overseas Pakistanis and charities to contribute to President's Relief Fund and they could do so through credit/debit cards.
The envoy said a special section had been set up in Pakistan High Commission to co-ordinate with PIA Cargo to ship the relief goods free of cost to Pakistan.
All those having relief items like tents, blankets and life saving medicines properly packed and marked could deliver them to PIA Cargo and that could be sent freely but only after an authorisation from the High Commission.
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