Government committed to revive normal life in quake-hit areas: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday said the government is committed to revive normal life in all areas affected due to October 2005 earthquake and providing all basic needs of life to the affected people. He was addressing the residents of Thuri Relief Camp near Muzaffarabad during his visit on Kashmir Solidarity Day.
President AJK Raja Zulqernain, Prime Minister AJK Sardar Attique, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Major Tahir Iqbal (Retd), Chairman ERRA Saleem Altaf, Deputy Chairman ERRA Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad and other officials were also present on this occasion.
The Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the international communities extended full support and help to Pakistan to face this worst tragedy. He said the government has spent Rs 90 billion so far for rehabilitation, construction and repair of roads, improvement of damaged infrastructure and payment of compensation to the affected people in the earthquake affected areas.
Shaukat Aziz said more funds would be provided to continue the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction so that each and every affected person should start normal life.
Referring to gigantic work taken up by the AJK government with the help of Pakistan government and other international organisations, NGOs and Pakistan Army, the Prime Minister said only 29,000 people are still in the camps, which are also winterised. Shaukat said efforts are being made to shift these people to their homes within next couple of months as the process of rehabilitation is going on.
PM said the courage of the affected people provide a source of inspiration to the people of Pakistan and the world community to generate funds for the help of the victims. He said the tragic incident of October 2005 earthquake gel the nation together and every one shared in the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction programme for the help of their brothers who were affected due to the quake.
The Prime Minister said due to the timely action taken by the government with the help of the world community, there was no death due to shortage of food, medicines or shelter. He said the new construction in the quake-affected areas was better than the previous installations as the government had taken advantage of this adversity to convert it into opportunity for betterment.
The Prime Minister highlighted the measures being taken by the government to resolve the Kashmir dispute saying that it should be resolved according to the aspirations of the Kashmiris and the government would not bargain on this issue. He said solution of the Kashmir issue would ensure progress and prosperity in the region.
Earlier, the Prime Minister AJK Sardar Attiqur Rehman speaking on the occasion thanked the government of Pakistan for extending financial help to the people affected due to October 2005 earthquake. He said President Musharraf and Prime Minister Aziz took personal interest and supervised the relief operation personally. He also appreciated the role of ERRA in rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the affected areas. He also thanked the whole nation from Karachi to Khyber to extend help to the earthquake victims and returning to normal life.