PML-Q to launch fund raising campaign for IDPs

Pakistan Muslim League-Q is set to gear up a countrywide campaign to raise funds for the party's Internally Displaced People (IDPs) Fund, which the PML-Q President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has established. Prior to his visit to Saudi Arabia, President PML-Q, Chaudhry Shujaat told APP in an interview that the objective of the Relief Fund was to provide immediate relief to the IDPs.
'We would soon establish a committee to look after the affairs of the relief efforts. However, party's finance secretary, Imtiaz Ranjha is looking after the affairs of the fund, while, the General Secretary, Mushahid Hussain Sayed would also return from China during the next week and is expected to play an important role in this regard,' he said.
Shujaat said he also held a meeting with former Chief Secretary, Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa, who currently runs an Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), for rehabilitation of the disabled people, who had lost their limbs in the war-torn areas of Swat and Fata.
When asked whether all the party leaders and legislators would be bound to contribute to the fund, Shujaat said the fund was established for a noble cause and it was up to the party leaders to decide over the issue. However, he said, the party would contact all its leaders and legislators for contribution, but there was no compulsion for anyone to donate. Ranjha, told APP that the party would formally launch the fund raising drive from Monday (today).
'Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has sent us Rs 10,00,000 and we would open a bank account on Monday. The same day, this account number would be made public. Moreover, a relief camp would be established at the PML House Islamabad and all donations would be received there. All the senior party leaders would be contacted for contribution towards the noble cause,' he said.
Further, he said that party delegations would soon visit Swat, Buner and Dir and would provide the relief goods including food items and medicines to the IDPs. He said mainly, the party's parliamentary leaders would be asked to collect donations from the party legislators, while the party leaders would donate at the relief camp established at the PML House.
The fund raising campaign came at a time when the leadership of the party is abroad. Shujaat Saturday evening left for a weeklong visit to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, while Mushahid is already in China to deliver lectures to leading Chinese think-tanks and Senator Tariq Azeem, the Secretary Information, is already in England.
Moreover, the party's dissident groups in Senate, National Assembly and four provinces have distanced themselves from the party activities. When Ranjha was asked how the campaign could run effectively as the party's top brass was abroad or lacked interest, he said the absence of main party leaders would be for a few days and Shujaat and Mushahid would return home during the next week.