Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani emphatically stated that the flood tragedy would not distract Pakistan from pursuing the campaign against terrorism and extremism. Speaking at a dinner hosted in honour of the diplomatic corps here on Monday, the Prime Minister said, "Our brave armed forces and security agencies with the full support of the nation will succeed in eliminating terrorism from Pakistan."
The Prime Minister said the Pakistani nation is determined to overcome the affects of floods in the shortest possible time. "While we are engaged in reordering our national priorities to mobilise greater resources for the purpose of reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected people, we are mindful of the need to continue and persist with the macro-economic stabilisation and reform process that was initiated by the government in consultation with international financial institutions," he added.
Gilani thanked the international community for the logistical support, medical teams, volunteers, helicopters including Chinooks, C-17 and C-130 aircraft saying they made the real difference in making the rescue and relief effort a success.
"The Pakistani nation is thankful to all. We shall never forget your kindness." He mentioned that the economic impact of the floods had been enormous and the government together with the World Bank and Asian Development bank was making the damage and needs assessment.
The UN system is also working on the impact of floods on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as well as is making analysis to give a sense of the human cost of the catastrophe, he added. The Prime Minister said no country could have faced alone the affects of a calamity of this magnitude as the flood waters had caused immense destruction over a vast area and affected all the four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
"Twenty million people have been directly hit and more than eight million rendered shelterless," he said while thanking the diplomatic community for the tremendous demonstration of solidarity and support for Pakistan in its hour of need.
He said the timing and nature of the floods also tested their resolve and resources as these were already over stretched in fighting the menace of terrorism and in battling to restore the economy of the country in the aftermath of global recession. "The floods have left a tale of death and destruction but not dented the spirit of our nation." He said Pakistan has mobilised all its resources to provide relief to the affected people.
"Hundreds of thousands were rescued and evacuated from the affected areas. We are grateful to Allah Almighty that not a single soul has gone without food even in these trying circumstances." He said due to untiring efforts of all government agencies they managed to avoid traditional subsequent waves of deaths, which are usually associated with the post disaster consequences especially, deteriorating health and sanitation conditions.
"The government established a robust and comprehensive disaster management system in the country and I am personally overseeing all disaster management activities." He commended the efforts of government agencies, Army, Air Force, Navy, international relief workers, national NGOs and volunteers for carrying out the relief work.
The Prime Minister said the National Oversight Disaster Management Council has been established with a broad mandate to ensure that the requisite resources for reconstruction and rehabilitation will be provided efficiently, effectively and equitably.
"This Council has been set up under the auspices of the Council of Common Interests in which all the stakeholders, including the provinces are represented," he said. PM said Pakistan has well-established systems, processes and procedures for effective management and oversight. "Our national institutions have the capacity and requisite experience to effectively manage resources, both national as well those provided by the international financial institutions in a cost-effective, transparent and accountable manner."
He said the government has already decided and has started to disburse the first instalment of Rs 20,000 to each family as an immediate measure for relief and for reconstruction of their damaged houses. Another Rs 80,000 will be paid as the next instalment.
Most of the people affected by the floods in Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and the Punjab provinces have either returned or in the process of returning to their villages as the floodwaters recede, he said adding, "in Sindh, we still have a large number of persons living in camps or without proper shelter. The rescue and relief effort in these areas is still an ongoing process."
Gilani said Pakistan is planning to convene a meeting of the Pakistan Development Forum in November. The primary focus of the forum would be to present the National Strategy for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation to Pakistan's friends and development partners.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khurshid Shah, Minister for Petroleum Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed (Retd), members of parliament and senior officials attended the event.
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