President General Pervez Musharraf has thanked the world community and the Muslim world for extending prompt help to Pakistan after the October 8 devastating earthquake.
"The World community's response was very prompt but it should give more response to the call and provide sustained assistance in the challenging reconstruction and rehabilitation stages ahead," he said while talking to Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and President of Islamic Development Bank Dr Ahmed Mohammed Ali, who called on him in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
The President underlined the need for setting up a permanent fund at OIC to deal with such disasters in the Muslim world.
Briefing them about the ravages caused by the earthquake, he said the quake had left millions of people shelterless and devastated homes,
infrastructure and government buildings over a large area of NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. "It is a challenge of huge proportions for any country or government to rebuild and restore all these losses over a vast area", he added.
He said: "We will do our utmost to live up to the task, but we need continued international assistance in the form of finances and expertise to reconstruct houses, hospitals, schools and infrastructure. We will also need investment to rebuild millions of lives affected by the calamity."
He told them about the hectic relief efforts the country is making, especially to provide tent cover to the affectees in view of the impending winter in the affected regions.
The OIC Secretary General and the IDB President expressed grief and condolences over the heavy losses wrought by the earthquake and also solidarity with the people and government of Pakistan.
They commended the swift rescue and relief operations launched by Pakistan in the affected areas. The two dignitaries lauded Pakistan's role in projecting the cause of Muslims and said they would assist Pakistan in the challenging reconstruction and rehabilitation phase to see the country come out of this trying period.