Preston University organised a seminar on "Issues and challenges of earthquake rehabilitation" at its campus in Islamabad on Friday. The seminar was the fourth in the series often the university has planned to organise on issues relating to natural calamities.
Eminent speakers made thought-provoking presentations on the topic. Senator Farhatullah Babar was the chief guest on the occasion. Addressing a distinguished gathering of educationists and students, Senator Farhatullah Babar praised the efforts of Preston University in organising a seminar on an issue and challenges involved in the rehabilitation of the October 8th earthquake affectees.
Senator Babar said this national tragedy had brought the entire nation together which today stood united like a rock to deal with the situation with full vigor and enthusiasm.
Senator Babar said the international community had made a massive pledge of over six billion dollars for undertaking rehabilitation work in earthquake affected areas.
He said the major chunk (roughly four billion dollars) of the total assistance pledged the foreign donors were soft loans and a very small portion of it was grant-in-aid.
It would be advisable for the government to ensure that loans were avoided to the maximum possible extent and the rehabilitation work was carried out with minimal external grants and indigenously generated resources, he maintained.
In his presentation on the occasion, SPARK (NGO) National Co-ordinator Anis Gilani gave a first-hand detailed account of the relief and rehabilitation work that has been undertaken by the government and non-government organisations in the earthquake-affected areas.
Gilani maintained the task of rehabilitation of the affectees was a gigantic one and the government alone would not be able to manage it independently. Collaboration and support of national and international non-government organisations would be of vital importance, if success was to be achieved vis-à-vis the issue of rehabilitation in the earthquake affected areas, he said.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Preston University Chancellor Dr Abdul Basit extended a warm welcome to Chief Guest Senator Farhatulah Babar for accepting the invitation of the university to preside over the seminar.
He also expressed his gratitude to the distinguished speakers and the guests for their participation in the seminar.