Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri on Wednesday said with the support from international community, Pakistan was able to cope with the challenge of devastated October 2005 earthquake and mobilised all resources and provided food, shelter and medical care to the affectees in the shortest possible time to mitigate their sufferings.
Addressing the closing ceremony of international Conference on Disaster Risk Management here at local hotel, he appreciated the support from international community, including members of ECO. Pakistanis will never forget the solidarity shown by the international community and the support extended by the entire World at that difficult hour to them, he added. The conference was organised jointly by Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO).
The foreign minister said it provided a platform for sharing experiences, challenges and lessons learnt with regard to disaster risk management, and strategises regional cooperation among States that are confronted with a common set of challenges.
He said the conference has succeeded in bringing into sharper focus, the interventions that are required at the local, national and regional levels to help member states better cope with disasters.
Referring to 7.6 magnitude earthquake of 8th October 2005, he said it took away in all, more than 80,000 lives, and rendered 3 million homeless. He said although the tragedy was massive and the damage colossal but the people and government took it with determination and fortitude.
"The challenge of an extremely difficult terrain and damaged roads and bridges was met by relentless efforts, professional skills and heroism of our armed forces," he said.
He said the success of the relief efforts can be measured from the fact that predictions of a large number of deaths immediately after the earthquake because of shortage of food, lack of medicine, or absence of shelter, proved wrong.
He said the support and encouragement from international community reinforced Pakistan's determination to convert this tragedy into an opportunity. Major infrastructure projects are being undertaken, and cities are being planned afresh, he added.
He said health care facilities, schools and colleges are being reconstructed. Kasuri said he is gratified to note that the UN and other international agencies have endorsed Pakistan's strategy for reconstruction, and compared it very favourably with other disaster responses.
Referring to loss to the education sector in October 8 earthquake, he said, 18,000 students died, and 20,000 became physically impaired and over 7,000 schools were destroyed and nearly 800 teachers lost their lives. He said the establishment of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in March 2007 reflects Pakistan's desire to institute disaster management on a more permanent footing.
He said establishment of a National Disaster Management Fund, an Emergency Response System and a Disaster Management Institute will undoubtedly go a long way in improving the capacity of local and national authorities in anticipating and dealing with emergency situations. Kasuri said Pakistan fully supports ECO's efforts, including efforts for vertical and horizontal integration of disaster response regimes at the regional and international levels.