Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday that distribution of cheques of Rs 3,50,000/ each for every family had been started in quake-hit areas of Balochistan for rebuilding damaged houses. Speaking at a news conference here he said it was now up to the affected families whether or not they would rebuild their dwellings.
The Prime Minister was talking to the media during his brief stay at the airport after visiting the quake-hit areas of Ziarat. He appealed to the quake-hit people to build quake-resistant houses in collaboration with the provincial government.
Prime Minister Gialni said that immediate reconstruction of the devastated houses was not possible due to the winter and the government was arranging 6000 winterised tents for the quake-hit people. Those quake survivors who wanted to migrate to warm places such as Sibi or Harnai voluntarily would be given cash assistance by the government, he said.
He said that the provincial government was distributing the cheques for rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged houses to the quake-stricken people. To a question, the PM expressed the hope that Pakistan would overcome the financial crisis with the assistance of Friends of Pakistan countries.
"Pakistan is not isolated and it will overcome the prevailing financial crisis with the help of Friends of Pakistan and better strategy," Gilani said. He said other countries were also affected like Pakistan by the global economic recession, including even the economically strong nations. To a question about reinstatement of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Prime Minister said that the parliament was supreme and whatsoever it decided the government would honour it in letter and spirit.