Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that political parties might have different perspectives from each other but they were united on the point of mitigating the sufferings of flood-hit people. Addressing a ceremony for distribution of 'Watan' Cards among flood hit people at Kot Adu tehsil of Muzaffargarh district, the second city in southern Punjab, after Daira Deen Panah, inundated by furious floods last August.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also accompanied him. Gilani said that winter was approaching fast and appealed to the philanthropists and NGOs to donate tents for the flood-hit people to save them against extreme cold weather. He said the government would not sit idle till distribution of Rs 20,000 assistance among affected families through Watan Cards and added that it would be enhanced up to Rs 100,000. Repair and reconstruction of demolished houses may take a month, or two, and people will certainly need temporary shelter during winter, the PM observed.
He pledged all possible support to flood affected people and added that resources would be made available to the provincial governments for onward distribution among the affectees."We are making efforts jointly to serve flood-hit people," the PM said.
He specifically lauded the services of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for flood-hit people and also thanked workers of all parties, office-bearers, MNAs, MPAs, ministers and advisors for their contribution. "Our ideologies may be different but we are united to mitigate the suffering of poor and deprived flood affected people."
"It is the beauty of our reconciliation policy that slogans are being raised in support of the PML-N and the PPP at one place, he said. Gilani and Shahbaz reached Multan on Saturday and then flew to flood hit Kot Adu tehsil of district Muzaffargarh to distribute Watan Cards among the flood hit people. Both leaders arrived here by a special plane accompanying minister of state For Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, PM's Political Advisor Ghazanfar Gull, and others.
They were received by Punjab Auqaf Minister Ehsanuddin Qureshi, Wajahat Hussain Gilani, MPA and Incharge PM's camp office in Multan Ahmad Mujtaba Gilani, MPA and chairman Punjab Public Accounts Committee Abdul Qadir Gilani, MPA Nazim Hussain, PM's media co-ordinator Rizwan Alam, MPA Amir Saeed Ansari, MPA Ahmad Hussain Dehar, Punjab Health Co-ordinator Tariq Rasheed, Provincial Minister Dost Muhammad Khan Khosa, Vice Chairman MDA Bilal Butt, PPP District President Khalid Hanif Lodhi, City President Khursheed Ahmad Khan, PYO district president Waheed Ahmad Bhutta and Divisional General Secretary Tariq Jalil and others.
The Prime Minister and Punjab CM, after a brief stay at the airport, flew to Kot Adu by helicopters. The Prime Minister said that the Government was committed to bringing less developed areas of southern Punjab at par with developed urban centres of the country. He said that he has asked the parliamentarians belonging to these areas to visit the area and bring development projects for the upcoming phases of rehabilitation and reconstruction.