International NEWS
Gilani Seeks Relief for War on Terror Displaced
May 21, 2009 Visionmp.com news service
Expressing a strong determination to weed-out militancy from Pakistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday issued an urgent call to international donors to help rehabilitate the nearly two million people, who, he said, have been displaced as a “grave repercussion” of military action against the Taliban in the country’s embattled northwestern frontier.
Addressing an international donor conference in Islamabad, Gilani said that action in North West Frontier Province and other tribal areas had “started producing positive results,” But underlined that his country was stressed by the “grave repercussions in terms of massive dislocation of the local population.”
Seeking a positive and visible response from the international community, he said Pakistan was committed to “root out militancy from its territories notwithstanding the tremendous cost in terms of loss of human lives, damage to physical infrastructure, social and economic dislocation” and the suffering of the displaced people.
Islamabad says some two million people have been displaced by the anti-militancy operations. The Pak army claims to have killed over 1,000 militants, since it began operation in Buner last month.
Gilani said rehabilitating the displaced people was essential to ensure that the refugees were not exploited by the militants.
He underlined the need for a joint and comprehensive response to this issue by all those who are committed to fighting terrorism.
The aid initiative in Pakistan is beginning to falter and the government and NGOs are struggling to provide adequate amenities in the overcrowded relief camps.
Premier Gilani’s claims on Thursday, however, were a stark contrast to his earlier statements that termed the crisis as “manageable.”
Islamabad has already established the “Prime Minister’s special fund for relief of victims of terrorism” and the federal government has allocated over Rs 2 billion for the aid effort, but Gilani added that the quantum of the current influx required massive resource allocation
Speaking later, Minister of State for Finance Hina Rabbani Khar informed that donors had promised $224 million, including $110 million the United States promised on Tuesday.
The sum would go towards a UN Flash Appeal for US$ 600 million, which is likely to be triggered on Friday.
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