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NATO doing relief only: Musharraf

* President urges students to check extremism and intolerance

Staff Report

LAHORE: President General Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that the presence of NATO Forces in the earthquake-hit areas was “nothing strange” and it was a misperception that they came to Pakistan on a special mission.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Universities Chapter of the National Volunteer Movement at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, the president said that Pakistan’s forces were strong enough that the country could not be occupied. He said the nation was facing the worst-ever crisis in its history but Pakistanis should not lose their nerve because “unnerved people can not work properly”. We should advance after properly perceiving things and the situation, otherwise making noise over this tragedy is useless,” the president added.

He said the government had three post-earthquake challenges – estimate of damages, planning and implementation. He said the government had prepared a strategy for the rehabilitation of the earthquake survivors and its implementation would start as soon as Pakistan managed to get enough resources.

The president said that the Islamabad Donors Conference was a success because the representatives of 85 countries and international financial and charity organisations attended it. He said the whole international community had supported Pakistan for the noble cause.

President Musharraf said the earthquake damaged 4,000 villages in nine districts of Azad Kashmir and the NWFP. He said that reconstruction and rehabilitation in a transparent way was a big task for the government. “We will spend Rs 80 billion for the construction of houses in the next four to six months,” he said.

The president went on to say that the relief operation had been reorganised, keeping in view the ground realities. He said that every affected family would be given Rs 150,000 and the government would do everything possible for the transparent distribution of compensation money for which a database of the victim families was being compiled. He said the government would give Rs 25,000 additionally to families who build their houses on modern lines set by the government.

He praised students for joining the volunteer movement and said the government would use their energy and talent for reconstruction and rehabilitation. He urged them to check extremist elements within their ranks and to cultivate greater tolerance.

Being the biggest university of the province, the Punjab University was given the task to organise the ceremony in which students and faculty members from public universities participated. Gen Musharraf praised a tableau presented by the PU College of Art and Design’s students depicting the plight of earthquake victims.

Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and several provincial ministers were present.

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