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Initial quake damage to be made public tomorrow: PM

ISLAMABAD: Initial estimates of the overall damage caused by the October 8 earthquake will be announced tomorrow (Thursday), Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters after visiting the Shifa International Hospital on Tuesday.

Aziz said the estimate was prepared by governmental agencies in close cooperation with the United Nations and multilateral institutions. The government will present a detailed strategy to cope with the situation to the donors’ conference on November 19, he said. Pakistan will seek grants and soft loans for rebuilding and reconstruction of earthquake-affected areas, he added.

The prime minister said the conference would also discuss starting a sponsorship programme to enabling donors to fund the construction of villages, educational and medical institutions or infrastructure projects. He said that building codes were being changed to ensure quality construction, and would be strictly implemented. There was no harm in constructing high-rise buildings if they are built according to the required specifications, he added. agencies

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