Musharraf on Donors' Moot: Rehabilitation Plan Prepared for Quake-hit People 
By Aziz Malik - PakistanTimes.net Federal Bureau Chief

ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf Wednesday said Pakistan has a well-strategized plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of quake-ravaged areas and hoped that the world would come out with "expected level of support" at November 19 donors’ conference to implement it.

"We need continued financial assistance from the world community to implement the task, which is quite a big challenge for Pakistan," he told a Press Conference, ahead of Saturday’s moot.

"I am to unveil the plan that will package all the requirements and set out fairly accurate estimates of financial assistance needed for the most crucial phase of reconstruction in November 19, donors’ conference," he informed Islamabad-based foreign correspondents.

For the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase, the President said, Pakistan had negligible pledges as yet and expected that the world assistance would match its outpouring for the Tsunami.

"The countries hit by Tsunami were easily accessible while we are confronted with a much more difficult task of reaching out to people in the difficult mountainous regions," he pointed out.

He said it is the beauty of the internationalism that all countries come to aid when any member is hit by a natural calamity and said the people hit in October 8’s earthquake are poor while those hit by the tsunami were better off economies.

President Musharraf expressed the hope that the international community would assist Pakistan in this hour of need as no country in the world alone could handle a disaster of such massive magnitude.

"No country sits totally prepared for such large-scale calamity," he emphasized.

Donors Conference

The President hoped that besides UN Secretary General Kofi Anan, the Conference would be well attended by the representatives of donor countries and International Financial Institutions (IFI).

He told the newsmen that the United Nations, ADB, the World Bank and the government have together reached a consensus figure of around $5.1 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

This includes $3.5 billion for reconstruction, $1.5 billion for sustaining the ongoing relief efforts throughout the next year and $100 million for rehabilitation.

President Musharraf said he would ask for financial assistance and sponsorship of construction of houses and infrastructure in the areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP, decimated by last month’s quake.

He hoped that the donors’ conference would help raise the required assistance, saying, many world leaders had spoken to them and their response was very positive. While sounding hopeful about sustained international assistance, President Musharraf also cautioned that not everything should be expected in one day.

"It is not that we will get everything in one day - we expect generous pledges and continued assistance over throughout the period of reconstruction," he stated.

Replying to a question, the President said Pakistan would meet any reconstruction cost from its own sources but saw no reason for want of international generosity for the country.

"If the Tsunami-hit countries are still receiving assistance and if the US also got assistance to deal with the Katrina hurricane why should Pakistan not get enough response in the hour of natural disaster," he said.

Role of Army

In response to another question the President said engagement of Pakistan Army troops in reconstruction efforts in the quake zone would in no way affect Pakistan Army’s operations against terrorists in the tribal areas.

"We have a large army and the Army’s participation in reconstruction effort will have no impact on our operations in the tribal region."

He said Pakistan has assigned top priority to the quake relief activities and has postponed the purchase of F-16 aircraft from the United States.

However, he said Pakistan cannot be oblivious to its defence requirements. In this context, the President pointed to the hefty defence expenditures incurred by some regional countries even in the face of worst natural disasters like last year’s Tsunami.

Speaking of relief efforts, President Musharraf said these were now more organized after blocked roads posed logistical problems in the initial phase. The President said a Wapada colony in Hatian has been turned into a big rehabilitation centre called "Ashiana" and more such centres would be established.

He, however, stressed that the people would ultimately need to be shifted back to their own areas so that they could be retain in their own environment.

The President said some 73,000 people have been estimated killed and an equal number seriously wounded with another 2.8 million people affected by the tragedy.

He said the ERRA was now in the process of assessing damages from villages down to the cities for the next phase of reconstruction. The earthquake has affected nine districts, five in NWFP and four in AJK.

With regard to building houses, the President said the government has decided to follow owner’s driven strategy under which the government will give money to the people and provide them technical assistance to construct their residents.

Quoting the world experts, he said, it has proved in the case of Tsunami that strategy imposed on affectees did not work out well.

The President said that construction of schools, colleges and hospitals would be done on need-based and just the building of destroyed infrastructure.

"We will build schools, colleges and hospitals where they are required," the President said while adding, that was how the government wanted to convert challenge into an opportunity by providing better houses and infrastructure that could withstand earthquake.

Responding to a question, the President said the government has evaluated the damages which were 90 per cent in the rural areas and 10 per cent in the towns.

Of the main Muzaffarabad city, President Musharraf said the government was deliberating shifting of the official buildings and infrastructure possibly at a place 20-minute drive from the city that would help provide wider roads and more better housing and other facilities to the people in the city.

He said seismic survey was being carried out with the help of Turkish and Chinese experts to locate people to safer spots in their respective areas.

Kashmir Issue

President Musharraf said the solution to long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India looks "more possible" in the wake of last month’s earthquake and expressed the hope that New Delhi would realize the opportunity.

"This opportunity should be utilized to reach a fair settlement of the dispute," he told a Press Conference about Saturday’s a donors’ conference on Saturday where Pakistan will seek continued international support for its reconstrution efforts in Azad Kashmir and North Western Frontier Province following October 8’s deadly quake.

President Musharraf underlined that realization of efforts to find a lasting solution to Kashmir has to come from both sides. "We cannot clap with one hand, I hope India realizes that the solution has become more possible now in the wake of the tragedy, in which Kashmir has suffered."

President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday condemned the recent incident of violence in Sangla hill and urged both the Muslim and Christian communities of the area to show tolerance.

"It is all the more condemnable in view of the gigantic task the country has faced within terms of relief and reconstruction in the quake-shattered areas," the President told newsmen while briefing them on the upcoming donors’ conference.

The President said a thorough investigation has been launched into the incident but stressed that people must show tolerance and live in peace with each other.

"I condemned the incident in strongest terms," he said and urged that the Muslims being in large majority should show more tolerance.●