‘Pakistanis helping Indonesian tsunami victims’

ISLAMABAD: Three officers are currently representing Pakistan as part of the international relief agencies’ operation in Palu city of Sulawesi province of Indonesia that was hit by the double disaster of quake-tsunami on September 28 last year.

A 7.4 magnitude quake hit the provincial city of Palu triggering giant tsunami waves. The double disaster affected 1.5 million people. A total of 2,037 people were killed and 4,084 injured and around 74,044 displaced.

The three officers representing Pakistan are Amin Muhammad, Qaswar Abbas and Ibrahim Burki. Program Manager Cash Transfer Program (CTP) Mr. Amin is a member of Regional Disaster Response Team (RDRT) supporting the Indonesian Red Cross (IRC) in its cash-based intervention activities, while Mr. Abbas is bringing aid to the victims of double disaster. He is also assisting the Indonesian Red Cross in analyzing markets for their functionality, access and capacity, cash feasibility, risk assessment and response option analysis while building linkages with other cash actors working in central Sulawesi.

Cash-based intervention is not a separate program but a response tool across several thematic areas that for the last few years has been considered one of the best response modalities due to cost-effectiveness and quick use. It’s a process that maintains dignity and choice for beneficiaries while stimulating local livelihoods, economies and markets.

Ibrahim Burki, an IFRC delegate in Pakistan, also accompanies the two officers assisting the IRC in providing relief to the victims. Qaswar Abbas is supporting the Indonesian Red Cross in bringing aid to the affected communities.

Sharing their experiences, they said scenes of death and destruction scattered all around moved everyone to tears and they realized how important it was to not only actively help the affected people, but also to be professionally prepared to deal with disasters of such magnitude.