Siraj urges govt to dispatch aid to flood-hit people

LAHORE : Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Sirajul Haq Saturday demanded the government ensure timely dispatch of aid to people of flood-hit areas.

In a statement issued from Mansoorah, the JI chief said: “Do not test the patience of the helpless.” He said during his recent Sindh, Balochistan and sout Punjab visit he saw hundreds of thousands helpless people, who are waiting for the government relief.

He said it was the duty of the federal and provincial governments to help the masses, but on the ground only the volunteers and workers of charity organisations were engaged in relief activities.

He accused the government of failure to make arrangement of timely evacuation of people despite warnings from the metrological departments.

Siraj said landlords and Waderas had forced the local administration to divert the flow of water towards residential areas by not allowing breach into dykes which were built to protect their lands.

He also questioned the non-implementation of the Flood Commission Inquiry Report 2010. He said had the report been implemented, the destruction level could have been much less than the present one.

Siraj said the national and provincial departments of disaster management also failed to fulfill their responsibilities in efficient manners.

He appealed to the people for donations, saying it was responsibility of the nation to help their fellow citizens.

He said the thousands of the workers of the JI and al-Khaidmat Foundation were engaged in relief activities. He said the JI would utilise maximum resources to help the people in difficulties.