Doha to boost humanitarian assistance to Pakistani brethren

Minister for strengthening Pak-Qatar ties, lauds humanitarian support

Doha to boost humanitarian assistance to Pakistani brethren

Islamabad: June 26

Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sitara Ayaz has called for enhancing cooperation between brotherly countries of Pakistan and Qatar in various fields including economy, commerce, investment, manpower and energy.

Our relations are based on mutual trust, we are tied together in centuries-old religious and traditional linkages and the assistance provided by Doha to the flood stricken Pakistanis in 2010 is unforgettable, she said.

The Minister said this while speaking at a ceremony organised to mark two decades of humanitarian services rendered by the Qatar Charity (QC) in Pakistan.

Sitara Ayaz said that QC funding aimed at women empowerment, provision of shelter, health and hygiene, skill development, cultural support, education, enterprise development, orphan support, provision of clean drinking water and disaster response and emergency relief is regarded highly in Pakistan.

She said that Pakistani community is making valuable contributions to the economic and social development of Qatar.

Mr. Jasim Abdul Rahman Jasim, Director QC Doha, also spoke on the occasion. He said that QC was founded in 1980 that is the largest non-governmental voluntary organization in Gulf Region serving the needy and vulnerable communities in more than 25 countries.

We are working in Pakistan since two decades and now we have decided to enhance humanitarian aid as well as presence in this brotherly nation, he informed.

Ameen Abdul Rahman, Country Director QC Pakistan said that presently we are focusing in six poorest and disaster prone districts including Swat, Dir, DG Khan, Rajanpur, Leepa Valley in AJK and Tando Muhammad Khan in Sindh. Scope of assistance is being expanded to other areas, he added.

Our strategy of self-implementation through community participation has helped us to set up innovative, cultural sensitive and acceptable models of delivery of the projects and programmes among the local communities, he said.

During the last twenty three months we have ensured recovery of about one million affected people; we will continue to do everything to rebuild lives of our Pakistani brethren, said Ameen.

ENDS###