UAE mission to ensure relief reaches needy in Pakistan

Abu Dhabi: The Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi has made arrangements to collect cash and relief materials for victims of the worst floods in the country's history.

"We encourage the Pakistani community members and friends of Pakistan to donate money to the [Pakistan] Prime Minister's Flood Relief Fund 2010," Khursheed Ahmad Junejo, ambassador to the UAE told Gulf News on Tuesday.

He said the embassy could collect the cash and issue a receipt to the donors. "We will deposit the money to the bank accounts of Prime Minister's relief fund."

Junejo said the embassy would publish bank accounts of the Prime Minister's Relief Fund after getting approvals from the Foreign Ministry.

"People who want to contribute the relief materials can donate tents and food stuff [only] to the embassy", he said.

Many people had come forward to donate used clothes but had been discouraged because the immediate requirement was for tents and food items, he added.

A meeting of community members from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain has been convened at the embassy at 11am today to galvanise relief efforts, he said.

Junejo said he was satisfied with relief efforts being initiated by community members in Dubai and the Northern Emirates under the leadership of Pakistani Associations.

The Pakistani Business Council in Abu Dhabi said it is coordinating with the embassy to channelise relief efforts. "We don't receive the cash from donors but help them send directly to Pakistan Government through the banks which have offered free transactions for this purpose', Dr S. Qaiser Anees, president of the council said.