ISLAMABAD / KATHMANDU: Pakistan on Sunday dispatched 100 tonnes of humanitarian relief items for daily use to Nepal for its flood-affected population.
The humanitarian assistance, including family tents, blankets, mats, hygiene kits and essential medicines, was sent from Islamabad International Airport to Kathmandu.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq FazalChaudhry, NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, the ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan and senior officials from renowned humanitarian organisations attended the send-off ceremony held at the airport. According to a statement, the assistance reflects the government and people of Pakistan’s solidarity with the people of Nepal in this difficult time.
Plea for aid The United Nations chief in Nepal issued an emotional plea for aid on Sunday, saying survivors of the catastrophic flooding had seen their lives transformed in just ‘one to two minutes’.
After visiting battered mountain communities, UN Resident Coordinator LilaPieters Yahia told AFP in Kathmandu that people were struggling to comprehend how suddenly their Himalayan homes had become an expanse of ruin and destruction.
‘You lose your home, youlose your livelihood, you lose your loved one and you lose the breadwinner of your family,’ she said. ‘Those people are cut off from the rest of the world because the road is gone.’Bakhtawar Mian / AFP