PESHAWAR, Dec 9: Former information minister and Awami National Party leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain has launched a charity to help the victims and survivors of terrorism in province.

`Rashid Shaheed Foundation will help not only the families of the 800 killed workers of ANP but all those, who are affected by terrorism in the province,` said the former minister whose 27-year-old son Mian Rashid Hussain was killed by terrorists on July 24, 2010 in his hometown Pabbi.

The ANP leader has been vocal against terrorists and never budged from his antimilitants stance despite threats to his life and even after losing his son. `The people, who want to help the needy, can trust this foundation. They can trust me,` he said while speaking at the launching ceremony of Rashid Shaheed Foundation (RSF) at the third death anniversary of his son.

The RSF has a board of directors including social workers, human rights activists, academicians and philanthropists.

`During his lifetime, Mian Rashid Hussain never showed off as he was son of a minister,` said other speakers, who spoke about Rashid`s personality. Many of them said that they came to know too late that he was son of a minister.`Many politicians sent their children abroad but Mian Sahib didn`t do so despite threats. He lost his life`s asset, his only son,` said a friend of his late son.

Mr Hussain said once again that if he had 10 sons he would have sacrificed them forthe country.Perhaps this is the reason that he with the help of his friends, social workers and philanthropists has decided to set up the charity.

`I want to start this charity so that I can help those with whom I share the grief of losing their loved ones,` he said. Anyone, who wanted to help anyone in need in any way, was welcome to use the platform of RSF, he added.

The former said that his son was a quiet but respectful youth, who liked to express his feelings through English poetry. `He was a creative child and I feel if he had lived he would have created something.

Creation of this foundation is perhaps what he would have wanted,` he added.

Ayaz Mandokhel, a founding member of the foundation, highlighted the need for such charities, especially in the terrorismaffected province like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

`The rich of the province go for Haj more than once, they offer prayers too but there is very little in practice when it comes to helping others in need,` he said. Politicians and friends of Mr Hussain including Afrasiab Khattak, Bashir Matta, Tajuddin Khan, Jamila Gilani, Yasmin Zia, Tabbassum Katozai, known psychiatrist Iftikhar Hussain, Dr Khadim Hussain, Qazi Laiq, former boss of Rashid, and journalists Shamim Shahid and Ismail Khan also talked about the life of Mian Rashid Hussain as a son, as a trainee journalist and as a poet.