KARACHI: President-elect Rotary International, R. Gordon R. McInally has said that Rotary International will provide all possible support for the rehabilitation of flood victims in Pakistan.

He was speaking at the Meet the Press programme of the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.

Mr McInally said that he and his better half were in Pakistan for the first time, though the kindness and graciousness of the people here have touched their hearts and it will not be their last visit here. `Our trip to Pakistan was initially planned for February, but it was divine intervention that moved it forward to October when Pakistan has seen the worst flooding in history that has claimed thousands of lives,` he said, add-ing that he is proud to be worl(ing with Rotary International, which is always providing immediate assistance to victims and is going forward with their rehabilitation.

He said that he visited Hyderabad and met with the flood victims who had walked hundreds of kilometres to reach the shelters.

`We have to commit to make their futures better. The worst is over and we are in the recovery stage now,` he said.

`During the pandemic, we used to say that we will build back better, now seeing the problems of the flood victims in Sindh, we need to build forward to give the them a better future. We will not leave the flood victims alone,` he said, adding that for the rehabilitation of the flood victims, Rotary is constantly trying to improve the lifestyle and economic situation of the people through welfare projects.`We plan to develop sustainable villages, which will give them a better standard of living, adequate medical service, adequate energy, etc. At first, we will build 20 sustainable villages though we need way more. Then those 20 villagescangrow to200 and thento 2,000. The sky is the limit,` he said, adding that he strongly believed in positives coming out of negatives.

While reminding that it was World Polio Day just a day prior on Oct 24, he also said that it is their hard work regarding immunisation that has almost eradicated the crippling disease from the world and now Pakistan is only one of the two polio-endemic countries.

He urged the media to play their role in creating awareness about routine immunisation, which can be most useful for a polio-free Pakistan.