06-11-2006, 04:32 AM
Handing Over Of Pakistan Earthquake Fund
By Grace Jiu.
Bandar Seri Begawan - Donations have been pouring in for the Pakistan Earthquake Humanitarian Fund established with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on October 19, last year and it has accumulated a total of $1,000;671.04 to date.
Donations for the fund were made by members of the public via SMS, through donation boxes placed in mosques, Muslim prayer houses (suraus), banks, commercial buildings and public places throughout the country as well as through various sports and community activities.
Of that total, $93,273 was garnered from donors via SMS, $403,725.45 from the Brunei Islamic Religious Council, $100,000 from the Pakistan Charity Dinner-cum Cultural Performance Function organised by the High Commission of Pakistan and $403,645.59 from relevant donation boxes as well as donations from members of the public, companies and associations that approached the Fund's Secretariat directly.
The total contribution was handed over by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Awg Hj Mohammad to the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Major General (Rtd) Syed Haider Jawed. Also in attendance was Awg Hj Jemat bin Hj Ampal, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The handing over ceremony was attended by officials from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Pakistan High Commission. The event took place at the Minister's Office, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The establishment of the fund, which was dissolved recently, was to assist in alleviating the sufferings of Pakistan earthquake victims and help them regain normal livelihood.
The Pakistan Earthquake Humanitarian Fund, was comanaged by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs, including members from nongovernmental agencies. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
---------
Pakistan-Quake missing Campaign to haunt missing in Pakistan earthquake
Islamabad, June 8, IRNA
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has launched a joint public campaign with a view to elucidating the fate of 221 persons - including 85 children - still unaccounted for since the October 8 earthquake.
This program was formally launched here on Thursday.
Program Manager of the campaign Nancy Sorenier has said that following the earthquake, more than 400 families approached the ICRC and the PRCS about missing relatives.
So far, 179 cases have been resolved and among them 79 people have been confirmed alive, while about 100 had been verified dead in the earthquake.
She said that haunting of missing 114 men, 22 women and 85 children in progress.
Nancy further said that A book and posters with the names and - wherever possible - photos of those missing will be made available in schools, hospitals, PRCS and ICRC offices and other public places.
She said that media can play very effective role in our campaign, so, TV spots will be used to trace the missing people.
"Only 10 days ago, a 16-year-old girl from the quake-devastated Balakot town was reunited with her family," said Nancy.
She was away from home when the earthquake struck and wrongly assumed that her entire family had died. She was finally found in a school in Karachi where she been brought by a family with whom she had taken refuge, she added.
------------
Pervez may clip army chief's wings before giving up uniform
Aditya Sinha
New Delhi, June 11, 2006|03:46 IST
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is planning to give up his uniform, but not before a paradigm shift in his country's power structure. It is believed he is planning to dilute the power of the army chief, the post he's promised to quit before the 2007 general elections.
Presently, Musharraf has nine corps commanders (of Lt General rank) under him. together, they function as Pakistan's board of directors. Government sources say he's planning an ordinance that will create posts for two regional commands â a northern commander and a southern commander (India has such regional commands).
These regional commanders, sources say, will be full Generals, like the army chief. The nine corps commanders will report to them (four to one, five to the other). This will dilute the army chief's power in two ways. One, being of nearly the same rank, the regional commanders will keep an eye on him. Two, he cannot conspire with the corps commanders without the regional commanders knowledge (coups in Pakistan are carried out by key corps like the one in Rawalpindi).
Musharraf is apparently doing this because he's seriously considering fulfilling his promise to shed his uniform before elections. The current national assembly will expire in November 2007. By law, the President can be re-elected within 60 days prior to the end of the assembly's life. The elections, however, can be called within 90 days after the assembly's expiry. The President evidently plans to re-elect himself.
Musharraf seems confident that the opposition political parties will be unable to dislodge him. The Charter for Democracy, which includes Nawaz Sharif's PML and Benazir Bhutto's PPP, does not appear to be working on the ground. Benazir is suspected of keeping a channel open with the army. And there's no common political agenda to send the army back to the barracks.
On the other hand, Musharraf's advisers are cautioning him about the worsening situation in Balochistan, and increasing US pressure vis-Ã -vis Afghanistan. They are seeking ways for him to consolidate power while giving up the top army post.
----
ACT Situation Report
Pakistan 07/06
ACT appeal ASSA51 (Revision 2) - Emergency Relief to Quake-affected
Geneva, May 17, 2006
Information provided by ACT member Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS); the following is a compilation of extracts from weekly reports on CWS-ACT activities during the last part of April
From the April 19 report
Psychosocial program team
The activities in the last week included follow-up of the vulnerable families left behind in tent villages, visits to United Pakistan camp and regular counseling sessions with the IDPs returning to their hometowns.
The team compiled a list of vulnerable families residing in United Pakistan tent village and shared it with camp managers. The team also made arrangements for the few families in the Turkish and Alrasheed camp who are not ready to return yet. It has been generally observed that vulnerable families also tend to move out of the camps once general migration starts. The United Pakistan camp management was informed of the status of the families who are to be shifted. The residents of United Pakistan tent village are very apprehensive and confused about their future. Lack of accurate information and details about return policies further add to their anxiety. Movement of most of these IDPs is forced and involuntary. Return packages for the families were not distributed on an equal basis. Most of the resident of United Pakistan informed the psychosocial team that the food-package distribution stopped two months ago. The concerns of the residents were then put forward to the camp officials by the CWS team. In addition, counseling sessions were conducted with several families. As of April 18, almost all of the 267 families in the camp had left for their villages or other areas., counseling sessions were conducted with several families. As of April 18, almost all of the 267 families in the camp had left for their villages or other areas.
The team organized a henna design competition for the women in the United Pakistan camp to help create a healthy and somewhat relaxed environment. Women participated actively and socialized with others. The United Pakistan team also held a sports competition with the children in the camp.
The team has also extended its activities to spontaneous camps (as opposed to the organized camps referred to above). During the visit to Batdarian, the team met with women and children and carried out an assessment of the camp. The women were encouraged to share their stories and concerns.
Recovery assessment and Monitoring (RAM) team
A scouting team was sent to the villages of Pamal Sharif and Batamori. The team also worked with the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) water and sanitation assessor to identify sites for water schemes in Manaye, Gangwal, Karmung, Rashang and Battila.
Team members were assigned to accompany the relief evaluation teams to Chatter Plain, Dhudyal, Ashwal, and Pattika, areas where relief goods were distributed, and where beneficiaries are still using CWS-ACT tents. CWS-ACT prepared electronic copies of the relief distribution maps for the four districts of Mansehra, Battagram, Shangla and Kohistan.
Construction Trade Training Center (CTTC)
The third of the CTTCs (managed by CWS-ACT in collaboration with the Dosti Foundation) is under construction at Battagram. At the centers, men are receiving vocational training in four construction trades - masonry, electricity, welding, and plumbing and carpentry. The second session at the Mansehra CTTC began on April 12.
From the April 26 report
Psychosocial program
The activities in the last week included the assessments of different spontaneous camps in Bat-darian, Potha, Ghazikot and Ghazikot Maira to identify needs for future psychosocial work. The team registered 36 profiles of the tent villagers in Bat-darian camp and arranged five group meetings with them to identify their needs.
Almost all the planned camps are now closed, but spontaneous camps are still operational in a few locations. The psychosocial team continues to support and maintain follow-ups of the IDPs even after camp closures. It has been shared that some families are facing problems in returning to their homes as the roads are blocked due to landslides.
Health and hygiene program
The health and hygiene team visited the Batheria spontaneous camp and registered 136 children. Children were divided into two groups based on their ages and were given hygiene promotion training. The team also visited Ghazikot and Ghazikot Mera camps where it conducted surveys for future work. Chatter Plain and Battal governmental schools have also been visited for the same purpose.
Water and sanitation program
The water and sanitation team is working in various spontaneous camps. In Maira camp and Haripur, the water and sanitation equipment has been handed over to local authorities. Water-storage tanks and pipelines are under construction in the Siran valley of Mansehra District. In Chattar Plains, the laying of water lines to Sharkulei village from Ashwal areas is in progress. Pipelines are also being repaired in Battagram. Boreholes have been completed in Ghazi kot and Ghazi kot Maira of Mansehra District.
Training on chlorination of the tanks was conducted for Public Health and Engineering Department staff in Battagram.
Recovery and monitoring and assessment (RAM) program
RAM teams are engaged in monitoring, capacity building of staff, and providing support to Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). Deployed monitoring teams covered two tehsils (counties) - Palas and Chakisar of Kohistan and Shangla Districts respectively. In Palas, three union councils and seven villages were covered in which 85 household profiles and six village profiles were completed. In Chakisar, one union council and four villages were covered in which 115 household profiles and five village profiles were completed.
The RAM team also facilitated NCA's identification of the areas for water and sanitation activities. NCA has approved eight more schemes on the basis of data provided by the RAM team - Ugaz Banda, Kotgala, Shagai and Kander in Peshora; Kunjbori, Torra Dehri and Inzarpatti in Thakot and Batagram City.
Capacity-building program
This program of the Emergency Field Office of CWS-ACT is planning its monthly seminar titled "Recovery Update and Planning." The main objective of this seminar is to provide a platform where the CWS-NCA-ACT team members and their implementing partners can share their achievements and identify gaps and constrains in their work. The seminar will also help to ensure cooperation among all stakeholders while designing future strategies.
(ends)
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
------
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>
Which country hosts the most refugees?
Pakistan
According to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan is the world's main asylum country, hosting more than 1 million refugees. Afghanistan remains the source of the largest number of refugees worldwide - 1.9 million people in 72 countries. The number of people uprooted by conflict or persecution rose to 20.8 million last year, but refugees who have actually fled their homeland now account for only four out of every 10. </span>
----
Pakistan still faces massive post-quake challenge -08/06/06
A host of daunting challenges still face Pakistan as it tries to recover from a devastating earthquake last October, writes Chris Herlinger, a New York-based correspondent for Ecumenical News International who was recently on assignment in Pakistan for the US humanitarian organization Church World Service, a member of the Action of Churches Together International network.
As international attention focusses on Indonesia, the post-quake situation in Pakistan is demanding massive resources - from a nation that is also coping with seemingly perennial problems of poverty, corruption and political instability.
The earthquake killed about 80 000 people, and displaced another 3.3 million, permanently altering the landscape of the North West Frontier Province and the Pakistani-controlled Azad Kashmir region.
Almost eight months since the earthquake struck, humanitarian aid workers, government officials and disaster survivors say the coming months will present new challenges to the predominately Islamic nation.
Chief among them is the rainy season, which may require the Pakistani government to evacuate residents who are now returning to villages that were levelled in the catastrophe.
There is also deep uncertainty among returnees about whether the areas they are returning to are safe and whether they have left temporary camps too quickly. Some observers have also alleged that the government has forcibly removed people from the camps.
But in a recent interview, a representative of the Pakistan's Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) said that was not the case and he hailed the response both by the government and by relief groups.
"It was tremendous work," ERRA representative Rab Nawaz told a group of US and European aid workers and church officials. Nawaz also defended the pace of reconstruction efforts, which some have criticised as proceeding too slowly. "This needs time," he said.
A group of villagers from the small community of Naran, who had relocated to a camp near Balakot City, itself was heavily destroyed in the quake, said they remained uncertain when they could return to their village, some 86 kilometres away.
The villagers were also unsure how they would regain their livelihoods, as their cattle, a crucial means of support, had all been lost in the earthquake. Even so, they said the authorities had done a good job in their initial response to the disaster.
Still, the International Crisis Group (ICG), which monitors international crises, was highly critical of the Pakistani government in a recent report, calling the disaster response "ill-planned" and "poorly executed".
Among other things, it faulted authorities for tolerating radical Islamic groups, banned under the national Anti-Terrorism Law, and allowing them to respond to the emergency.
Said the International Crisis Group: "Should jihadi groups that have been active in relief work remain as involved in reconstruction, threats to domestic and regional security will increase."
The Action of Churches Together aid network is an associate of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC).
[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Conference of European Churches]
---
By Grace Jiu.
Bandar Seri Begawan - Donations have been pouring in for the Pakistan Earthquake Humanitarian Fund established with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on October 19, last year and it has accumulated a total of $1,000;671.04 to date.
Donations for the fund were made by members of the public via SMS, through donation boxes placed in mosques, Muslim prayer houses (suraus), banks, commercial buildings and public places throughout the country as well as through various sports and community activities.
Of that total, $93,273 was garnered from donors via SMS, $403,725.45 from the Brunei Islamic Religious Council, $100,000 from the Pakistan Charity Dinner-cum Cultural Performance Function organised by the High Commission of Pakistan and $403,645.59 from relevant donation boxes as well as donations from members of the public, companies and associations that approached the Fund's Secretariat directly.
The total contribution was handed over by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Awg Hj Mohammad to the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Major General (Rtd) Syed Haider Jawed. Also in attendance was Awg Hj Jemat bin Hj Ampal, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The handing over ceremony was attended by officials from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Pakistan High Commission. The event took place at the Minister's Office, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The establishment of the fund, which was dissolved recently, was to assist in alleviating the sufferings of Pakistan earthquake victims and help them regain normal livelihood.
The Pakistan Earthquake Humanitarian Fund, was comanaged by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs, including members from nongovernmental agencies. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
---------
Pakistan-Quake missing Campaign to haunt missing in Pakistan earthquake
Islamabad, June 8, IRNA
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has launched a joint public campaign with a view to elucidating the fate of 221 persons - including 85 children - still unaccounted for since the October 8 earthquake.
This program was formally launched here on Thursday.
Program Manager of the campaign Nancy Sorenier has said that following the earthquake, more than 400 families approached the ICRC and the PRCS about missing relatives.
So far, 179 cases have been resolved and among them 79 people have been confirmed alive, while about 100 had been verified dead in the earthquake.
She said that haunting of missing 114 men, 22 women and 85 children in progress.
Nancy further said that A book and posters with the names and - wherever possible - photos of those missing will be made available in schools, hospitals, PRCS and ICRC offices and other public places.
She said that media can play very effective role in our campaign, so, TV spots will be used to trace the missing people.
"Only 10 days ago, a 16-year-old girl from the quake-devastated Balakot town was reunited with her family," said Nancy.
She was away from home when the earthquake struck and wrongly assumed that her entire family had died. She was finally found in a school in Karachi where she been brought by a family with whom she had taken refuge, she added.
------------
Pervez may clip army chief's wings before giving up uniform
Aditya Sinha
New Delhi, June 11, 2006|03:46 IST
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is planning to give up his uniform, but not before a paradigm shift in his country's power structure. It is believed he is planning to dilute the power of the army chief, the post he's promised to quit before the 2007 general elections.
Presently, Musharraf has nine corps commanders (of Lt General rank) under him. together, they function as Pakistan's board of directors. Government sources say he's planning an ordinance that will create posts for two regional commands â a northern commander and a southern commander (India has such regional commands).
These regional commanders, sources say, will be full Generals, like the army chief. The nine corps commanders will report to them (four to one, five to the other). This will dilute the army chief's power in two ways. One, being of nearly the same rank, the regional commanders will keep an eye on him. Two, he cannot conspire with the corps commanders without the regional commanders knowledge (coups in Pakistan are carried out by key corps like the one in Rawalpindi).
Musharraf is apparently doing this because he's seriously considering fulfilling his promise to shed his uniform before elections. The current national assembly will expire in November 2007. By law, the President can be re-elected within 60 days prior to the end of the assembly's life. The elections, however, can be called within 90 days after the assembly's expiry. The President evidently plans to re-elect himself.
Musharraf seems confident that the opposition political parties will be unable to dislodge him. The Charter for Democracy, which includes Nawaz Sharif's PML and Benazir Bhutto's PPP, does not appear to be working on the ground. Benazir is suspected of keeping a channel open with the army. And there's no common political agenda to send the army back to the barracks.
On the other hand, Musharraf's advisers are cautioning him about the worsening situation in Balochistan, and increasing US pressure vis-Ã -vis Afghanistan. They are seeking ways for him to consolidate power while giving up the top army post.
----
ACT Situation Report
Pakistan 07/06
ACT appeal ASSA51 (Revision 2) - Emergency Relief to Quake-affected
Geneva, May 17, 2006
Information provided by ACT member Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS); the following is a compilation of extracts from weekly reports on CWS-ACT activities during the last part of April
From the April 19 report
Psychosocial program team
The activities in the last week included follow-up of the vulnerable families left behind in tent villages, visits to United Pakistan camp and regular counseling sessions with the IDPs returning to their hometowns.
The team compiled a list of vulnerable families residing in United Pakistan tent village and shared it with camp managers. The team also made arrangements for the few families in the Turkish and Alrasheed camp who are not ready to return yet. It has been generally observed that vulnerable families also tend to move out of the camps once general migration starts. The United Pakistan camp management was informed of the status of the families who are to be shifted. The residents of United Pakistan tent village are very apprehensive and confused about their future. Lack of accurate information and details about return policies further add to their anxiety. Movement of most of these IDPs is forced and involuntary. Return packages for the families were not distributed on an equal basis. Most of the resident of United Pakistan informed the psychosocial team that the food-package distribution stopped two months ago. The concerns of the residents were then put forward to the camp officials by the CWS team. In addition, counseling sessions were conducted with several families. As of April 18, almost all of the 267 families in the camp had left for their villages or other areas., counseling sessions were conducted with several families. As of April 18, almost all of the 267 families in the camp had left for their villages or other areas.
The team organized a henna design competition for the women in the United Pakistan camp to help create a healthy and somewhat relaxed environment. Women participated actively and socialized with others. The United Pakistan team also held a sports competition with the children in the camp.
The team has also extended its activities to spontaneous camps (as opposed to the organized camps referred to above). During the visit to Batdarian, the team met with women and children and carried out an assessment of the camp. The women were encouraged to share their stories and concerns.
Recovery assessment and Monitoring (RAM) team
A scouting team was sent to the villages of Pamal Sharif and Batamori. The team also worked with the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) water and sanitation assessor to identify sites for water schemes in Manaye, Gangwal, Karmung, Rashang and Battila.
Team members were assigned to accompany the relief evaluation teams to Chatter Plain, Dhudyal, Ashwal, and Pattika, areas where relief goods were distributed, and where beneficiaries are still using CWS-ACT tents. CWS-ACT prepared electronic copies of the relief distribution maps for the four districts of Mansehra, Battagram, Shangla and Kohistan.
Construction Trade Training Center (CTTC)
The third of the CTTCs (managed by CWS-ACT in collaboration with the Dosti Foundation) is under construction at Battagram. At the centers, men are receiving vocational training in four construction trades - masonry, electricity, welding, and plumbing and carpentry. The second session at the Mansehra CTTC began on April 12.
From the April 26 report
Psychosocial program
The activities in the last week included the assessments of different spontaneous camps in Bat-darian, Potha, Ghazikot and Ghazikot Maira to identify needs for future psychosocial work. The team registered 36 profiles of the tent villagers in Bat-darian camp and arranged five group meetings with them to identify their needs.
Almost all the planned camps are now closed, but spontaneous camps are still operational in a few locations. The psychosocial team continues to support and maintain follow-ups of the IDPs even after camp closures. It has been shared that some families are facing problems in returning to their homes as the roads are blocked due to landslides.
Health and hygiene program
The health and hygiene team visited the Batheria spontaneous camp and registered 136 children. Children were divided into two groups based on their ages and were given hygiene promotion training. The team also visited Ghazikot and Ghazikot Mera camps where it conducted surveys for future work. Chatter Plain and Battal governmental schools have also been visited for the same purpose.
Water and sanitation program
The water and sanitation team is working in various spontaneous camps. In Maira camp and Haripur, the water and sanitation equipment has been handed over to local authorities. Water-storage tanks and pipelines are under construction in the Siran valley of Mansehra District. In Chattar Plains, the laying of water lines to Sharkulei village from Ashwal areas is in progress. Pipelines are also being repaired in Battagram. Boreholes have been completed in Ghazi kot and Ghazi kot Maira of Mansehra District.
Training on chlorination of the tanks was conducted for Public Health and Engineering Department staff in Battagram.
Recovery and monitoring and assessment (RAM) program
RAM teams are engaged in monitoring, capacity building of staff, and providing support to Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). Deployed monitoring teams covered two tehsils (counties) - Palas and Chakisar of Kohistan and Shangla Districts respectively. In Palas, three union councils and seven villages were covered in which 85 household profiles and six village profiles were completed. In Chakisar, one union council and four villages were covered in which 115 household profiles and five village profiles were completed.
The RAM team also facilitated NCA's identification of the areas for water and sanitation activities. NCA has approved eight more schemes on the basis of data provided by the RAM team - Ugaz Banda, Kotgala, Shagai and Kander in Peshora; Kunjbori, Torra Dehri and Inzarpatti in Thakot and Batagram City.
Capacity-building program
This program of the Emergency Field Office of CWS-ACT is planning its monthly seminar titled "Recovery Update and Planning." The main objective of this seminar is to provide a platform where the CWS-NCA-ACT team members and their implementing partners can share their achievements and identify gaps and constrains in their work. The seminar will also help to ensure cooperation among all stakeholders while designing future strategies.
(ends)
ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
------
<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>
Which country hosts the most refugees?
Pakistan
According to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan is the world's main asylum country, hosting more than 1 million refugees. Afghanistan remains the source of the largest number of refugees worldwide - 1.9 million people in 72 countries. The number of people uprooted by conflict or persecution rose to 20.8 million last year, but refugees who have actually fled their homeland now account for only four out of every 10. </span>
----
Pakistan still faces massive post-quake challenge -08/06/06
A host of daunting challenges still face Pakistan as it tries to recover from a devastating earthquake last October, writes Chris Herlinger, a New York-based correspondent for Ecumenical News International who was recently on assignment in Pakistan for the US humanitarian organization Church World Service, a member of the Action of Churches Together International network.
As international attention focusses on Indonesia, the post-quake situation in Pakistan is demanding massive resources - from a nation that is also coping with seemingly perennial problems of poverty, corruption and political instability.
The earthquake killed about 80 000 people, and displaced another 3.3 million, permanently altering the landscape of the North West Frontier Province and the Pakistani-controlled Azad Kashmir region.
Almost eight months since the earthquake struck, humanitarian aid workers, government officials and disaster survivors say the coming months will present new challenges to the predominately Islamic nation.
Chief among them is the rainy season, which may require the Pakistani government to evacuate residents who are now returning to villages that were levelled in the catastrophe.
There is also deep uncertainty among returnees about whether the areas they are returning to are safe and whether they have left temporary camps too quickly. Some observers have also alleged that the government has forcibly removed people from the camps.
But in a recent interview, a representative of the Pakistan's Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) said that was not the case and he hailed the response both by the government and by relief groups.
"It was tremendous work," ERRA representative Rab Nawaz told a group of US and European aid workers and church officials. Nawaz also defended the pace of reconstruction efforts, which some have criticised as proceeding too slowly. "This needs time," he said.
A group of villagers from the small community of Naran, who had relocated to a camp near Balakot City, itself was heavily destroyed in the quake, said they remained uncertain when they could return to their village, some 86 kilometres away.
The villagers were also unsure how they would regain their livelihoods, as their cattle, a crucial means of support, had all been lost in the earthquake. Even so, they said the authorities had done a good job in their initial response to the disaster.
Still, the International Crisis Group (ICG), which monitors international crises, was highly critical of the Pakistani government in a recent report, calling the disaster response "ill-planned" and "poorly executed".
Among other things, it faulted authorities for tolerating radical Islamic groups, banned under the national Anti-Terrorism Law, and allowing them to respond to the emergency.
Said the International Crisis Group: "Should jihadi groups that have been active in relief work remain as involved in reconstruction, threats to domestic and regional security will increase."
The Action of Churches Together aid network is an associate of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC).
[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Conference of European Churches]
---