Flood affectees are not alone in this hour of suffering: Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri

Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri, Chairman of the MQI Supreme Council, has said that the flood affectees should not consider themselves alone in this hour of great suffering. He said that Minhaj Welfare Foundation (MWF) has completed the arrangements of sending three truckloads of relief goods.

Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri expressed these views while addressing a high-level meeting at the central secretariat to review the flood relief operations under MWF. Brig. (r ) Iqbal Ahmad Khan, Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, Presidents and General Secretaries of MSM, MWL and MYL attended the meeting. The participants of the meeting expressed their deep sense of grief and sorrow on loss of life and property caused by the floods.

Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri said that floods are annual occurrence but the real worry is that devastation caused by torrential rains during the monsoon has been the result of the government’s incompetence, negligence and misplaced priorities. He said that the authorities make lofty promises of taking precautionary measures prior to onset of the flooding season but they remain unfulfilled with the result that devastation happens to be greater than what was experienced last year. He said that the poor masses are the real sufferers, who have all of their belongings, homes and livestock washed away in merciless waves of floods while the rulers content themselves with aerial view of the devastation and doling out financial assistance of a few thousand rupees.

The Supreme Council Chairman said that the country has been facing the devastating floods for last seven years but the rulers have not offered anything concrete by way of flood mitigation except false promises of better preparedness. He said that had the recommendations of the Flood Commission led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of Lahore High Court on floods 2010 been implemented, the people of South Punjab at least could have been saved from the devastation they have been exposed to on yearly basis. He said that the rulers have made it their practice that they establish the judicial commissions first but then refuse to release or implement their reports.

The Director MWF briefed the meeting about the relief operations being conducted by MWF. He said that three truckloads of relief goods are ready, which will be sent in a couple of days to three districts of South Punjab.