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Acting Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar,Iftikhar Rana & Syed Zafar Hussain Calls on
Premier of New South Wales Hon.Kristina Keneally at the Premier office Sydney
The Acting Consul General of Pakistan, Mr Hamid Asghar Khan, officially called on the Premier of New South Wales, The Honourable Kristina Keneally at the Premier’s office on the evening of Thursday 26th August, 2010. Mr Hamid Asghar was accompanied by the President of the Pakistan Association of Australia, Iftikhar Rana and the Chief Editor of Sada-e-Watan, Syed Zafar Hussain Shah.
The Acting Consul General had sought the meeting in order to formally request the assistance of the New South Wales Government to assist with the ongoing relief effort in Pakistan. While thanking the Premier for receiving him and the members of his delegation, Mr Hamid informed the Premier in detail regarding the enormity of the catastrophe, and of the complexities involved in providing relief to millions of Pakistanis who have been displaced by the unprecedented floods. The need for international assistance and the enormity of the logistical challenge were highlighted during Mr Hamid Asghar’s presentation.
The Premier, Ms Kristina Keneally stated that she sympathised with the Pakistani people, and was deeply moved by the visual images of the disaster that she had seen in the media. As the Chief Executive of a large and vibrant State, she realized how the Government of Pakistan must be struggling in order to provide relief to millions of people, many of them completely cut off by road and rail due to the floods. She appreciated how difficult it must be to assist those who were scattered over such a large area without adequate food, water or medicines.
The Pakistani diplomat especially touched upon the danger of the spread of infectious waterborne diseases amongst children and expectant mothers, and informed the Premier with deep regret that already, the death toll in relief camps was rising, as millions were living on small patches of land, surrounded by stagnant water without adequate food or medicines. The spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, malaria, dysentery and diarrohea which were growing due to the lack of clean drinking water, especially amongst minors and expectant mothers was specifically discussed.
The President of the Pakistan Association Mr Rana also informed the Premier regarding the multifarious activities that the Pakistani community in New South Wales was undertaking in order to help those in need back home. Mr Rana informed her that the Pakistani Community was united, and had rallied around the Consulate and all segments of society were working together in order to provide relief to the affectees. He appreciated the role of Sada-e-Watan, and of Syed Zafar Hussain Shah in keeping the community informed regarding all activities.
The Premier mentioned a number of possible ways which were under consideration, in which the New South Wales Government could contribute towards the relief effort, and these were discussed in detail during the course of the hour long meeting. Apart from immediate humanitarian assistance, the Premier Ms Keneally promised to look into ways of also later assisting Pakistan with the long term reconstruction of infrastructure which would commence once the floodwaters recede. Ms Keneally assured the Consul General that after holding internal discussions regarding the requirements highlighted during the meeting, her office would announce suitable and appropriate assistance within the next week.
