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International aid agencies barred
from Awaran
KHAWAR GHUMMAN
Published at
2013-10-08 09:28:35
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ISLAMABAD: The government is not
allowing international humanitarian
aid agencies to go into earthquake-
affected districts of Balochistan.
In a press statement posted on its
website on Oct 4, France-based
Doctors Without Boarders has
resented the governments
reluctance to allow its medical care
providers to enter Awaran, the area
which suffered the most when the
earthquake struck the province on
Sept 24.
It said: Despite daily discussions
with the government of Pakistan,
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors
Without Borders (MSF) has not yet
been granted permission to work in
the affected area.
MSFs spokesperson in Pakistan said
as of today (Monday) there was no
headway in negotiations between
the government and MSF officials.
She said: Our teams of doctors are
ready to go to the affected areas,
but we are yet to get a formal
authorisation from the government.
But National Disaster Management
Authoritys spokesman Adrees
Mehsood said no such assistance
was required because the NDMA had
already provided food, shelter,
medical care and other goods to the
entire population of 125,000 in the
area.
He said international aid agencies
were not allowed to carry out relief
work because the government had
not sought their help.
Mr Mehsood said an international
call by the host government was
mandatory to let foreign NGOs in the
disaster-hit areas.
He said the government also did not
want to have foreigners doing relief
work as the law and order situation
was bad in the area.
But MSF claims that still there are
areas where the government aid has
not reached. Balochistan, where MSF
is already working, is the most
impoverished province, which has
some of the worst health indicators
in the country, the MSF said.
Ahmar Bilal Soofi, a former caretaker
law minister and international
lawyer, said aid agencies could
directly approach the host country
and offer assistance. This is how
they work all over the world, he
added.
But a nationalist Baloch leader, who
didnt want to come on record, said
there was a tacit agreement between
the government and Baloch
insurgents that foreigners should
not be allowed to operate in the
area. Baloch militants dont want
foreigners reaching their hideouts in
the garb of humanitarian aid
workers, he said.
Experts believe that the government,
particularly the security
establishment, which over the years
had been in effective control of the
province, doesnt want to let the
international community in the
affected areas and learn about the
situation on the ground.
Despite repeated attempts, nobody
from the Balochistan government
was available for comment.
The Minister for States and Frontier
Regions, retired Lt General Abdul
Qadir Baloch, told Dawn that the
authorities concerned must have
genuine reasons for not allowing
international NGOs to get into
quake-affected areas.
But I personally believe that fragile
law and order conditions must have
forced the authorities to deny NGOs
access to the affected people, he
said.
www.dawn.com/news/1048232/international-aid-agencies-barred-from-awaran
--------------------------------------------------------@Aeronaut sir plz check is it ok now? link is below
from Awaran
KHAWAR GHUMMAN
Published at
2013-10-08 09:28:35
Share
0 Comment(s)
ISLAMABAD: The government is not
allowing international humanitarian
aid agencies to go into earthquake-
affected districts of Balochistan.
In a press statement posted on its
website on Oct 4, France-based
Doctors Without Boarders has
resented the governments
reluctance to allow its medical care
providers to enter Awaran, the area
which suffered the most when the
earthquake struck the province on
Sept 24.
It said: Despite daily discussions
with the government of Pakistan,
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors
Without Borders (MSF) has not yet
been granted permission to work in
the affected area.
MSFs spokesperson in Pakistan said
as of today (Monday) there was no
headway in negotiations between
the government and MSF officials.
She said: Our teams of doctors are
ready to go to the affected areas,
but we are yet to get a formal
authorisation from the government.
But National Disaster Management
Authoritys spokesman Adrees
Mehsood said no such assistance
was required because the NDMA had
already provided food, shelter,
medical care and other goods to the
entire population of 125,000 in the
area.
He said international aid agencies
were not allowed to carry out relief
work because the government had
not sought their help.
Mr Mehsood said an international
call by the host government was
mandatory to let foreign NGOs in the
disaster-hit areas.
He said the government also did not
want to have foreigners doing relief
work as the law and order situation
was bad in the area.
But MSF claims that still there are
areas where the government aid has
not reached. Balochistan, where MSF
is already working, is the most
impoverished province, which has
some of the worst health indicators
in the country, the MSF said.
Ahmar Bilal Soofi, a former caretaker
law minister and international
lawyer, said aid agencies could
directly approach the host country
and offer assistance. This is how
they work all over the world, he
added.
But a nationalist Baloch leader, who
didnt want to come on record, said
there was a tacit agreement between
the government and Baloch
insurgents that foreigners should
not be allowed to operate in the
area. Baloch militants dont want
foreigners reaching their hideouts in
the garb of humanitarian aid
workers, he said.
Experts believe that the government,
particularly the security
establishment, which over the years
had been in effective control of the
province, doesnt want to let the
international community in the
affected areas and learn about the
situation on the ground.
Despite repeated attempts, nobody
from the Balochistan government
was available for comment.
The Minister for States and Frontier
Regions, retired Lt General Abdul
Qadir Baloch, told Dawn that the
authorities concerned must have
genuine reasons for not allowing
international NGOs to get into
quake-affected areas.
But I personally believe that fragile
law and order conditions must have
forced the authorities to deny NGOs
access to the affected people, he
said.
www.dawn.com/news/1048232/international-aid-agencies-barred-from-awaran
--------------------------------------------------------@Aeronaut sir plz check is it ok now? link is below