Islamabad: August 27, 2010: President Asif Ali Zardari urged the national media to play its role in creating a climate of public opinion whereby the flood catastrophe was converted into an opportunity to retrieve our rivers, replenish underground water reservoirs and devise a long term anti flood and anti – disaster strategy.

 

This he said during a dinner meeting with selected representatives of print and electronic media here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday night.

 

Those who attended the meeting included Mr. Hamid Mir, Mr. Najam Setti, Mr. Mubbasher Luqman, Rana Mubbasher, Mr. Nazir Najji, Mr. Arif Nizami and Mr. Aftab Iqbal.

Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for information and broadcasting, Ms Farahnaz Ispahani, MNA, Fauzia Wahab, MNA, Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah Babar and Mr. Taimor Azmat Osman, Press Secretary to the President were also present during the meeting.

 

The Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah Babar while briefing media about the meeting said that matters regarding flood damages, measures for the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims, role of media in relief efforts and ways and means to further streamline the relief operations came under discussion during the meeting.

 

The spokesperson said that the President said that floods had also provided us an opportunity to rethink and re-strategise our priorities. One thought that comes to my mind is to find ways to channel the flood discharge into deserts to replenish the subsoil water reservoirs for use in drought conditions, the president said adding that he had advised the government to appoint a Master Consultant to work and strategise plans and estimates.

 

The President said that the devastating floods have posed unprecedented challenge to the nation but the colossal damage to lives, property, agriculture livestock and infrastructure could only be met with the collective and concerted efforts of the government, the general public, Pakistani community abroad and the support and assistance by the UN and international community.

 

Farhatullah Babar said that the President apprised the media representatives about the government efforts including his interaction with the representatives of business community, Banks, financial institutions, donor agencies and world leaders to muster support and assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims. The government have also decided to call international donors’ conference in Islamabad next month to seek optimum support of the world community not only for the initial stage of relief of flood victims but also for the rebuilding and reconstruction phase.

 

The President while welcoming the support of world community said that the assistance by the international community was a short term measure to take control of the prevailing situation however the long-term panacea to compensate such astounding loss consisted of allowing enhanced market access for Pak products, according preferential trade facilities, creating ROZs and more investments in the country. He said that the democratic Government has always preferred trade over temporary aid packages to recuperate the losses caused initially by war against militancy and now the devastating floods.

 

The president informed the journalists that Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had been depute to brief the Foreign ministers of EU countries meeting in Brussels on September 11 about the flood situation and to persuade them to grant market access to Pakistani goods. Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, defence minister will also accompany the Foreign minister. Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying that henceforth Pakistan will pursue the market access as one point, unfocussed agenda for talks with EU.