ISLAMABAD: The United Nations and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have offered assistance to more than 10,000 quake-affected people in Azad Kashmir and adjoining areas in the eastern Punjab province, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) officials said on Thursday as the death toll in Tuesday’s earthquake of 5.8 magnitude soared to 39 with 723 people injured.
The quake-affected areas also received aftershocks that caused minor injuries to about 55 people in Kashmir’s Mirpur city. The US Geological Survey put the tremors at 4.7-magnitude with a depth of 10 kilometers.
Tuesday’s earthquake flattened homes and shops and split roads open in an area between the towns of Jhelum in Punjab province and Mirpur in Kashmir. The relief operation with the help of army troops and other emergency responders is now in progress in the region.
“The death toll has increased to 39 with 723 people injured,” Saqib Mumtaz, deputy-director (media) at the NDMA, told Arab News. “As per the initial data, we can say that more than 10,000 individuals are directly affected with 454 homes completely damaged.”
Shortly after the details of the quake emerged, friendly nations like the UAE and Japan offered their assistance to deal with the relief and rehabilitation operations.
“The UN country representative in Pakistan has offered full support especially for rehabilitation of women and children in the affected areas,” Mumtaz said. “The UAE ambassador [in Pakistan] and Japan have also contacted us to support the quake victims.”
On Wednesday, UAE ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Alzaabi wrote in a Twitter post: “I have received direct instructions from Abu Dhabi to provide all kinds of support and assistance to families and areas affected by the earthquake in different parts of Pakistan … we are currently assessing the needs with NDMA of Pakistan, our condolences to bereaved families.”
The NDMA official, however, said that Pakistan was not accepting any foreign assistance at the moment as “all needed resources” were available for the relief and rehabilitation of the people.
The government has provided food bags, tents, blankets, kitchen utensils and fresh water to the quake-affected people while reports regarding damage and destruction to the property were being prepared through field trips. Medical teams along with paramedics have already reached in the area with ambulances, life-saving drugs, surgical kits and other necessary medicines.
“We will hopefully be able to start the rehabilitation process within a week or so,” Mumtaz said, adding that the disaster management authority would ensure that “sustainable and earthquake-resistant buildings are constructed to avoid recurrence of the damage.”
The last major earthquake in Kashmir occurred in October 2005, killing almost 80,000 people and leaving 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Azad Kashmir.
UN, UAE offer assistance to Pakistan’s 10,000 quake-affected people
UN, UAE offer assistance to Pakistan’s 10,000 quake-affected people
- Islamabad not accepting foreign assistance at this stage since it has required resources for relief and rehabilitation
- Relief operation continues as death toll soars to 39
Pakistan PM invites UAE investment across tech and resource sectors at National Day event
- Shehbaz Sharif says the UAE remains a key economic partner and continues to lend ‘critical support’ to Pakistan
- UAE envoy says both nations have potential for cooperation in renewable energy, AI and economic diversification
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to welcome investment from the United Arab Emirates across emerging technologies and resource sectors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday, as both countries marked the 54th National Day of the Gulf country in Islamabad.
Speaking at the ceremony attended by senior ministers, diplomats and business leaders, Sharif said the UAE remained a key economic partner for Pakistan and continued to lend “critical support” to the country’s stabilizing economy.
“Pakistan takes great pride in its strategic partnership with the UAE, which continues to deepen across every domain of life,” he said. “With Pakistan’s economy stabilizing, we stand ready to welcome Emirati investment in renewable energy, AI, fintech, agriculture and minerals.”
Sharif praised the UAE’s leadership and recalled his earliest memories of the Gulf nation as “a land that believed in possibilities long before they became realities,” saying the country’s progress under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan commanded “profound admiration.”
UAE Ambassador Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi said the Emirates was committed to strengthening ties with Pakistan in areas including the economy, energy and artificial intelligence.
He said the two countries shared a “deep-rooted friendship built on mutual respect, shared values and a common vision for regional peace and development.”
“We see tremendous potential for collaboration in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, sustainability and economic diversification,” the ambassador said, adding that the UAE aimed to broaden the scope of its economic relations with Pakistan.
The UAE hosts around 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the country’s largest overseas communities, who Sharif said contributed “tirelessly” to the Gulf state’s development.
Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also joined the UAE ambassador in a cake-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
