Saudi Arabia Saturday handed over to Pakistan another consignment of relief items worth Saudi Riyals 1.5 million for the flood affectees of Balochistan. Saudi Ambassador to Islamabad Ali Awadh Assiri, Dr. Khalid Osmani, Regional Deputy Director of the Saudi Public Assistance for Earthquake Victims (SPAPEV) and Mohammad Abdoh Attain of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) delivered the documents for the relief goods to Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid at a ceremony in Islamabad. These included 1000 waterproof tents, plastic mats, polyester quilts, plastic sheets and stoves each and 5000 food packages. Addressing the function, Rashid said the whole of Pakistan firmly believes that whenever there is a natural disaster or a political crisis in the country, Saudi Arabia has been on the forefront to rescue, help and support. It is a relationship of friendship and brotherhood of all seasons. The Pakistanis have the greatest regard and respect for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, he said adding that whenever Pakistan faces crisis of any kind and magnitude, its citizens look towards Saudi Arabia. Ambassador Assiri said what Saudi Arabia has done and was doing was its duty and obligation. We have a genuine relationship of brotherhood that continues to grow with the passage of time. He said today's consignment of relief items was a continuation of the Saudi assistance for the suffering lot. Your agony and happiness is always our agony and happiness. Maj-Gen (retd) Farooq Khan, Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority, said nobody knows the worth of the Saudi assistance better than him. Saudi Arabia, he said, has always backed Pakistan in its hour of need. He said the Saudi ambassador keeps coming to him to know what kind of support Pakistan needs in the earthquake and flood affected areas. No amount of gratitude and appreciation is sufficient to thank Saudi Arabia for its consistent assistance. SPAPEV chief Dr Osmani said his organization has so far distributed 230,000 blankets, 150,000 quilts, tones of dates, over 10,000 ordinary tents, 12,500 special winterised waterproof tents, medicines worth 4 million Riyals, 100,000 stoves for cooking and heating, 100,000 food packages containing several food items and thousands of polypropylene sheets. He said under the supervision of Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, who is also the General Supervisor of SPAPEV, following the direction of King Abdullah the SPAPEV was helping to revive the lives of Pakistani brethren, who were badly hit in the October 2005 killer quake. The SPAPEV has provided a huge quantity of relief aid in million of Riyals to IIRO, Khubaib Foundation, Al-Khidmat Foundation, READ Foundation, National Volunteer Movement, Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority, governments of Azad Kashmir and North West Frontier Province, federal health ministry and many other local and international organizations working in the quake hit areas. He said the quick delivery of Saudi assistance to the needy people in the disaster struck areas has been possible because of the keen interest taken by Ambassador Assiri.
