RIYADH, 31 October 2005 — Indian expatriates here have joined hands to raise funds for quake victims.
A relief committee has been constituted to help the victims of the earthquake in Indian Kashmir, where conditions are getting worse with the advent of winter. More than 30,000 houses and 100 mosques were completely destroyed, while a total of 40,000 residential units were partially damaged by the Oct. 8 quake, which left 1.2 million people displaced in the valley.
“The devastation caused at both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir is unimaginable,” said M. S.A. Qureshi and Salim Zubedi, two community leaders, who convened the meeting of the Indian expatriate organizations and individuals to raise funds for the quake victims.
The meeting, Qureshi and Zubedi said, had decided to send some funds immediately to complement the government’s rehabilitation efforts.
Referring to the action plan of the relief committee, they said that the committee had already launched a contact program to mobilize relief and assistance.
“The idea of conducting Eid Milan programs to mobilize funds is also being examined besides seeking individual and collective contributions,” said Qureshi. He said that a few organizations back home had been identified for the disbursement of relief supplies.
They said, “The committee was purely a private initiative under which a substantial amount had already been raised.”
