The first consignment of two container-loads of relief goods collected at Pakistani international schools here has been sent to that flood-ravaged nation. The Pakistani international schools located at Nassariyah and Solaimania districts have been serving as points of collection for donations from the Pakistani community. This is after Ambassador Omar Khan Sherzai announced the launch of the humanitarian drive for the victims of the floods that have wreaked havoc in northwest Pakistan. “We are receiving an overwhelming response from members of the Pakistani community and Saudi nationals that bring their contributions both in cash and kind and deposit it at the school premises,” said Abdulghani Awan, Principal of the Pakistan International School Riyadh (PISR), in Nassariyah District. The drive is around-the-clock. People can come at their own convenience and donate at the two venues, Awan said. The drive to collect relief goods will continue depending on the flood situation in Pakistan, said Awan. “We may even think about extending the summer vacation so that the school premises can be used for collecting humanitarian goods,” he said. He said people have donated humanitarian relief items that include tents, foodstuffs including dates and minerals, clothes and medicine. “This is the first consignment of goods to be transported for flood victims donated by members of the Pakistani community in Riyadh,” the principal said. Muhammad Tanweer, Principal, Pakistan International School, English Section (PIS-ES) said his country's national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), is offering free services for the transport of relief material to Pakistan. “The private cargo agencies have also come forward with offers of free services that include packaging of goods in a professional manner and transporting them to the airport in Riyadh,” said Tanweer. Tanweer said official teams from PIA have been paying daily visits to the collection points to evaluate the quantity and nature of the cargo. Tanweer said he wants to encourage people to donate relief items such as medicines, milk powder, highly nutritious biscuits, mineral water, blankets, children's wear, tents and mattresses. Some 20 million people have been displaced due to the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in the northwestern parts of the country. – SG Members of the overseas Pakistani community, including children, have a track record of helping fellow Pakistanis in times of natural disasters, Tanweer said, recalling a similar huge response when his country was devastated by earthquakes in 2005. “At a social gathering (recently) members of the Pakistani community raised SR40,000, which shows the dedication and care for fellow Pakistanis suffering from untold hardships,” he said. There are over one million Pakistani workers in various parts of Saudi Arabia.
