Mirpur (AJK) - Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Mirpur city on Monday to express solidarity with the victims of a recent earthquake, and said he will soon announce a relief package for the affected people.
The powerful quake on September 24 had killed at least 39 people and injured hundreds others. The large majority of the victims belong to the Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
During a meeting with the AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Prime Minister Imran Khan was briefed on the losses as well as rescue, relief and rehabilitation activities by the officials.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Mohammad Afzal also attended the meeting.
The meeting discussed in detail the strategy for rehabilitation of quake victims. Prime Minister Imran also visited District Hospital Mirpur where he was given a detailed briefing about the health of those injured in the calamity.
“A package is being prepared for the rehabilitation of earthquake affected people of AJK,” said the premier and assured to take immediate and every possible steps for the quake victims.
“I was [on my trip to] the United Nations when I heard about the earthquake and I was extremely saddened,” he was quoted as saying. “I wanted to visit immediately but my return from the United States was delayed.
“The people of Mirpur, who suffered [...] losses, have my greatest sympathies. I can feel your pain.”
The 5.6-magnitude earthquake – which also shook several cities of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) – injured some 459 people, confirmed Mirpur’s district administration. The government has already announced Rs500,000 each for the families of earthquake victims.
He said that the government was working on a package for the rehabilitation of victims. “Every possible step for the [assistance] of earthquake victims will be taken immediately,” he assured.
Strict security arrangements were made in the area ahead of Prime Minister Imran’s visit.
According to Divisional Commissioner Chaudhry Tayyab, the number of the people with serious and minor injuries was 172 and 680, respectively, in Mirpur district. Of the seriously injured persons, 27 were still being treated at Divisional Headquarters Hospital and three in the Combined Military Hospital, Mangla, while the rest had been discharged, he said.
Mirpur district suffered the most damage from the 5.6 magnitude earthquake, that rocked parts of Punjab as well as some of the country’s northern areas on September 24. About 40 people died, 38 of whom belonged to the Mirpur district, Tayyab had said.
At the time, the premier was in New York, where he had gone to attend the 74th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. He returned to Islamabad on Sunday.
On Friday, he had announced Rs500,000 compensation for each person killed in the quake in AJK and Punjab.
Tayyab said the cheques for the amount would be distributed among dependants of the deceased on Monday, most probably by AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider who had reached Mirpur to receive the prime minister.
However, no announcement has yet been made about compensation to the injured or for those who had suffered property losses, neither by the federal nor by the AJK government.
Under the AJK Natural Calamities and Distressed Persons Act, 2011, compensation for each deceased and injured person is Rs150,000 and Rs50,000, respectively. The compensation for the destroyed or damaged concrete house is Rs100,000 and for the katcha house Rs60,000.