02-23-2006, 05:26 AM
Saturday, February 18, 2006 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version
Security concerns slow relief efforts in quake areas
ISLAMABAD: The ongoing public protests over the publication of blasphemous cartoons in the western media are curtailing relief operations of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Azad Kashmir and NWFP.
According to a press release issued by IOM on Friday, the organisationâs personnel working in the field â specifically the distribution hubs in Mansehra, Balakot, Bagh, Batagram and Muzaffarabad â have been restricted from securing locations eversince the religious holiday of Muharram on February 10.
âThere have been no attacks on the relief agency staff or offices in Pakistan. However, UN and IOM security officers are concerned that while the international aid community is not a target of these protests, there is the potential for the staff to inadvertently get caught up in a security situation,â states the release. On Friday all IOM staff movements in Pakistan were cancelled after reports suggested there might be violent protests after weekly congregational prayers. All IOM offices, including Islamabad, gave their local staff off till Monday and advised all international staff to stay in doors.
âEverything is peaceful at present but an operational shutdown has been called for midday today through the weekend,â says IOM Pakistan Head of Security Paul Johnson. âThe safety of our staff is paramount and these security measures are simply precautions,â he added. Although aid deliveries have been restricted, the emergency shelter needs of those affected by the earthquake have mostly been met and the cold winter is about to end. Assistance is still required in Abbaspur and Hajira Tehsils of Bagh district, where IOM is planning to ship 400 complete shelter kits with corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets to a local NGO operating in the area. staff report
Home | National
Security concerns slow relief efforts in quake areas
ISLAMABAD: The ongoing public protests over the publication of blasphemous cartoons in the western media are curtailing relief operations of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Azad Kashmir and NWFP.
According to a press release issued by IOM on Friday, the organisationâs personnel working in the field â specifically the distribution hubs in Mansehra, Balakot, Bagh, Batagram and Muzaffarabad â have been restricted from securing locations eversince the religious holiday of Muharram on February 10.
âThere have been no attacks on the relief agency staff or offices in Pakistan. However, UN and IOM security officers are concerned that while the international aid community is not a target of these protests, there is the potential for the staff to inadvertently get caught up in a security situation,â states the release. On Friday all IOM staff movements in Pakistan were cancelled after reports suggested there might be violent protests after weekly congregational prayers. All IOM offices, including Islamabad, gave their local staff off till Monday and advised all international staff to stay in doors.
âEverything is peaceful at present but an operational shutdown has been called for midday today through the weekend,â says IOM Pakistan Head of Security Paul Johnson. âThe safety of our staff is paramount and these security measures are simply precautions,â he added. Although aid deliveries have been restricted, the emergency shelter needs of those affected by the earthquake have mostly been met and the cold winter is about to end. Assistance is still required in Abbaspur and Hajira Tehsils of Bagh district, where IOM is planning to ship 400 complete shelter kits with corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets to a local NGO operating in the area. staff report
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