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13 May 2009,
Relief Camp set up at
Regal Chouck Lahore:
Several social and labour organization
have set up a relief camp at Regal Chouck Lahore today.
They are appealing to all their members to bring food
and related items to the camp. The relief items will be
distributed among the IDPs at Murdan and Rustam in
Pukhtoonkhawa where similar activities have been already
in progress.
This activity is organized under the
platform of Labour Relief Campaign (LRC), set up during
the devastating earthquake in October 2005. labour
Education Foundation, Women Workers Help Line, National
Trade Union Federation, Labour Party Pakistan and
Progressive Youth Front are part of this campaign at
present. The LRC is appealing to other labour and social
organizations to become part of the campaign to
coordinate the relief work jointly.
The collected items will be distributed
among those internally displaced people whose numbers
have topped over a million already. Please come forward
to help the IDPs.
14 May 2009,
The
relief camp in Lahore is going on. Yesterday, we raised
rupees 40,000 and already sent to Murdan, today
till now around 20,000 is been collected. These
collection is based on one, twos and ten rupees. LPP
activists are going to every car, rickshaw, bus and
motorcycles stopping at the signal of Regal Chock
Lahore. To collect funds like this is a pain staking
work. We do not have rich backers. But majority of those
passer byes are giving some amount.
Women comrades of LPP have mainly played a role in this.
Hopefully, we will raise around 100,000 in three days.
It is not at all much amount comparing the catastrophe
that over a million internal displaced people are facing
in Malakand division due to the policies of the military
operation and Taliban.
15 May
2009,
Here
is report of the good bought yesterday by our Murdan
friends to be distributed today. With the first
two days of camping in Lahore, we have raised nearly
70,000 Rupees cash and 20,000 in pledges. 20,000 pledge
came through SPN to be delivered to us within five days,
another friend also through SPN has also inquired how to
send money to us.
Yesterday was a difficult day. Abdul Sattar Edhi was
sitting next to our camp with the full support of the
media and the public. So people opted to donate to Edhi
instead of us. We are happy that Edhi raised nearly 6.5
million Rupees in Lahore.
Despite that, LPP activists raised nearly 30,000 Rupees.
We started our camp around 11am till 10pm.
Today on the third and last day, we are now going to
Mall Road.
Today daily Dawn has reported LPP camp along Edhi.
Here is report from Murdan, the contact in Murdan is
also linked below,
"We purchased a 1200 Tea cups, 600 Glass for water
drinking, 600 Plates and 100 suites Kamees shalwar for
male female. Today we are distributing in Sheikh Yaseen
Camp. The WWHL, LPP, NTUF activists will taking part".
Farooq Ahmad
Member Executive Committee
Labour Party Pakistan
15 May 2009,
It went beyond or
expectations. Nearly 100,000 Rupees is been collected
till 4pm at the Labour Relief Campaign camp at Regal Chouck. During the last two days, we collected 70,000.
Our method of collecting funds with our home made paper
"dabbbas" is today copied by other groups on the Mall
Road.
It was again the women activists that have led the
campaign. Now people are stopping to give some amount.
The Labour Relief Campaign is jointly organized by five
organizations including Women Workers Help Line, Labour
Education Foundation, Progressive Youth Front, National
Trade Union Federation and Labour Party Pakistan.
The plight of the IDPs is getting now an ear every
where. We have a lot comments by people asking the
government to stop military action.
Generally, comments were against both, the Taliban and
Army operation.
Here are two comments from the women activists working
voluntarily at the camp
Azra Shaheen, member Lahore LPP committee,
I am mother of five, I am 43 year old. I had been
working for PMLN for some time, three years earlier I
joined LPP, I agree with the party policy.
I am here for the last three days, it was good to be
here, people were giving us support with the little
money they had, some people were thanking us, saying
that the internal displaced people are in trouble over
there, and you are working here in absolute heat, they
also give us some amount, some people thought that we
may be beggars and were treating us like baggers, but
with some discussions, they were sorry and also gave
some money.
People also commented that the military operation must
end.
People from all walks of life have donated like the
employees of the rescue team 1122, Students, from the
public transport, a very elder man asked me why are you
here, a beggar himself, when I explained what we are
doing, he gave me 2 Rupees,
Another incident: a persons was staring at us near the
camp, he was nearly for few hours, he was from Mianwali,
he asked me if we get some money for this work, I told
him, we are volunteers and not taking any money but
doing work to help those who are in most need, he was
ashamed, gave me Rupees fifty and then said, I have
never seen women working in heat without any incentive,
I will not stare at you and leave, he left with tears in
his eyes.
Marjina Gul
Member LPP Lahore
I have 4 children, and my age is 36. I am a private
school teacher with 60 children at Choungi Amr Sidhu
Lahore,
It was first time in my life that I asked anyone to
donate. I was very shy and thought on the first day here
that it is very difficult task. I stopped worrying
slowly, some time I feel that may be I have become
beggar, but then I think that no it is for a good cause.
Because of the experience of three days at the camp, we
have decided to have a camp at my area from Monday.
Some People are appreciating the work we are doing and
give money, many just appreciate and go, some stop
especially and recognize the work and give donation.
Today, one unwanted incident happened, when a traffic
police warden stopped us to collect donations, then
asked us to leave, when we said that we have camp, he
said then go your camp, then I told Farooq Tariq and he
went to traffic police warden, he had harsh word with
him and refused to leave the place, the warden has to
apologize afterwards.
I have been in LPP for few months, but was member of
Women Workers Help Line for one and half year, now, I am
able to go to police station, help the community,
earlier, I was very shy and did not do any community
work. Since last three days, I am now asking donations
without any hesitation as well.
Here I have been given money from one Rupees to five
hundreds. We are proud that we could do something.
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