Pak govt gives Rs 2.8 mn aid to Sikhs fleeing NWFP

Pakistani on Friday provided aid worth Rs 2.8 million to members of the minority Sikh community who recently migrated to Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hasanabdal town in Punjab to escape fighting between militants and security forces from the insurgency hit NWFP.

The aid was distributed by North West Frontier Province Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Minorities Minister Nimroz Khan, who visited Hasanabdal.

Addressing the Sikhs, Hussain said the NWFP government is determined to help everyone, including the minorities, shifting from the Malakand division.

He assured the Sikh community that it was "not alone and the government was well aware of its sufferings". The aid from the government was not sufficient to cater to the needs of all persons migrating from the troubled areas but had been given so that they could realise the government is aware of their miseries, he said.

The government had provided Rs 0.5 billion as aid to the NWFP but much more needs to be done to cope with the situation. He urged the federal government to immediately provide an already announced aid of Rs 1 billion to the NWFP.

Hussain also stressed the need for people to unite against the menace of terrorism and said every citizen, irrespective of his religion and tribe, should join hands with the government to fight militancy.