Pakistan Flood

October 07, 2010

Earlier this month, I joined Minister Jason Kenney on an official visit to the Punjab and Delhi to crack down on unscrupulous immigration consultants. I joined him in my role as the parliamentary chair of the Canada India Parliamentary Association. 

He has gone on to China but I stayed with my colleague MP Tim Uppal in India.   We had made contact with the Prime Minister of Pakistans son and a Pakistani rock star named Abrar.  I have been very interested in Pakistan since we have growing community in Barrie.  A close friend of mine Tahir Nawaz is actually co organizing a fundraiser with me on Sept 19th.   I spoke to him from Karachi to describe to him what we are seeing.  His number is 705770-2974. If you want to incorporate his local fundraising efforts into story.  His english isn't great. 

The Pakistani govt wanted us to stress to Canadians that help is still desperately needed.  They hope we see a big push as deadline nears.   EID takes place in Muslim Faith once a year.  It is one of the most important days of the year for Muslims in Pakistan.  They wanted us to be here specifically on this day.   The local charity we are working with (SAHARA) was organizing a mass distribution of candy for the children in the affected areas.

The Punjabi Govt escorted us to the Wagga Border and we were met by the Pakistani Army on the Pakistan side.  

The Prime Minister of Pakistan's   personal vehicle was lent to us to travel to Lahore airport.   It was bullet proof.   The doors were so thick that it was difficult to shut the door without a strenuous effort.

Lahore has had some recent Taliban attacks and Foreign Affairs Canada has issued a travel advisory to not travel there.   The Pakistan govt arranged for us to be escorted by military commandos.   It almost felt like a scene out of a movie.  

We took flight from Lahore to opposite side of country in Karachi.   We were extensively briefed by Pakistani Foreign Affairs officials on extend of devastation.


We were then taken up in military choppers to tour the tents.  Abrar Ul Haq who is Chairman of Sahara Trust escorted us. (www.abraronline.com). He has led charge amongst entertainers in Pakistan to help health in flooded areas.  We flew to IDP camps that his trust has distributed tents, food and clothes too.  

I can say the camps are everywhere.  We flew south from Karachi towards Thata region.  The floods continue to spread in a southern direction towards the Arabian sea.  Their is 20 million displaced people and 1.1 million people have been treated for serious medical complications.  There is still unequivocally incredible need in Pakistan. 

It breaks your heart to see an endless sea of dispair.   When I looked at a ravaged land, with people lacking hope and in extreme poverty, it made me think that we must be able to do more.  We must be able to spare some charitable donations to help provide basic help.  Their is kids getting malaria everyday, snake bites are rabid,  skin diseases are everywhere, and heat stroke is common.  

We returned to Karachi because of thunder storms that aviation authorities wanted airplanes and choppers to be grounded.

We debriefed Pakistani media in a national press conference a few hours ago.

We took hundreds of photos and they hope we can share the dire need for help.

The Canadian govt continues to match funds to registered charities doing work in Pakistan.  Barrie residents can do online donations up until Sept 19th.

I will email you some photos when I log into my email at my hotel.

I will be in Pakistan for a total of two days.   So it is a brief visit. 

I have been to the slums in Mumbai, I have been to the most dangerous places in Nigeria with the Canadian govt but this represents the worst state of dispair that I have witness in my life.