Former City Nazim Karachi, Naimatullah Khan Advocate along with President Al-Khidmat Foundation Professor Dr Hafeez-ur-Rehman laid the foundation stone of the complex on Sunday in Mithi.
Umar Khan, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Tharparkar, Ejazullah Khan National Director, Khair Muhammad Teeno Assistant Secretary, Qazi Sadaruddin director project Sindh, Sarfaraz Shaikh, Ziaullah and Zain Siddique of Al-Khidmat Foundation and Ahsan Raheem leader of PML-Q were also present on the occasion.
Briefing the visiting newsmen, Dr Hafeez-ur-Rehman said the initial cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 50 million, of which Rs 10 million have already been arranged. Al-Khidmat Foundation will arrange the remaining funds through fund raising campaign across the country and aboard.
The complex is being constructed by Al-Khidmat Foundation with the support and collaboration of "Charity Australia International" - an Australia based NGO, working for devolvement of the rural and remote areas of Pakistan, he added. He said some 10 acres of land has already been acquired in Mithi on main Islamkot Road, Mithi Bypass to undertake the development work of the complex, hoping the project is expected to complete in five years.
"This complex will be completed in two phases. As per plan, in the first phase a mosque and a hostel will be completed in the first year. In the second phase, the remaining project will be completed in five years," Hafeez-ur-Rehman said. He said the completion of a college, hospital and Agosh - a residential scheme for poor and Zam Zam project - a drinking water scheme will be completed in the second phase of the complex.
About the Foundation work in Tharparkar, he said that at present, Al-Khidmat is working in different fields including health, education, poverty alleviation, water projects, interest free soft loans and woman development projects. Under Al-Khidmat Rozgar (Employment) scheme in Thar, he said in the last five years Rs 4.48 million interest free and soft loans have been given to 110 needy persons, enabling them to start their own business.
Recovery under Rozgar scheme is about 100 percent and out of Rs 4.48 million, Rs 2.47million have been repaid by the borrowers, while remaining amount Rs 2 million will receive in small trenches. With availability of interest free loans, these borrowers have started business of general store, cloth shops, medical stores, computer center, milk shop, rickshaw, mobile shop, etc. While some of the borrowers have also invested in health and education sector, which is also supporting the Al-Khidmat Foundation activities.
Although, one ambulance of Al-Khidmat Mithi is already working, Mithi is still facing severe shortage of ambulances, therefore Al-Khidmat Foundation has arranged two more ambulances for Mithi. Now some three ambulances will be available round-the-clock to facilitate masses of Mithi as well as other close villages. The Foundation President said with the support of Charity Australia International a state of art hospital is also being built in Multan with projected cost of Rs 500 million.
"Our foundation is also working on disaster management as this sector has been ignored by the government and every year general masses and the country's economy face billions of rupee losses," he said. Pakistan Disaster Management Cell (PDMC) has predicted severe floods ever in August this year, therefore the foundation has set up some six mega emergency response centers across the country to save human lives and avoid losses in case of floods, he added.
These well-equipped (boats, live jackets and medicines) centers have been established in Malakand, Charsadda, Multan, Lyaha, Matyari and Badin. Under the emergency response centers, so far, 500 persons have been trained for rescue operations and they will be deployed at these rescue centers, he added. Besides, these centers, every district will set up its own rescue center to help masses in case of any disaster, he added.
Dr Hafeez said Al-Khidmat Foundation has already set up 2 "Agosh" centers - a project for orphans, in Attock and Mari and now it is being established at Hub Balochistan and Sheikhupura Punjab, besides 54 diagnostic centers in Karachi, Multan, Mansehra, Peshawar, Bannu and Quetta to provide cheap but standardised medical facilities to the poor masses of the country.
Naimatullah Khan started Zam Zam Project (drinking water project) in Thar in 1997 and so far 470 wells have been established in different areas of Thar to solve the drinking water problems. While, some 10 more wells are under construction. These wells have been constructed in Islamkot, Mithi, Deplo, Nagarparkar and Chacharo at a cost of about Rs 0.8 million per well, he added.
On the education side, some 19 schools have been set up in Thar, where more than 400 students are getting quality education, free of cost, he added. In addition, in collaboration with UK Islamic Mission, a mega Agosh project is also under process where some 1,000 students will be accommodated with a minimum financial support of Rs 2500 per month, Dr Hafeez said.
"According to a study some $50 billion are required to end poverty from the world and interestingly every year $50 billion are being spent on smoking, $110 billion on liquor and $780 billion on weapon," he pointed out. He added that according to a recent report about Rs 1.7 million per day have been spent on "Naswar" alone in Mardan City of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.
On the occasion Dr Hafeez ur Rehman and Naimatullah Khan Advocate also appreciated the efforts and support provided by UK Islamic Mission, Charity Australia International, Jansu Turkey, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), IHH Turkey, Helping Hands USA, WAMY Saudi Arabia and other foreign as well as local funding agencies, which are enabling Al-Khidmat Foundation to continue its activities. Meanwhile, Al-Khidmat Foundation also arranged a wedding ceremony of 20 couples in Mithi on Sunday; all expenses including dowry were borne by the Foundation.