"Reach out to the people who lost their everything. Visit them in tent villages, hospitals and camps, meet them, console them and assure them of your support, so that they know that we stand with them in this difficult times," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters at the Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL) Hospital.
After his visit to the hospital, where he met the injured from the worst-hit areas of October 8 earthquake, the prime minister said, "I appeal to the nation to observe the day with simplicity, donate money in the President's Relief Fund and help the people in rebuilding their lives.
He said the cabinet members would spend their Eid with the affected people to assure that they were not alone.
"We understand their pain and sufferings and stand by them," he added.
Shaukat said that the government was conducting damage assessment of the quake-affected areas with the co-operation of the governments of AJK, NWFP, Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the United Nations.
He said teams are currently surveying the environment, roads, infrastructure, government buildings, sanitation and sewerage, houses, educational institutions, hospitals and would finalise a report before the international donors' conference on November 19 in Islamabad.
He hoped that the international donors meeting, which will also be attended by multilateral organisations, Islamic Development Bank and World Bank, would help the country in reconstructing the devastated areas.
He said the government was getting tents from across the country and was trying to start work on providing temporary housing in the affected areas.
He said national programme for psychological services has been launched to provide help to the people affected by the trauma.
He said even those not injured in the quake were undergoing psychological stress. Three such centres would be set up at Muzaffarabad, Mansehra and Islamabad. Volunteers would be inducted, trained and sent to the affected areas. He said teams from abroad are also coming to help Pakistan.
Regarding the reconstruction phase, he said, it would be done on a large-scale and the government was endeavouring to do it swiftly.
He was appreciative of the international assistance, but said much more was required from the international community for relief and reconstruction.
"The scale of damage is very extensive and we are struggling to meet the challenge and the entire nation today stands united to help us in overcoming the affects of this calamity." The prime minister said, "We will try to turn this adverse situation into an opportunity and rebuild the areas, with safer buildings and better facilities."
He said the government has started payment of Rs 25,000 for each damaged house and has released Rs 500 million to provide the people with CGI sheets and other building materials. He said teams of volunteers and army engineers were going to the affected areas to help the people in rebuilding before severe winter sets in.
Health Minister Nasir Khan, Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Senator Tariq Azeem, Minister of State for Youth Affairs Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister of State for Interior Dr Shehzad Waseem accompanied the prime minister.