He was presiding over the 93rd corps commanders' conference held at the General Headquarters. Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, corps commanders and principal staff officers attended the meeting.
President Musharraf said that it was the biggest catastrophe of our times, which the nation is facing with fortitude and determination.
He appreciated the prompt response of army in reaching out to the marooned people for relief and rescue operation and continuing the same with zeal and zest despite criticism from certain quarters.
He commended the selflessness and dedication of all ranks who remained involved in the ongoing relief operation even during Eid holidays. He said that the officers and Jawans of Pakistan Army, army engineers, doctors, aviation pilots and all others committed in providing relief to their brethren in pain and distress deserve appreciation.
The president exhorted all ranks to continue relief and rescue operations with the same zeal and enthusiasm and leave no stone unturned.
"The good co-ordination of relief work has been appreciated the world over, which is reflective of the professionalism and devotion to duty of all ranks of Pakistan Army," he said.
Talking about converting challenges into opportunities, he explained an outline plan for reconstruction and rehabilitation work that would bring a major change and upgrade the life of the affected people.
He directed the corps commanders to render all necessary assistance to the governments of AJK and NWFP in quick disbursement of compensation amount.
The disbursement of Rs 20 billion in affected areas would not only alleviate the sufferings of the people, but also generate lot of economic activity and bring in a new era of prosperity, he added.
He also asked the corps commanders to render helping hand and provide logistics base to the National Volunteers Movement in picking up the pace so as to accomplish the required objectives.
Later, Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Zubair and Federal Relief Commissioner Major General Muhammad Farooq briefed the participants of the conference about the ongoing relief and rescue operations, database development, conduct of seismic surveys and reconstruction and rehabilitation plan.
The participants also dwelt at length upon matters of professional interests.