Talking to newsmen here at Prime Minister House after presiding over different meetings to review relief and rehabilitation work in the quake hit areas, PM said all those who were affected and those who lost their relatives would be given cash compensation by end of this year.
The Prime Minister also chaired a meeting of Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) Council to review relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work and approved reconstruction plan prepared by the Authority headed by Lieutenant General Muhammad Zubair.
AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat, NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani, federal ministers, Chairman National Relief Commission Lieutenant General Farooq and ERRA Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Zubair, also attended the meeting.
PM, in reply to a question said that in the first round at least one heir of deceased persons would get cash compensation and added that in the next round all families would get compensation for their relatives who lost their lives in the earthquake.
Shaukat Aziz said a meeting of parliamentary leaders of all political parties in the National Assembly would be held next week to review and discuss relief and reconstruction work being done by the government.
He said he offered to constitute "parliamentary committee" while addressing the National Assembly recently and now it had been decided he would convene the first meeting of committee next week to take parliamentarians into confidence on relief and rehabilitation work being done in quake hit areas.
The Prime Minister said damage assessment was reviewed today and it would be finalised by tomorrow. He said the government, United Nations, World Bank and other international organisations were doing the assessment, and the preliminary assessments were discussed at a meeting held here at Prime Minister House today.
Shaukat Aziz said the assessments would be provided to all participants of international donors' conference being held on November 19.
The Prime Minister said President General Pervez Musharraf, Secretary General United Nations and heads of international donors' agencies and delegates of participating countries would address the conference while he would present the welcome address.
The Prime Minister said with a view to simplify the procedure of payments in the quake affected areas, it had been decided all Police Stations in NWFP and offices of Tehsil Municipal Office would have the claim forms and the victims could file their claims at those sites.
He said after verification and authentication, the payments to legal heirs of the deceased would be made without any delay and substantive payments would be made by November 30 while all payments would be finalised by December this year.
The Prime Minister said that in Azad Kashmir all offices of Assistant Commissioners would have the claim forms where the people could file their claims.
Shaukat Aziz announced that "Parliamentary Committee" consisting all parliamentary leaders, belonging to government and opposition would review relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work. He said proposals, apprehensions, reservations and suggestions of parliamentary leaders would be accommodated in the meeting of the "Parliamentary Committee" next week. He said parliamentary leaders from MMA, PML-N, PPP, PPPP, PML-Q, MQM and other parties would be invited to attend the meeting.
Shaukat Aziz said with a view to ensure transparency in the disbursement of funds, private audit company "Ford Rhodes " had been engaged to audit payments for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the quake hit areas. He said government would also continue auditing of funds through Auditor General of Pakistan.