ISLAMABAD, April 24: National Volunteers Movement Chairman Mohammad Ali Durrani has said the October 8 earthquake had developed a spirit of volunteerism in the country.

He was speaking at a ceremony ‘Relief Response, Lessons Learnt and Future Plan’ at the headquarters of Pakistan Red Crescent Society here on Monday.

Mr Durrani avoided to give the number of volunteers. “It is not the game of numbers. I can arrange 100,000 volunteers in a matter of few days,” he claimed, adding that during the relief work, he received calls from hundreds of people seeking to enlist for free service.

He said the earthquake had provided a great opportunity to launch the volunteers movement.

He, however, regretted, what he said, lack of proper strategy to handle the situation in the aftermath of the tremors. Everything was in abundance, but lack of organisation created problems. He underlined the need for appropriate planning and strategy to deal with such emergencies in future.

Mr Durrani appreciated the role of Pakistan Red Crescent Society in relief operations. He said the PRCS and international Federation of Red Crescent Societies (FRCS) had proved their worth, adding that these organisations could be counted on in emergency situations.

Speaking on the occasion, PRCS Chairman Jahan Dad Khan urged the government to take steps to make such societies more effective through financial support aimed at capacity building. This would enable them to play a better role in case of any mishap. He also recalled the contributions made by the PRCS for the quake victims.

Mr Khan said in the face of difficult terrain and harsh weather condition, PRCS volunteers worked with zeal and spirit. However, there were some weaknesses which need to be removed in future, he said.

To begin with, there should be a strong base of trained volunteers, community participation, building local capacities, better data management, sharing of information at all levels and balanced coverage of relief activities by the media, he said.

Earlier, PRCS Secretary-General Khalid Kibria, in his welcome speech, spoke about the relief work and the society’s role.