KARACHI, Sept 10 Just near the Bagh Ibne Qasim in Clifton, volunteers were seen collecting relief goods at two stalls set up close to one another though the number of visitors each drew was significantly different.

One was set up by the supporters of former president Pervez Musharraf and the other by television actors.

When this reporter spoke to the people manning these stalls it emerged that both the stalls had been set up when the floods first hit the country. However, relief goods found at the former president's stall were relatively fewer than by its neighbours set up by Qaiser Nizamani, Ayub Khoso and other TV artists.

Volunteers at the Pervez Musharraf Foundation stall did not know exactly how many goods had been collected and sent so far. While its Karachi stall chief Atiqa Odho could not be contacted, Shahid Qureshi present at the camp did provide some data. He also suggested that his brother Rashid Qureshi, who was the former president's spokesman, be contacted for more information.

Rashid Qureshi said that the Pervez Musharraf Foundation had recently been set up. He added that Mr Musharraf had donated Rs10 million for the flood-affected people when no other politician had contributed anything. In addition, over Rs3.5 million had been donated by a couple of his friends, he said.

He said that the PM Foundation stalls were also functioning in Lahore and Islamabad, which were being visited by a large number of donors. He added that Begum Sehba Musharraf might also visit the relief goods collection stall in Clifton as she was scheduled to arrive in the city in a day or two.

Asked why there were only a few goods found at the stall, he said that the relief goods were dispatched to the flood-affected areas as soon as they made a truckload. He said that three to four trucks loaded with relief goods had been sent to Jacobabad, Larkana and Thatta. Besides, he said, relief goods had also been distributed in the areas where they were required the most on the information provided by the ISPR.

Telethon

He said that a telethon with the help of a local television network was also being organised for the flood-affected people. He said Mr Musharraf would be online from London during the live TV progamme scheduled for Sept 12.

Mr Qureshi said that since the government had lost its credibility, donors living in other countries were reluctant to come forward. In fact, they did not trust that their donations would reach the deserving people, he added.

Thanking the people coming to donate the goods at the neigbouring stall was TV artist Qaiser Nizamani. During a 10-minute talk with Dawn, volunteers kept on approaching him for directions.

Mr Nizamani said that he and Ayub Khoso had set up the stall about 20 days back and a local television network later also joined in. He said they had sent tents, medicines and food packets containing flour, rice, sugar, oil, tea, milk and drinking water bottles to the flood-affected areas in Thatta, Hyderabad and Dadu districts.

He said that Mr Khoso was currently on a visit to the flood-hit towns for the distribution of relief goods. He said that they were also providing relief goods to the internally-displaced persons arriving in the metropolis.

He said that their volunteers were also installing hand pumps in different cities so that flood survivors could get drinking water. He said that they had installed 40 hand pumps in different areas in Thatta and Dadu.

Mr Nizamani said that he was thankful to the people coming forward to help out their suffering brethren. But, he added that the disaster was huge and a lot more had to be done. He appealed to the people that they must donate to whomever they believe trustworthy so that the people in distress could be helped.