Asian earthquake: Journalists' rehabilitation fund set up

Imtiaz Alam, who is member of the World Editors Forum since June 2005, sent us an appeal "to help rehabilitate journalists and their families who have lost many family members, homes and whatever they had in the recent South Asian earthquake that devastated northern Pakistan and the divided Kashmir". Imtiaz Alam is Secretary General of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), which created a Journalists rehabilitation fund. Donations to this fund can be made through cheques, drafts, pay-orders and bank transfers on the following Bank Account: Title: FMF (Journalists‚ Rehabilitation Fund) Account No. 6214-212199-001 Bank: Union Bank Address: LDA Plaza, 7 Egerton Road, Lahore, Pakistan Swift Code: UNBLPKKAXXX

Imtiaz Alam writes:

"The October 8 earthquake has wrought a colossal calamity in the northern regions of Pakistan and across the divided Kashmir, resulting in the death of dozens of thousands and rendering millions of people homeless and jobless. The scale of devastation is such that it is difficult for the government and the people alone to overcome. Tremendous resources are required for compensation, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
As millions of people are faced with the worst trauma of their life, most communities have been left without the means of living that require contribution from every quarter. The journalists' community from the earthquake-hit areas, like any other community, is also in a miserable condition along with their families.
Being a part of media community, we the journalists in South Asia are deeply aggrieved over the plight of our fellow journalists in the earthquake affected areas. Dozens of journalists, along with their families, have equally suffered the worst quake in region's history, after effects of which are even worse than the last Tsunami.
On behalf of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), a main stream media body of the region associated with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), I call upon the journalist community in the region and the world at large and all concerned international agencies to come to the rescue of the journalists who are in dyer need of substantial humanitarian assistance for their rehabilitation.
SAFMA has created a separate account under its subsidiary, Free Media Foundation, a registered and legal body, with the Title of ?FMF (Journalists? Rehabilitation Fund)? to support the aggrieved journalists in heir hour of trial. The account is solely meant for the rehabilitation of journalists affected by the earthquake and will be audited by independent auditors and will be open to public scrutiny. A committee of six senior journalists (Imtiaz Alam, Editor Current Affairs, The News, M. Ziauddin, Resident Editor Dawn, Nusrat Javed, Resident Editor, The Post, M. Afzal Khan, Special Correspondent, The Nation, Mustansar Javed, Chief Editor, Mashriq, and Hussain Naqi, Editor South Asian Media Monitor) has been formed to set the criteria and supervise distribution of funds among the most deserving. The SAFMA Central Secretariat and its employees have donated their week's salary and SAFMA Secretary General, Imtiaz Alam, has personally donated Rs 100, 000 to the Fund."

Source: Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA)