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PRESS STATEMENT

CHRISTMAS IN KASHMIR

The Irish Friends of Pakistan is a recently formed Agency focussed on providing immediate relief and long-term support for the victims of the Pakistan earthquake.

• Meath schoolteacher Sean Browne and Pakistani-Irish businessman Mohammad Khalid are travelling to Islamabad, Pakistan on December 28 th. Their mission is twofold:

• To bring monies they have raised, directly to the earthquake region of Kashmir .

• To review conditions in the earthquake region with a view to selecting a community or area that the Irish Friends of Pakistan can adopt for the purpose of helping it to rebuild and return to normal life.

• The Minister for State with Responsibility for Foreign Aid, Mr. Conor Lenihan TD, is meeting with the two IFP representatives at Dublin Airport prior to departure.

• The latter objective is long term and is expected to last for from two to five years.

• THE IRISH FRIENDS OF PAKISTAN (IFP) was formed in Navan County Meath some three weeks ago following a public meeting called by local businessman Mohammad Khalid. Since its formation the agency has been working to raise funds and to collect blankets and other goods for the relief effort. The agency has the full support of the Pakistani Embassy in Dublin and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Members of IFP have also met with former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, who has visited the region and has done a special report for the Government on the earthquake-hit area of Pakistan . Mohammad Khalid and Sean Browne met the Pakistani Ambassador to Ireland His Excellency Toheed Ahmad last week for discussions on their project. Earlier, the Acting Ambassador and a senior diplomatic representative were officially received respectively by Navan Town Council and by Kells Town Council. This emphasizes the local-area-to-local-area sponsorship/twinning aspect of the proposals being put forward by IFP.

• IFP will work in conjunction with existing NGO’s on the ground in Pakistan

• IFP will work to promote and develop the Irish relief response. It is hoped that counties and towns will follow the Meath/Navan example by adopting and sponsoring areas in the earthquake region. At their recent meeting His Excellency Toheed Ahmad emphasized that there is a great need for administrative and technical backup as well as for financial aid. Some of this could come from Ireland . It was also agreed at the meeting that aid should be by way of enabling the people of the stricken to rebuild their homes, their hospitals, their schools….their lives

• MEDIA REPORTS

• Browne and Khalid are bringing video recording, computer and other equipment with them on their trip and hope to be able to provide on the spot reports to the Irish media. Any media group that is interested in linking up with us please call Sean Browne on 087 6788674 or email abbeyeducation@eircom.net for further details.

• IFP Officers:

Chairman: Mr Paddy Pryle, Vice-Chairman: Mr John Duffy,

Secretary: Ms Margaret McKeown, Treasurers: Mr Sean Browne and Mr Mohammad Khalid, Organiser: Mr Damien English, TD.

PRO: Mr Sean Browne.

All money raised will go through a tax-registered (in process) charity directly to provide relief.

SEAN BROWNE: (087) 6788674 MOHAMMAD KHALID: (086) 2749868

• Allied Irish Bank, Navan, Co. Meath:

• Sort Code: 932183

• A/C No.: 27791097

IFP NEED MONEY IMMEDIATELY FOR:

• WEATHERPROOF TENTS

• BLANKETS and WINTER CLOTHING

• MEDICAL SUPLIES,FOOD and PROVISIONS