500 000 tents for quake victims
2005-10-31 18:48
Rawalpindi - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf pledged on Monday to deliver 500 000 tents to quake survivors by the end of November as he defended the government's response in aiding millions of victims.
Declaring that relief efforts are "proceeding quite satisfactorily", Musharraf blasted critics who have slammed the military for not moving quickly enough in the wake of the October 8 quake that killed nearly 80 000 people.
"I am fully confident that we will meet the challenge and I will prove the cynics wrong," he said during a news conference at his home outside of the capital of Islamabad.
Thanking the contributions of donors, Musharraf said that the international community and Pakistani companies have already provided about 228 000 tents for the estimated 3.3 million people left homeless.
- AP