The UAE-funded Project to Assist Pakistan (UAE PAP), has so far implemented 164 humanitarian and development projects worth US$353.663 million in Phases I and II of the plan.

UAE PAP, which was launched in 2011 on the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the continuous follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, aims to help Pakistan overcome the consequences of destructive torrential rains by rebuilding the country's ravaged infrastructure.

The project is a shining example of the UAE leadership's successful humanitarian and developmental efforts, and its drive to support and assist the people of Pakistan, and demonstrates why the country was ranked number one globally for the provision of development aid.

The project hopes to benefit all sects, age groups and social classes of the Pakistani community, especially orphans, the handicapped, children, women, the elderly and the Pakistani people in general. Its mission objectives include, but are not limited to, providing assistance to the people of Pakistan by developing poverty elimination programmes, upgrading the educational system and environment, upgrading medical services and the community health environment, and helping to create job opportunities for Pakistani nationals in order to eliminate unemployment and improve the economic conditions.

UAE PAP has a broad scope for projects throughout its mandated region of operation which includes the building of modern roads and bridges to help establish inter-province/inter-city access points and secure means of easier travel for all people.

They aim to build, maintain and restore schools, colleges and academic institutions, while helping to upgrade the educational infrastructure and prepare students to earn academic credentials and obtain training experience.

They also intend to build, renovate, maintain and refurbish hospitals, clinics and medical institutes to extend badly needed modern medical care to Pakistani families in order to alleviate their suffering and protect them against diseases and epidemics, and vaccination campaigns against polio.

They will build water treatment and purification plants, extend delivery networks to provide remote towns and villages with potable water, and eliminate the problem of contaminated water.

They will offer humanitarian assistance to the poor, orphans, needy, homeless, displaced people and refugees, by providing them with food and healthcare.

UAE PAP adopted an all-out development plan to carry out vital projects to serve the Pakistani nation. The total cost of the projects in both phases has so far reached $320 million.

It carried out four road and bridge projects at a cost of more than $121.5 million which included the reconstruction of two bridges destroyed by floods on the Swat River and building two new roads in South and North Waziristan. One of the bridges, the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Bridge, is 330 metres long, and 10 metres wide, while the other, the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Bridge, is 448 metres long, and 10.7 metres wide.

In the field of education, the project aimed to support the development of the sector in Pakistan and contribute to rebuilding its infrastructure. UAE PAP took the initiative to help Pakistan by building and equipping 60 educational projects to modern international standards. This initiative was taken upon the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, to support and upgrade the educational infrastructure in Pakistan and build proper facilities for students to study in a convenient environment. The varied projects saw the building of schools, colleges, and educational institutions at a total cost of more than $41.5 million.

UAE PAP sponsored a number of health programmes and projects to boost Pakistan's Health Ministry efforts and capabilities to upgrade medical services. The sponsorship provided for the setting up of, equipping and maintaining 8 hospitals/clinics in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, South Waziristan and Bajaur at a total cost of more than a $125.8 million. These projects were carried out to modern international standards, architecturally and technically, to provide high class medical care, and enable hospitals to competently extend medical treatment to those in need. Clinics were fully supplied with equipment necessary to run medical examinations, offer modern diagnosis and extend a high quality, integrated service to the locals.

Special attention was given to extending healthcare to women and children as a cornerstone of family health. Two model hospitals were approved to offer treatment to women, children and emergency cases, the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital in Saidu Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Sheikha Fatima bin Mubarak Hospital which is being built in South Waziristan.

Within the framework of efforts intended to make available purified potable water, UAE PAP implemented 76 projects, including 44 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 in South Waziristan, 10 in Mohmand Agency and 2 in Southern Waziristan at a total cost of $6.973 million.

These projects covered digging wells, building water desalination plants, tanks and pumps and extending potable water pipe networks.

On the humanitarian front, and after floods forced many families in remote areas to relocate inland near the main cities with many losing their homes, UAE PAP provided relief in the form of shelter, food and medical care. Food baskets were distributed to alleviate the suffering of the homeless in vast areas of Pakistan, and the total food aid provided amounted to $11.618 million.

Source :WAM