Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry has appealed to all the prospective Umrah performers to donate their Umrah-reserved money to the flood relief fund instead of departing for Umrah as the flood-hit people are in dire need of their support.

Mr.Zahid Maqbool, President, ICCI said that every year thousands of Pakistanis go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah spending millions of rupees. He said a large amount of money could be collected flood affectees if every prospective Umrah performer donate his/her Umrah-reserved money to the flood relief fund.

He said the country has witnessed worst flood of its history which has eclipsed the scale of the devastating 2004 Tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He said the magnitude of devastation caused by the floods is unprecedented as thousands of bread earners have lost their life, millions of houses have been washed away while 6-million people have been affected.

He said it is not possible for the government alone to provide relief to affected people. Therefore, the whole nation should participate in relief efforts by giving generous financial and material support for the uprooted families.

ICCI has also called an emergency meeting of businessmen to discuss this critical situation and to collect maximum donations from them for flood affectees.

He said the flood-affected people were facing acute problems and some were even fighting for their survival. Therefore, the nation should play its positive role and contribute its share to provide reasonable shelter and food to the affectees.