Airlift for Pakistan displaced

UNHCR welcomes the airlift of more than 35,000 kilograms of relief supplies donated by the Irish and the Norwegian governments for our operations on behalf of displaced people in Pakistan's north-west.

The urgently-needed relief goods, which include tents, blankets and kitchen sets for a total value of approximately $318,000, arrived yesterday (Thursday) at Chaklala Military Air Base in Islamabad on an Airbus 300. The flight from Brindisi in Italy to Islamabad was organised in cooperation with OCHA, WFP and UNHRD.

The consignment includes: 6,600 blankets and 220 tents offered by Norway; as well as 1,000 kitchen sets and 900 mosquito nets, donated by IRISH AID. Both donors also covered all the freight and handling costs of the relief items.

The goods are now on their way to UNHCR's operational hub in the North West Frontier Province, where they will be used to help improve conditions in camps for displaced people. We are particularly grateful to OCHA for having promoted this flight and to the two governments involved for their generosity.