13 May 2009,

Relief Camp set up at Regal Chouck Lahore: Several social and labour organization have set up a relief camp at Regal Chouck Lahore today. They are appealing to all their members to bring food and related items to the camp. The relief items will be distributed among the IDPs at Murdan and Rustam in Pukhtoonkhawa where similar activities have been already in progress.

This activity is organized under the platform of Labour Relief Campaign (LRC), set up during the devastating earthquake in October 2005. labour Education Foundation, Women Workers Help Line, National Trade Union Federation, Labour Party Pakistan and Progressive Youth Front are part of this campaign at present. The LRC is appealing to other labour and social organizations to become part of the campaign to coordinate the relief work jointly.

The collected items will be distributed among those internally displaced people whose numbers have topped over a million already. Please come forward to help the IDPs.

14 May 2009,

The relief camp in Lahore is going on. Yesterday, we raised rupees 40,000 and already sent to Murdan, today till now around 20,000 is been collected. These collection is based on one, twos and ten rupees. LPP activists are going to every car, rickshaw, bus and motorcycles stopping at the signal of Regal Chock Lahore. To collect funds like this is a pain staking work. We do not have rich backers. But majority of those passer byes are giving some amount.
 
Women comrades of LPP have mainly played a role in this.
 
Hopefully, we will raise around 100,000 in three days.
 
It is not at all much amount comparing the catastrophe that over a million internal displaced people are facing in Malakand division due to the policies of the military operation and Taliban.

15 May 2009,

Here is report of the good bought yesterday by our Murdan friends to be distributed today. With the first two days of camping in Lahore, we have raised nearly 70,000 Rupees cash and 20,000 in pledges. 20,000 pledge came through SPN to be delivered to us within five days, another friend also through SPN has also inquired how to send money to us.
 
Yesterday was a difficult day. Abdul Sattar Edhi was sitting next to our camp with the full support of the media and the public. So people opted to donate to Edhi instead of us. We are happy that Edhi raised nearly 6.5 million Rupees in Lahore.
 
Despite that, LPP activists raised nearly 30,000 Rupees. We started our camp around 11am till 10pm.
Today on the third and last day, we are now going to Mall Road.
 
Today daily Dawn has reported LPP camp along Edhi.
 
Here is report from Murdan, the contact in Murdan is also linked below,
 
"We purchased a 1200 Tea cups, 600 Glass for water drinking, 600 Plates and 100 suites Kamees shalwar for male female. Today we are distributing in Sheikh Yaseen Camp. The WWHL, LPP, NTUF activists will taking part". 
 
Farooq Ahmad
Member Executive Committee
Labour Party Pakistan

15 May 2009,

It went beyond or expectations. Nearly 100,000 Rupees is been collected till 4pm at the Labour Relief Campaign camp at Regal Chouck. During the last two days, we collected 70,000.
Our method of collecting funds with our home made paper "dabbbas" is today copied by other groups on the Mall Road.
 
It was again the women activists that have led the campaign. Now people are stopping to give some amount.
 
The Labour Relief Campaign is jointly organized by five organizations including Women Workers Help Line, Labour Education Foundation, Progressive Youth Front, National Trade Union Federation and Labour Party Pakistan.
 
The plight of the IDPs is getting now an ear every where. We have a lot comments by people asking the government to stop military action.
Generally, comments were against both, the Taliban and Army operation.
 
Here are two comments from the women activists working voluntarily at the camp
 
Azra Shaheen, member Lahore LPP committee,
 
I am mother of five, I am 43 year old. I had been working for PMLN for some time, three years earlier I joined LPP, I agree with the party policy.
 
I am here for the last three days, it was good to be here, people were giving us support with the little money they had, some people were thanking us, saying that the internal displaced people are in trouble over there, and you are working here in absolute heat, they also give us some amount, some people thought that we may be beggars and were treating us like baggers, but with some discussions, they were sorry and also gave some money.
People also commented that the military operation must end.
 
People from all walks of life have donated like the employees of the rescue team 1122, Students, from the public transport, a very elder man asked me why are you here, a beggar himself, when I explained what we are doing, he gave me 2 Rupees,
 
Another incident: a persons was staring at us near the camp, he was nearly for few hours, he was from Mianwali, he asked me if we get some money for this work, I told him, we are volunteers and not taking any money but doing work to help those who are in most need, he was ashamed, gave me Rupees fifty and then said, I have never seen women working in heat without any incentive, I will not stare at you and leave, he left with tears in his eyes.
 
Marjina Gul
Member LPP Lahore
I have 4 children, and my age is 36. I am a private school teacher with 60 children at Choungi Amr Sidhu Lahore,
 
It was first time in my life that I asked anyone to donate. I was very shy and thought on the first day here that it is very difficult task. I stopped worrying slowly, some time I feel that may be I have become beggar, but then I think that no it is for a good cause. Because of the experience of three days at the camp, we have decided to have a camp at my area from Monday.
 
Some People are appreciating the work we are doing and give money, many just appreciate and go, some stop especially and recognize the work and give donation.
 
Today, one unwanted incident happened, when a traffic police warden stopped us to collect donations, then asked us to leave, when we said that we have camp, he said then go your camp, then I told Farooq Tariq and he went to traffic police warden, he had harsh word with him and refused to leave the place, the warden has to apologize afterwards.
 
I have been in LPP for few months, but was member of Women Workers Help Line for one and half year, now, I am able to go to police station, help the community, earlier, I was very shy and did not do any community work. Since last three days, I am now asking donations without any hesitation as well.
 
Here I have been given money from one Rupees to five hundreds. We are proud that we could do something.