In an email from the finance director of Shahina Aftab Foundation (SAF), Noor Aftab, in which she was appealing for help to put together funds for hygiene kits, there was a interesting addendum at the bottom of her note:

Our director International, Maham, just sent the following message: PIA has started free delivery for transportation of relief goods to Pakistan. You can drop them off at your nearest PIA office and let them know which organization to send it to, and they’ll send it completely free of cost.

It seemed like an ideal service for people who have nice quality tents and clean, well-packaged clothes to send. So I checked out the PIA website. On the website, a message under the headline “Free Airlift of Relief Goods” states that all relief supplies can be sent through PIA’s domestic and international networks:

Collection & Help Desks have been created at all stations in the PIA network to facilitate donors. PIA’s Emergency Response Centre is working 24/7 to maintain close liaison with all stations to streamline logistics.

It is a matter of pride for us that Fakhr-e-Alam has decided to join hands with PIA. His rich experience and expertise will go a long way in ensuring efficient and targeted collection.

However, an informational video by Fakhr-e-Alam states clearly that he wants international donors to send food, not tents or clothes, via PIA at this time. The idea is to try to limit the amount of food inflation in Pakistan by buying the food outside the country and shipping it for free via PIA. PIA has specified the ideal box size (15 inches W x 15 inches L x 12 inches D) for transport and handling in the field (watch the video below). At this time, Alam, the well-known entertainer who has become known for his relief work, is very clear about not sending uncooked items like rice and lentils. Most displaced people are not in tent camps yet, and they have nowhere to cook, he says. If you live outside Pakistan and want to send food, then he instructs you exactly what to buy and pack — he has taken stock of the situation firsthand (though different people and different areas will have different needs). Nonetheless, his recommendations will surprise some. Here are the main food items he is asking individual international donors to send:

• Juice boxes with straws
• 1.5L bottles of mineral water
• salty biscuits
• sweet biscuits
• chocolate
• potato chips
• Tetra Pak milk

After going through the list of food, Fakhr-e-Alam reminds donors to ensure that “all items are 100% halal.”

But in the end, he wants people to pack more than food. Bars of soap, plastic glasses/cups and a cotton bed sheet also make his list of critical items. The bed sheet, he says, can be used for multiple purposes: as a blanket, mat, or to provide shade.

On arrival in Pakistan, the boxes of relief goods will be passed directly on to the Pakistan Army and other NGOs who have the best logistics networks in place.

Of course, this is only one option for international donors. Some people may not feel comfortable not knowing exactly who will be handling their packed box or what happens to their box once it lands in a Pakistani airport. Many international aid agencies, such as UNICEF, the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, will take cash donations, and many Pakistani NGOs, like BSRP (Balochistan Rural Support Programme), have foreign currency bank accounts in US dollars and Euros. There are many ways people outside Pakistan can give. Do your due diligence and then pick a method and organisation with which you are comfortable.

If you have more queries about PIA’s relief support and efforts, here’s how to get more info:

Call PIA’s Emergency Response Centre:
+92.21.990.44372
+92.21.990.44862

Visit their website here.