Late Qazi Nissar’s Khair-e-Aam Trust a hope for people in south Kashmir

Anantnag, Apr 20 (GNS): Hundreds of families are receiving relief and other help from Khair-e-Aam Trust of south Kashmir’s Anantnag in the wake of ongoing lockdown due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Kashmir Valley has been under lockdown for over a month since the spread of COVID-19. At least 341 positive cases have been reported from the Union Territory. Several people have complained of shortage of essential items and medicines.

Amid this lockdown, the Khair-e-Aam Trust while coming to people’s rescue distributed relief material including food packets and medicines among 1437 families of south and central Kashmir till date, the Trust said in a statement issued here.

It said that for the last one month, to help the healthcare workers and journalists, the Trust distributed more than 500 face-shields and masks. Over 200 patients have been given emergency medicines as they are unable to afford care in these times, it said.

The Trust was founded in late 1980s by Dr Qazi Nissar and now led by his son Qazi Ahmed Yasir, who is also the chairman of Ummat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir – a socio-political organization. Qazi Yasir was in jail for the past 18 months and was released recently after the court quashed his Public Safety Act (PSA).

“This general welfare trust supports at least 30 widows continuously. We have been distributing medicines to patients every year. Ration is being provided to more than 50 families every month,” Qazi Umair, who is managing the relief work led by the Trust, told GNS.

“We also set up a helpline for people living outside the region, if they need us to help someone here,” he said.

The Trust has also launched an exclusive helpline – three phone numbers for women. More than 50 women have so far been helped, Umair said, adding, “Planning is to set up small units at mohalla committee level that will eventually be self-sufficient to help the local residents. Our focus is to reach out to the people who are in dire need of support in each mohalla.”

In past too, the Trust has been involved in social service including rebuilding houses damaged in gunfights and floods, providing food and shelter to hundreds of families, and relief to more than 5000 families in south Kashmir during floods.

The Khair-e-Aam Trust aims to strengthen these activities and widen its reach to each house, and plans to work on improving education and healthcare facilities for people, the statement said. (GNS)