Peshawar-The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Wednesday established a Flood Relief Fund for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people and appealed to philanthropists and well-off people to generously donate to the fund. This was decided in a meeting of the SCCI’s Executive Committee chaired by its President Hasnain Khurshid here at the chamber house. While speaking on the occasion the chamber president Mr Khurshid expressed deep sorrow over the mass-scale destruction and loss of precious human lives in the recent monsoon rains and devastating floods in the country. He said that the business community stands with the flood affectees in this difficult situation and assured that the community will extend every possible financial assistance for early restoration and rehabilitation of the affectees. Mr Khurshid recalled that SCCI has played its roles in the past as well by extending financial support for the restoration and rehabilitation of affected people devastated by the earthquake in 2005, and floods in 2010. He again assured that the business community will not leave the flood-affected people alone in the time-testing situation and assured full cooperation and assistance. The SCCI chief appealed to philanthropists and well-off people to generously support and include their share in the donation campaign of the Chamber for flood-affected people to ensure their timely restoration and rehabilitation. Earlier, ex-FPCCI president Ghazanfar Bilour said that SCCI chalked out a plan for the restoration and rehabilitation of flood-affected people. He appealed to the well-off people to contribute their share to the SCCI’s special relief fund for flood affectees. He noted the massive destruction occurred especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Malakand Division, Sindh, and Balochistan, which had not only brought loss of precious human lives, but also mass-scale infrastructure damages. Though he said it is impossible to compensate for the huge financial losses, efforts would be taken for restoration and rehabilitation of flood affectees through donations. The SCCI president Mr Khurshid also assured the participants that the donations shared in the collective fund for flood affectees would be secured, and will be distributed fairly and transparently. He also said that funds would be utilized in an organized manner to ensure early rehabilitation of the flood affectees.