Jolie pleads for long term help

PESHAWAR: UN goodwill ambassador and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie said on Saturday that the post-flood situation in Pakistan needed a long and extended engagement.

Talking to reporters during her visit to Jalozai Camp in Nowshera district, the American movie star said that she had visited the area to better acquaint herself with the situation. “I am going around talking to flood-affected people, those affected by conflict and the Afghan refugees,” she said.

“From what I understand the situation is on a scale that we have not really seen the likes of. It’s on a huge scale.”

Jolie said that one of her messages would be to handle the situation with care. “Many people have special concerns, which need to be properly addressed,” she said.

Referring to the 1.7 million Afghan refugees already living in temporary camps in northwestern Pakistan, Jolie said that it was a very complex situation.

“This is a very long and extended situation that needs our support and attention even after the headlines and media have gone away,” she said.

Wearing a red-lined black cloak that covered her head, Jolie said that she was upset to see the people’s plight and called for donations through various channels, including the United Nation’s official appeal. “I am greatly moved by the destruction, which has caused miseries to a large number of people. This is an irreparable damage and anybody who can do something should do it,” she said.

This is Jolie’s fourth visit to Pakistan since she became a goodwill ambassador in 2001. She had earlier visited Pakistan after the massive 2005 earthquake.

Last week, she released a video message appealing for greater public support for Pakistan’s relief efforts, and she has herself donated 100,000 dollars to the flood appeal.

(With additional input from AFP)

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2010.