PTI Chairman and former Prime Minster Imran Khan held an international telethon to raise funds from within the country and overseas Pakistanis for the flood victims.
During the telethon, several celebrities joined Imran Khan. Chief Minister of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan, and the former premier’s ex-assistant on social protection Sania Nishtar also featured in the telethon.
The telethon was a huge success as the former prime minister collected over Rs.5 billion in donations in the 3-hour long telethon. People from within the country and abroad spoke directly to Imran Khan via telephonic calls to offer their donations for the flood-hit victims.
President and CEO of ARY Digital Network, Mr. Salman Iqbal, announced a donation of Rs.30 million for the rehabilitation of flood affectees. British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan also joined the telethon and announced Rs.5 million for flood victims. Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, who attended PTI’s live telethon transmission, announced Rs.30 million for flood affectees. Senior journalist Sabir Shakir announced Rs.500,000 donations for the flood-affected people.
Read more: Imran Khan springs into action to collect funds for flood victims
a kid from PINDI just donated 10,000 Rs from his pocket money for #TelethonByImranKhan ❤️
— Azhar Mashwani (@MashwaniAzhar) August 29, 2022
Needless to say, the telethon was a huge success as Pakistanis pledged to donate whatever they could to the flood victims. The sheer amount of donations in just the three hours of the telethon is being considered proof of the nation’s trust in Imran Khan, who himself is a renowned philanthropist.
“When people trust you they donate. In just 3 hours telethon by Imran Khan for flood relief crossed Rs. 500 crore or Rs. 5 billion. State cab pin any negative label on him but Pakistanis at home and abroad trust him fully and made that abundantly clear last night,” PTI leader Shireen Mazari tweeted.
When people trust you they donate. In just 3 hours #TelethonByImranKhan for flood relief crossed Rs. 500 Crore or Rs. 5 bn 🇵🇰. State can pin any negative label on him but Pakistanis at home & abroad trust him fully & made that abundantly clear again last night. #NationTrustsIK
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) August 30, 2022
Raising funds for flood victims
In his message at the onset of the telethon, Imran Khan said the objective of holding it was to raise funds for the flood victims as no government alone could deal with such a catastrophe.
To clarify, Pakistan has been struggling to deal with monsoon flooding that has affected more than 33 million people in the country. Unprecedented and historical flash floods caused by abnormal monsoon rains have washed away roads, crops, infrastructure, and bridges, killing more than 1,000 people in recent weeks.
Read more: Imran Khan beats Nawaz Sharif in media views
During the telethon, Imran Khan revealed that he is setting up a control room so that help can reach wherever it is needed. He said that Tiger Force will also be sent to the affected areas and we will do our best to help as many victims as possible.
Nation trusts only Imran Khan
Shukrya Pakistan #TelethonByImranKhan#عمران_خان_ٹیلی_تھون_مہم pic.twitter.com/Py6Pl0UmTi— Tehreek-e-Insaf (@InsafPK) August 29, 2022
Important to note that the Live Telethon was telecast by a number of TV channels after the Islamabad High Court suspended the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s notification which prohibited television channels from airing the live speeches of Imran Khan.