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Pakistan Red Crescent Society
ہلالِ احمر پاکستان
Abbreviation	PRCS
Formation	20 December 1947; 76 years ago
Founder	Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Governor General of Pakistan
Legal status	Active
Purpose	To ease the hardships of the most vulnerable Pakistanis using the power of humanity
Headquarters	Islamabad, Pakistan
Coordinates	33°41′00″N 73°03′05″E / 33.68326336241781°N 73.05140992249287°E
Region served	Pakistan
Fields	Humanitarianism
Official language	Urdu, English
President	Dr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan
Chairman	Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari
Affiliations	International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Volunteers	1.8 million
Website	prcs.org.pk

Pakistan Red Crescent Society (Urdu: ہلالِ احمر پاکستان), is a national society of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the humanitarian sector, that provides emergency medical and relief services in Pakistan in both natural and human-made disasters. The organization was founded on 20 December 1947 after Pakistan's independence by an order called the Pakistan Red Cross Order (Succession to Indian Red Cross, established on June 7th 1920), issued by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as Governor General of Pakistan. Jinnah became the founding president of the National Society.^[3] It was later renamed as Pakistan Red Crescent Society or the Red Crescent Order by act of Parliament in 1974.^[4] (assent by President of Pakistan on 1st March 1974 and published for general information on March 5th 1974 in Gazette (S.1033/L-7646) of Pakistan). Its national headquarters are in Islamabad.^[4]

Pakistan Red Crescent Society is working with a mission to become leading humanitarian organization of Pakistan, committed to prevent and alleviate human sufferings by mobilizing the power of humanity through volunteers.^[4]

Branches

Pakistan Red Crescent Society's headquarters are located in Islamabad, and Provincial/State Branch Headquarters are in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit respectively, while it has branches in all administrative units of Pakistan. These branches as well as the 92 district level branches are spread across the country, that ensures the coordination of the Society's field operations.^[4]

Volunteers

Pakistan Red Crescent Society had about 253,000 volunteers in 2014.^[5] It is estimated to have 1.8 million volunteers across Pakistan.^[6]

Works

Pakistan Red Crescent is highly regarded in Pakistan by its respective stakeholders and the public and has over the years been well known for saving lives and strengthening recovery in disasters,^[7] contributing towards healthy living,^[8] and promoting social cohesion in vulnerable communities.^[9] It has emerged as the leading humanitarian organization in the country by providing immediate response in national disasters supported by its vast network of staff and volunteers. PRC has undergone significant developments through the support of its Movement Partners over the years, expanding the capacity of the organization to develop its core activities and respond to disasters.

In 2010, after one of the largest floods in Pakistani history, the Red Crescent Society provided much-needed support to native Pakistanis who were without food or water. They also joined forces with the American Red Cross in this effort, and were given $100,000 in aid to combat the devastation of the flood.^[10]

In 2014, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Sindh, in association with the JDC Welfare Organization, provided medical aid to some 300 mourners with doctors, paramedical staff, and volunteers during a two-day medical camp organized in connection with Youm-e-Ashoor at Numaish Chowrangi, Karachi.^[11]