Pakistan/Kashmir: Alarm grows over scale of disaster

[EuroObserver]

(I hope this qualifies as breaking news...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/kashmir/Story/0,2763,1598179,00.html

<snip>

· Nato sends troops to help overwhelmed relief effort
· President says aid offers are totally inadequate

...

Nato agreed to send up to 1,000 soldiers to boost Pakistan's overwhelmed relief effort last night as alarm grew over how to cope with a disaster now considered among the most difficult faced by the modern world.

Two weeks after an earthquake ripped across northern Pakistan an epic tragedy is unfolding. About 15,000 mountain settlements have yet to receive aid; international relief is chaotic and underfunded; and hundreds of thousands of survivors are at risk as the bitter Himalayan winter approaches.

<snip>

President Pervez Musharraf yesterday described as "totally inadequate" the $600m (about £340m) in aid pledged by the international community. He estimated reconstruction costs at $5bn. But immediate worries centre on the 3.3 million people made homeless by the quake.

With three weeks before temperatures plummet and snow starts to fall, everything they need for survival - tents, medical care and helicopter transport - is in short supply. But much of the outside world, it seems, is unaware of the scale of the emergency. By last night UN members had funded just over a quarter of the UN's $312m aid appeal. Frustration at the slow response turned to anger.

</snip>

[Spinzonner]

1. But apparently it's not serious enough to have Indian pilots fly their own

helicopters.

[EuroObserver]

2. Good point.

See this on Musharraf's attitude to the military position on Kashmir:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1869243

[liberal43110]

3. Politics

Even that shows Musharraf is playing politics with Kashmir. It's unbelieveble that he won't allow Indian helicopters staffed with Indian crews to participate in the rescue. There aren't enough resources globally to address the rescue needs, and the closest, most effective ones he forbids. Old rivalries over immediate needs.