ISLAMABAD, 9 October 2005 — Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said yesterday he would welcome aid from foreign countries after a devastating earthquake yesterday killed more than 1,500 people in the country.
Aziz also said Pakistan may cooperate with rival India for relief work in the worst-hit area, which is near the dividing line between the Indian and Pakistani zones of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
“We have set up the President’s Relief Fund for the earthquake victims and we welcome financial donations for the fund,” the prime minister told the BBC.
He said his country would need foreign help to rebuild homes in the worst affected areas, where he said more than half of the houses have been destroyed.
“It will be very difficult for them to survive” when the winter comes, he added.
“So we have said ‘yes’, we will take financial help from friends in the president’s relief fund. That money can also be used to buy equipment locally like foodstuff and water etcetera.” Aziz visited a collapsed apartment block in the capital Islamabad and flew over northern Pakistan to view the destruction.
“It was very traumatic,” he said.
Responding to a question about cooperation with India, Aziz did not rule out the possibility that their armies could coordinate relief work. The countries have fought three wars since 1947. “A hotline exists between Pakistani and Indian armies and if there is need to coordinate, the channels are open on both side,” he added. Strong aftershocks including one measuring more than 6.0 on the Richter Scale rattled Islamabad yesterday after the major quake.
The quake also exposed authorities inability to handle such a calamity. After the ill-fated Margalla Towers came tumbling down in Islamabad within seconds of the tremors, it took at least a couple of hours before the poorly-equipped local administration followed by dozens of army commandos reached the site and, working with shovels or their bare hands, began retrieving victims dead and alive from under the debris.
The administration also issued appeals to construction contractors to lend their cranes and heavy machinery to help in removing debris at the site of the towers.
According to Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao, at least eight people were killed in the tower tragedy. One distraught person, with tears flowing down his cheeks, was desperately looking for his cousins and their parents. “I was staying with them and had gone out for a walk when the tragedy struck, I know nothing about them “ said Sajid Hassan crying as another strong wave measuring 6.2 at the Richter scale shook Islamabad at 1046 GMT, sending people fleeing from their homes.
Abu Dhabi Rescue Team
A team of officers from Abu Dhabi police left for Pakistan yesterday to help in search and rescue operations following the devastating earthquake there, the official WAM news agency reported.
The 26-strong police rescue team will help search for survivors and treat the wounded from the earthquake, “In the first overseas mission on such a (large) scale,” it said.
