ISLAMABAD, 5 November 2005 — Pakistan’s President Gen. Pervez Musharraf deferred a major purchase of US fighter planes, saying yesterday that the money is needed first for relief and reconstruction.

Musharraf also asked the world for more money, saying the response to the Oct. 8 earthquake has been far short of that for last year’s tsunami or the recent Hurricane Katrina.

“I am going to postpone that (the jet purchase),” Musharraf said. “We want to bring maximum relief and reconstruction efforts,” he added during his visit to a US military field hospital while touring Muzaffarabad.

Quake survivors, meanwhile, marked Eid Al-Fitr with somber prayers, toning down celebrations out of respect for the 80,000 people believed killed in the earthquake.

Musharraf said he was delaying the purchase of 77 US F-16 fighters due to the need to rebuild large parts of northern Pakistan flattened by the magnitude 7.6 quake. Analysts have estimated the reconstruction cost at $5 billion to $10 billion. The F-16s deal would have cost Pakistan more than $2.5 billion.

Musharraf said that the postponement would not harm Pakistan’s defense capability. “We should not do anything which harms Pakistan’s defense capability,” he said.

Musharraf urged the world to be generous with long-term help for quake victims. “When we are talking of the bigger issue of reconstruction and rehabilitation which is now to come, we expect the equal amount of assistance (which the) tsunami and Katrina got,” he said. During his tour of the quake zone, Musharraf visited a US Mobile Army Surgical Hospital set up in Muzaffarabad to treat quake victims.

He praised the work of its American doctors and nurses. “Is there a better word than excellent?” Musharraf said. “They are giving so much comfort.”

For most of Pakistan, yesterday was the start of the Eid Al-Fitr celebrations, but Musharraf asked Pakistanis to tone down festivities out of respect for quake victims.

Musharraf and his wife Sehba also visited the camp of a newly wed couple in the quake-hit town of Balakot and presented them a jewelry set. The couple had wed a few days ago.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also visited Muzzafarabad and distributed Eid gifts among children of the quake survivors.

The leaders in their separate Eid messages appealed to the people to celebrate the festival with simplicity and also make generous contributions and assist in the ongoing relief efforts.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will be hosting an international donors conference in Islamabad on Nov. 19, and the government expects to secure pledges of substantial contributions.

Ahmed to Visit Pakistan

Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed will lead a high-level delegation to Pakistan where he will meet top officials and assess the country’s emergency relief requirements, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The Saudi Relief Committee will send two planeloads of food, medicine and tents for the quake victims, the agency added.

— Additional input from agencies