Accept Indian aid, no role for politics in disaster: US to Pak Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/accept-indian-aid-no-role-for-politic

Washington: Asserting that there is no role for politics in disaster response, the Obama Administration has said it expects Pakistan to accept the USD 5 million aid offer from India for its flood relief work.

"In terms of responding to a disaster, politics should play no role. You have a country (India) that's willing to help (Pakistan), and... we expect that Pakistan will accept," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.

Last week, Minister of External Affairs S M Krishna had called on his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and offered USD 5 million in aid for flood relief work.

Pakistan, so far, had not accepted the offer while at the same time its leaders have been sending SOS to the international community for more and more aid so as to meet the immediate needs of its millions of flood-affected people.

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Nearly one-fifth of Pakistan is now reported to be badly hit by the devastating flood; the worst for the country in 80 years.

Crowley, given the changed circumstance, said the US has began to think about what it would do with that long-term security assistance provided under Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill and that could require the US shifting it from what it thought was a priority three weeks ago to what is a priority today.

"I think what we'll have to wait and see is what are the mid- to long-term economic needs of Pakistan that we could use that funding to address. I guess we would also consider more immediate needs as they arise," he said.

Frank Ruggiero, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan also asked Pakistan to accept India's aid.

"I think the priority is to use offers of assistance to help the Pakistani people, so we would encourage Government of Pakistan to accept that (Indian) offer," he said.

Ruggiero said that the US would continue to call on the international community to provide the people of Pakistan with the support it needs at this dire time, as the scale of this flood was so dramatic.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Minister has arrived in New York to attend the special meeting of UN General Assembly on the flood relief work, where he is expected to ask the member states to help Pakistan with more international aid.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would also address the UNGA's special session on Pakistan.She is expected to announce more US aid for Pakistan. The US so far has provided USD 90 million worth of aid.

Mark Ward, Acting Director for USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance said Pakistan floods was one of the greatest challenges as 17 million Pakistani people were affected; six million of those needing urgent attention.

Acknowledging that donor fatigue was an issue and has reflected in the international response to the disaster assistance for the flood relief work, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz said "but I think it's not an issue for the US.I think other governments around the world continue to make relief response a very high priority."

"The international community will need to provide even more additional assistance, that the need is extreme at this point, and that the international community and the United States will have to provide support to the Pakistani
Government to deal with it," said Ruggiero.

Urgent cry for help as death toll rises from Pakistan flooding

Desperation grows in Pakistan

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: U.N. official acknowledges international response has been slow
• The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum calls for "urgent international support"
• Almost 900,000 houses have been damaged and as many as 20 million people affected
• The U.N. chief says he has never seen such devastation

Islamabad, Pakistan - As an umbrella group of humanitarian entities called for "urgent international support" Monday in flood-ravaged Pakistan, the United States was sending materials to provide shelter for almost 47,000 displaced Pakistanis.

The U.S. Embassy said that a cargo aircraft carrying 530 rolls of heavy-duty waterproof and fire-resistant plastic sheeting for use as temporary shelters was sent by the United States to Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday, a day after another flight ferried 240 rolls of plastic sheeting to Karachi.

"Our experience has shown that plastic sheeting is urgently needed for temporary shelters, and we know it is urgently needed in Sindh as the flood waters continue to move south," Ambassador Anne Patterson said in a written statement. "It will be supplied along with locally purchased materials that can be easily moved when people are able to return home."

The embassy said the sheeting material will provide dry shelter for 46,800 people in Sindh province. It was going to a logistics hub in Sindh for distribution by local and international organizations.

To date, the United States has committed approximately $76 million for Pakistan emergency flood relief assistance. But the overall global response has not been nearly enough, according to an International Rescue Committee-chaired consortium called the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum.

About $150 million had been received from nations around the world by Monday, the group said in a news release, but much more is needed.

"The international response to the disaster has been too small to even begin to effectively address the needs of survivors," said Tammy Hasselfeldt, the country director of the International Rescue Committee, in the release. "The most urgent priority is to ensure that safe water as well as medicines are available, food supplies are restored and transportation networks fixed to accelerate the delivery of desperately needed aid."

Video: Political fallout of Pakistan flooding

Video: U.N. chief visits flood-hit Pakistan

Video: Pakistan flooding victims

Video: Urgent appeal for Pakistan aid

Gallery: Pakistan flooding in Swat Valley

John Holmes, the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, acknowledged Monday that the international community is just beginning to recognize the massive need in the flood-ravaged country.

"We know full well we have a lot of people still to reach, a huge distance still to go to make the assistance meet the need," he said. "That's why we've appealed for $460 million, and I'm glad to say the international response is beginning to come in."

However, he warned that "we need to see more -- we need to see a response that is commensurate with the size of the disaster that we're seeing."

He noted that while the need is beginning to be recognized, "unfortunately, the need is still rising because the floods are still rising in some parts of the country."

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Saturday that as many as 20 million of his countrymen have been affected by the flooding. The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum put the number at 14 million on Monday.

The death toll from the flooding that's raged more than a fortnight is up to 1,463, and more than 2,000 people have been injured, the National Disaster Management Authority said Sunday.

With about one-fifth of the country underwater, almost 900,000 homes have been damaged, the agency said.

RELATED TOPICS

• Pakistan
• Natural Disasters

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that while he has visited sites of natural disasters around the world, he has never seen anything like the devastation created by flooding in Pakistan. He said the disaster is worse than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2005 Pakistani earthquake combined.

"Thousands of towns and villages have simply been washed away," Ban said, speaking alongside Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari. "Roads, buildings, bridges, crops -- millions of livelihoods have been lost. People are marooned on tiny islands with the flood waters all around them. They are drinking dirty water. They are living in the mud and ruins of their lives. Many have lost family and friends. Many more are afraid their children and loved ones will not survive in these conditions."

Water-borne bacteria and illness have become serious concerns. At least 36,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea have been reported, the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in Islamabad on Saturday.

Up to 3.5 million children are at high risk of deadly waterborne diseases including watery diarrhea and dysentery, which cause dehydration, said Maurizio Giuliano of the humanitarian affairs office.

Children also are at risk for typhoid and hepatitis A and E, Giuliano said.

Clean water is an urgent need, but UNICEF cannot reach all those in need due to a serious lack of funds, Giuliano said. Medication is a priority, but funding shortages hamper the work of the World Health Organization even though plans are in place. Lack of proper food increases vulnerability, the United Nations said.

President Zardari said his nation needs more international help to deal with the immediate recovery efforts as well as longer-term reconstruction and infrastructure development, according to spokesman Farhatullah Babar.

Ban said he is allocating a further $10 million from the U.N.'s Central Emergency Response Fund, making $27 million allocated since the crisis began.

According to ReliefWeb.int, more than two dozen countries, organizations and individuals have pledged about $305 million.

Ban and Zardari have made a public plea to the international community to increase aid.

U.S. helicopters arrive in Pakistan to assist relief efforts

Pakistan's independence

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Seven of 19 helicopters promised by U.S. have arrived in Pakistan
• Independence celebrations called off amid widespread flooding
• Prime minister says 20 million people have been affected
• Officials fear hundreds of thousands could be stranded

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters arrived Saturday to assist with humanitarian and rescue efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan, which canceled celebrations of its 63rd birthday.

A statement from the U.S. State Department says the two aircraft are part of the contingent of 19 helicopters, ordered to Pakistan on Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Seven of the 19 craft are now in the country. One other MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter and four U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E helicopters arrived earlier this week.

Twelve Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters will arrive over the next few days.

Video: No end in sight to Pakistan floods

Video: List of flood problems gets longer

Video: Pakistan flood victims observe Ramadan

Gallery: Pakistan flooding in Swat Valley

RELATED TOPICS

• Pakistan
• Natural Disasters

Since August 5, U.S. military helicopters have rescued more than 3,500 people and transported more than 412,000 pounds of emergency relief supplies, according to the State Department.

One-fifth of Pakistan -- which is about the size of Florida -- has been flooded in relentless monsoon rains, the United Nations says. Nearly 1,400 people have died and 875,000 homes have either washed away or are damaged, according to Pakistan's Disaster Authority.

Millions more are still at peril as the bloated Indus River is cresting this weekend in parts of Sindh province. In some areas, the Indus has expanded from its usual width of one mile to 12 miles.

Homes, crops, trees, livestock, entire villages and towns have been transformed into vast lakes.

The worst floods since Pakistan's creation have disrupted the lives of about 20 million people, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Saturday.

Surrounded by a tragedy of epic proportions, Pakistanis canceled Saturday's celebrations of independence, hard won from the British in 1947. They might have otherwise attended parades, burst firecrackers and waved the green and white flag proudly.

Instead, President Asif Ali Zardari, under fire for a perceived lack of government response, toured flood-ravaged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the north, where the crisis began more than two weeks ago. He urged Pakistanis to remember the afflicted.

"The best way to celebrate the Independence Day this year is to reach out to the victims and help them to help themselves," he said, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

"I stand with you and the people of Pakistan stand with you as well, in your hour of trial," he told flood victims in Seraiki. "Do not lose hope as the entire nation stands with you."

Gilani said that even some religious events connected to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan were canceled. He said money that might have been spent on Iftar, the feast that breaks the daily fast between sunrise and sundown, should be used to alleviate suffering.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon intends to visit Pakistan Sunday and see the devastation firsthand. His trip comes as U.N. and other humanitarian agencies are racing against time to prevent more death and suffering.

"Relief supplies must reach women, men and children as soon as possible, in order to avoid further death caused by waterborne diseases and food shortages," said Martin Mogwanja, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan.

"The death toll has so far been relatively low compared with other major natural disasters, and we want to keep it that way," he said.

Pakistan emergency officials predicted the second wave of floodwaters gushing down the Indus River could reach the southern town of Sukkar by Saturday evening.

Hundreds of thousands of people living along the Indus could be stranded, along with the tens of thousands stranded by the first wave, said Lt. Cmdr. Jawad Khawaja of the Pakistani navy.

Many residents have ignored government warnings to evacuate the area, causing a big concern, Khawaja said.

"The time to act is now -- this is a disaster of unimaginable proportions," said Nilofer Bakhtiar, head of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society.

Thousands of flood victims huddled in sludgy camps or in jam-packed public buildings. Others slept under the stars next to the cows, sheep and goats they managed to rescue from rising waters.

But when they might be able to return to dry lands at home remained a big question. Pakistan's monsoon season is only half way over and more rain is on the way.

Drone kills 12 militants in Pakistan's tribal region, officials say

North Waziristan is one of the seven districts of Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Suspected U.S. drone kills 12 militants in Pakistan's tribal region
• The target was a militant hideout in North Waziristan, officials say

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A suspected U.S. drone strike killed 12 militants in Pakistan's volatile tribal area late Saturday, officials told CNN.

Two intelligence officials say a militant hideout was targeted by a missile in the village of Issori in North Waziristan, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Officials asked to not be named because they were not allowed to talk to the media.