Pakistan thanks world for opening wallets (India will "be privileged" to assist Pakistan's recovery)

[Turborama]

Source: AP

UNITED NATIONS — Pakistan thanked the world Friday for opening its wallets and said more than 20 million flood victims now know that nations and people around the globe are standing with them during the worst disaster the country has ever faced. Wrapping up a hurriedly called two-day meeting of the U.N. General Assembly to spotlight the immediate need for aid, Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Haroon said the initial outpouring from some 70 countries was "indeed heartening" and "a good beginning," though he stressed that the country will need much more help in the months and years to come.

At the start of the meeting on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said donors had given just half of the $460 million the U.N. appealed for to provide food, shelter and clean water for to up to 8 million flood victims over the next three months. He insisted all the money was needed now.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at the end of Thursday's session that he was assured the $460 million goal "is going to be easily met."

But U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes told The Associated Press after Friday's session ended that the U.N. appeal wasn't fully funded yet. "At the moment, we're about 70 percent funded, about $350 million," he said. "The situation in the last few days has improved very significantly in terms of funding ... I think (the appeal) will be funded soon."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbZNZmZs6c4ARhTei3FvzCAthcSgD9HNGOBO0

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"Pakistan announced earlier Friday that it will accept $5 million in aid from neighbor and rival India, which Haroon welcomed saying the disaster transcended any differences and the country was grateful for the offer. India's U.N. Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said the $5 million in relief supplies was an initial offer, and the government is ready to do more to assist the relief effort. He said India will also "be privileged" to assist in Pakistan's medium- and long-term recovery."

[Turborama]

1. BBC: Pakistan accepts $5m flood aid from India

21 August 2010 Last updated at 03:39 GMT

Pakistan has accepted $5m (£3.2m) in aid from its rival and neighbour India, as donors pledged more money for the flood-hit country. Abdullah Haroon, Pakistan's UN Ambassador, welcomed the offer saying the disaster transcended any differences the two countries had.

=snip=

India's UN Ambassador, Hardeep Singh Puri, said the donation of $5m in relief supplies was an initial offer and his country was ready to do more if needed.

"We are willing to do all that is in our power to assist Pakistan in facing the consequences of floods," he said. "We extend our wholehearted support to the government of Pakistan in its efforts for relief and rehabilitation of the... population."

The offer came after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday. Pakistan and India have slowly been improving ties since the Mumbai militant attacks of 2008 put relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals at a new low.

Full article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11046139

[applegrove]

4. That is a start. Glad they can see eye to eye on something important.

[Rhiannon12866]

Oops... Double post.

:blush:

[Rhiannon12866]

5. K&R! Great news! And very historic...

This should help so much! Off to The Greatest Page with the first good news on this tragic situation... :woohoo: :kick: :hi:

[cosmicone]

8. This is not historic at all ...

India also helped enormously during the 2005 earthquake but Pakistanis (government, not people) kept the news hidden. Furthermore, Pakistan went to great lengths to remove all traces of the source of the aid from its population by removing "Gift from India" labels and repackaging food and medicines to hide the source.

India has extended a hand in friendship and peace at least 17 times, each time, it was responded to by a war or acts of terrorism in India.

[Rhiannon12866]

20. Despite governmental conflicts, this is a very good thing.

This is a humanitarian effort and one that is desperately needed. The people of Pakistan are no more responsible for the acts of their government than we are for the crimes of Bush*-Cheney.

[sabrina 1]

6. That gave me chills. Imagine if this terrible disaster

resulted in something wonderful, like peace between India and Pakistan!

Just reading the words of India's UN Ambassador that this was just an initial offer and 'his country was ready to do more if needed'. :cry: but of happiness.

Probably too much to hope for, but it's a beginning.

[Turborama]

7. My sentiments exactly

It just goes to show that good things can come out of terrible situations, no matter how impossibly difficult they may seem at the time. We could look back on this in a decade or so as a "disaster teaching moment" which caused a seismic shift in geopolitics. Well the optimist inside me hopes so, at least.

[OhioChick]

2. Good to hear! n/t

[Turborama]

3. I think we could be witnessing something historic here n/t

[cosmicone]

9. There is not one mention of India's aid in any of the

Pakistani media ....

Let's hope Pakistan doesn't reciprocate with more terrorist acts in India.

[Robb]

12. No mention? It's on the front page of DAWN.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-pakistan-accepts-indias-offer-of-flood-aid-ss-04

(Edited to add)... Which you describe below as "the leading Pakistani newspaper."

[cosmicone]

13. my bad ... I missed that one!!

I was looking at http://www.dawn.com/


On edit .... this is really a positive sign. If people of Pakistan and people of India can see each other as human beings with shared interests, there will be tremendous hope. One aspires that the Pakistani generals' ambition to conquer India and turn it into an Islamic republic ebbs and peace reigns.

[cosmicone]

10. Hardliners and Flood Relief -- a far-fetched scenario

An editorial in the leading Pakistani newspaper sums it precisely and exposes the Pakistani position of "Give us aid or the militants will step in".

<Snip>President Zardari recently remarked that the world needed to step up its relief efforts in order to prevent extremists from exploiting the situation — a lacklustre response from the state and the international community can well give extremists a chance to fill the vacuum. On the other hand the Foreign Office has offered guarded praise for the religious charities’ efforts. However, it appears that many in the foreign press have particularly played up the hardliners’ contribution to relief work and blown the perceived consequences out of proportion.</snip>

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/editorial/hardliners-and-flood-relief-180

[OhioChick]

11. LMAO....

You have a spammer here, once again.

On edit to add: Who the hell would unrec a thread about Goodwill? That's fucked up.

[Turborama]

15. I know exactly who would

And he's the only person I've ever had to put on ignore. They obviously have an agenda which includes trying to hype the hatred between India and Pakistan even during this enormous humanitarian catastrophe, for some "fucked up" reason. I can't understand how he's kept it going for so long, to be honest.

Have you seen any DUers ever agree with him?

[OhioChick]

17. Can't say that I have....

It's unfortunate, especially when lives are at stake.

Iran’s minister visits flood-stricken Pakistan

TEHRAN – Iran’s Interior Minister Mostafa-Mohammad Najjar is in Pakistan to visit flood-stricken areas and facilitate distribution of Iran’s relief supply to people affected by the massive floods.

Najjar is visiting flood-hit areas in Pakistan at the head of a humanitarian delegation to assess the extent of flood damages, an official in the Interior Ministry told reporters on Saturday.

Last week media announced that representatives of the Supreme Leader and the president visit Pakistan to assess the needs of the Pakistani people.

So far Iran has contributed 200 tons of humanitarian aid to Pakistani people.

Es’haq al-Habib, deputy ambassador to Iran’s permanent mission in the United Nations in New York, has said from the early hours of the flooding in Pakistan President Ahmadinejad has been closely watching the process of humanitarian aid to the country.

More: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=225306

[Turborama]

18. So, Iran, China, India and the US (plus others) are all working to help millions of Pakistanis

Sounds more and more like the world is coming together to help millions of fellow human beings in their hours of need. This is good news for geopolitics when everyone can put aside their differences and just get on with it. Who knows where this is going to lead/ One thing's for sure, citizens from each of these countries will most likely meet each other and become friends.

[OhioChick]

19. I agree with you....

This sounds very promising for relations.

[Francesca9]

14. 50% of Europeans are Islamaphobes

'Flagrant Islamophobia'

""Many Pakistanis are struggling to understand why the response in the West has been so inadequate," writes Pakistani historian Tariq Ali in the columns of Süddeutsche Zeitung. "Some among them," he explains, "argue that Europe and the United States are reluctant to release funds because their country is now viewed as refuge for terrorists. In fact the issue is more complex, but it is clear that the problem has not been solely caused by Pakistan. The reality is that the main factor limiting international aid is the flagrant Islamaphobia that has that has emerged in Europe and North America since Sept. 11. In a recent poll, more than 50 percent of respondents associated the word "Islam" with terrorism."

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,712874,00.html

[Turborama]

16. Example: The "English Defence League" has exploded in popularity in its 1st year of existence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Defence_League

Good graphic that came with the article (there are some incredible photos there, too), thanks for sharing.


http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,2966795,00.jpg