"Killing fuels Pakistan tensions; Party says rivals back militants" by Ashraf Khan, Associated Press | August 4, 2010
KARACHI, Pakistan — Flood waters surged into Pakistan’s heartland and swallowed dozens of villages yesterday, adding to a week of destruction that has ravaged the mountainous northwest and killed 1,500 people.
The rush of muddy water over river banks in Punjab threatened to destroy vast stretches of crops that make the province Pakistan’s breadbasket, prompting the UN to warn that an estimated 1.8 million people will need to be fed in the coming weeks.
Many Pakistanis were already going hungry and now this on top of an inefficient and overstretched U.N.
Adding to the misery, fresh rains in the northwest threatened to overwhelm a major dam and unleash a new deluge, while rescue workers struggled to deliver aid to some 3.2 million people affected by the floods despite washed-out bridges and roads and downed communication lines.
The government has struggled to cope with the scale of the disaster at a time when it is grappling with a faltering economy and a brutal war against the Taliban.
Several foreign countries and aid organizations have stepped in to support the government, including the United States, which announced yesterday that it was sending six large military helicopters from Afghanistan to help with the relief effort.
But many flood victims have complained that aid is not reaching them fast enough or at all. That anger could grow as floodwaters surge through Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province.
“We just ran away with our children, leaving behind everything,’’ said Fateh Mohammad, who was caught by surprise when water breached a protection bank in the Kot Addu area.
“All our possessions are drowned in the water. We have nothing,’’ said Mohammad, who was evacuated along with some 4,500 others by the army on boats and helicopters.
--more--"
Related: Wading Back Into Pakistan
A victim of Pakistan’s worst flooding in 80 years was carried yesterday to a helicopter in Sanawa, a town in Punjab Province. (Reuters)
Thanks for saving the old man.
"US Army joins Pakistan flood relief effort" by Griff Witte, Washington Post | August 6, 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan— The US Army joined efforts yesterday to rescue and provide assistance to some of the 4 million people affected by flooding that continues to cause massive devastation as it spreads across Pakistan.
Then what is with all the missile strikes?
US helicopters — four Chinooks and two Blackhawks — helped evacuate 800 people who had been stranded in the northwest’s Swat Valley, and the choppers’ crews distributed 66,000 pounds of supplies, according to the US Embassy.
Although the relief missions are being coordinated with the Pakistani government, the presence of US troops on the ground in Pakistan has the potential to cause controversy.
Wouldn't Pakistani troops in our streets give you pause, American?
US motivations are widely mistrusted in Pakistan, and the addition of 84 US service members could generate suspicion that the United States intends to go beyond providing humanitarian aid.
Well, we already have Blackwater in there.
And I can't imagine why Pakistanis (or anyone else) wouldn't trust us?
Was it the lying?
Still, yesterday, the initial reaction was positive. “We appreciate any help from the world, including the US,’’ said Arbab Tahir Khan, spokesman for the ruling party in Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been the hardest hit. “The devastation caused by the floods is beyond imagination and the world is responding — but slowly.’’
Yeah, it isn't a Haiti situation on the TV.
The United States leans heavily on Pakistan in fighting insurgents who operate along the Afghan-Pakistani border, but has frequently criticized the Pakistani military for not doing enough to go after certain militant groups. US officials have been concerned in recent days that the flooding could destabilize the government and take resources away from its counterinsurgency campaign.
THAT is what we are WORRIED ABOUT?
Then this is NO HELP at ALL!!!
HELPING SOMEONE does not mean PUSHING YOUR AGENDA on them!
Pakistan’s government has been widely assailed in the country for failing to formulate a coherent response to the floods. Officials insist that they are doing their best with limited resources.
Too many corrupt politicians stealing the loot?
Even as the flooding has torn through new areas and the number of affected people has soared, President Asif Ali Zardari has been out of the country all week, visiting his counterparts in France and Great Britain.
Oh, you have to be kidding.
He did not CUT the trips short and fly right back?
Zardari’s allies have defended the trip, saying the nation’s prime minister is steering the country’s flood response. But his political opponents have been relentlessly critical, arguing that the absence of the president reflects his detachment from the problems of Pakistan’s people.
Pakistani authorities began evacuating a half-million residents yesterday from the southern province of Sindh, where flood waters are expected to crest in the coming days.
The floods have been making their way south and east to Sindh and Punjab provinces. Dozens of villages in Punjab were inundated yesterday, and the overall death toll stands at 1,500.
--more--"
