S Asia Minorities Denied Flood Relief In Pakistan

[Archived_Member16]

Imtiaz Ahmad, Hindustan Times

Karachi, August 18, 2010
First Published: 23:54 IST(18/8/2010)
Last Updated: 02:38 IST(19/8/2010)



Minorities denied flood relief in Pakistan


Earlier this week, members of Pakistan's Ahmadiyya community, who were caught up in the raging floods around the Central Punjab town of Muzaffargarh, were not rescued from their homes because rescuers felt that Muslims must be given priority.


Ahmadiyyas are ostracized by Pakistan's mainstream Muslim community who consider them to be non-believers. In

<TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=1 width="40%" align=right><TBODY><TR><TD>Pak files
Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday urged the international community to show solidarity towards the victims of floods in Pakistan by providing "concrete support"
Pakistan on Wednesday airlifted two British cabinet ministers away from angry protesters after they visited an area ravaged by floods
Aid organisations and the UN itself have expressed alarm that the plight of millions of Pakistanis has yet to strike a sufficiently sympathetic nerve among donors with aid trickling in far more slowly than needed

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
1973, this community was officially declared a minority. Since then the discrimination against them has been severe.

The Ahmadiyyas complained to the government that not only were their community members not rescued but in some instances ejected from relief camps when their identity was disclosed. This has been refuted by the provincial Punjab government but eye witnesses have attested to this.

As the waters recede and people flock to relief camps and look for help, Pakistan's power politics have come into play whereby chosen areas are being helped at the expense of others which are being completely ignored.

Hamir Soomro, a landlord from Shikarpur, one of the most badly affected districts in Sindh, says that his area is not receiving government help, which is instead going to Khairpur, the constituency of the province's Chief Minister, Qaim Ali Shah.


The UN says that the government suffers from a "image deficit" problem. "In plain words, they don't trust the ability of the government to deliver," says Mian Nawaz Sharif, opposition leader.

Earlier this week, Sharif met with Prime Minister Gilani and both agreed to the formation of a "clean commission" - comprising people of integrity, to oversee distribution of funds for for flood relief. The idea did not go down well with President Zardari whose office has blocked the move on grounds that the government is fully in control.

But the UN and donor agencies dont think so. They have pointed out that the government has no relief plan and is also unable to make an estimate of what is needed where. As a result, the situation has turned dire in many neglected or inaccessible areas.

In Kohistan, , there are reports the five children died of starvation because help had not arrived.

Members of the Sikh community, who arrived in Gurdwaras in Lahore also complained of government apathy. They said members of their community were abandoned in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa and had to arrange rescue for themselves.




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[spnadmin]

Soul_jyot ji

This is exactly the picture that reading of news articles from Pakistani sources are painting -- and they don't realize it. One article will recount relief efforts and another will be a tale of abject neglect. These put all the diverse stories together:

As the waters recede and people flock to relief camps and look for help, Pakistan's power politics have come into play whereby chosen areas are being helped at the expense of others which are being completely ignored.


But the UN and donor agencies dont think so. They have pointed out that the government has no relief plan and is also unable to make an estimate of what is needed where. As a result, the situation has turned dire in many neglected or inaccessible areas.

And when did the flooding start? It has been going for weeks.

 

[ugsbay]

SSA.
It certainly is a Dire situation, i wonder where all the Aid is going amongst all this chaos and tragedy. I wonder if the Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Syria, Jordan and the Emirates have helped. I know the western world have and so have India recently although there was some resentment. It just sounds so confusing and does not make sense. Now we are learning some people are getting help and others are simply ignored on the grounds of their faith or even nationality. Its the poor masses that are suffering on a unimaginable scale.