Pakistan aid 'totally inadequate'

[cal04]

Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf says the amount of foreign reconstruction aid pledged after the South Asia quake is "totally inadequate". Mr Musharraf told the BBC that about $620m had been promised, but that Pakistan needed about $5bn to rebuild devastated areas. An estimated three million people in Pakistan lack adequate shelter.

The UN has appealed for urgent help to avoid a massive second wave of deaths over the fierce Himalayan winter. Ten thousand tents will be flown to Pakistan over the next few weeks, but the UN has warned there may not be enough winterised tents in the world to meet the needs of the earthquake victims.

UN emergency relief chief Jan Egeland has asked Nato to stage a massive airlift of those without shelter, on the scale of the Berlin airlift in the 1940s. The 26-nation alliance, which began flying in 900 tonnes of aid on Thursday, is considering the demand, but says it would need to muster more helicopters.

The US said its extra helicopters would arrive in Pakistan next week, giving a significant boost to the 60 currently operating in the region. Neighbouring India has also offered to send more aircraft, but Pakistan insisted they be provided without crews, which India has refused to do.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4363418.stm

[mr mister]

1. just 60 helicopters?

This country is so stingy with aid to anyone it makes me want to puke. No money to help people of color devastated by calamity, but plenty to bomb them to death and to buy SUVs and pay of lottery winnings to rich Republican Senators.

[Child_Of_Isis]

2. Well hell, we don't help our own.

Many people are still homeless from Katrina. It is every person for themselves these days.

[newyawker99]

5. Hi mr mister!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[CentralEuropeanDude]

3. f*ck you Musharraf!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051014/hl_afp/quakesasiapakistan_051014185025
says:
...
Military spending in the nuclear-armed nation makes up about five percent of Gross Domestic Product, compared with 3.2 percent on health.
...

5% of GDP for Military spending!


http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/pk.html
says:
...
GDP is $347.3 billion
...

hmmm,
5% of $347.3 billion is $17.4 billion.
That's $17.4 billion for Military spending!

Spending money on nuclear weapons is totally inadequate for a third world country.

... but that Pakistan needed about $5 billion to rebuild devastated areas ... f*ck you Musharraf!

[papau]

4. That was also my first thought - we slide billions to PAK each year

for military -much of it hidden from media reporting.

Why they think they can not cut the military budget so as to provide some social services is beyond me.

[varun]

6. $3 billion from US taxpayers to Pakistan

is promised...but where will it go?

purchasing more arms, and sending more terrorists to India and all over the world.

[CentralEuropeanDude]

7. plus $1.3 billion

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A800-2005Mar25.html
says:
...
In 2003, Bush announced a five-year, $3 billion financial aid package and last year signed a separate $1.3 billion arms package for Pakistan.
...