Thursday, August 12, 2010

US deems curbs on Pakistan media as blunder

US State Department has warned Pakistan’s democratic government against the dire outcomes of banning and threatening media in Pakistan, terming such actions as major ‘blunders’.

Briefing journalists here at US State Department, the spokesman Philip. J Crowley hailing the performance of Pakistani media in stabilizing democracy, said: “Media in Pakistan including ‘Geo News’ are vibrant and active more than any other country in the world”.

He said the independent, vibrant Pakistani media have played a pivotal role in sending the message of love, peace and colorful life being led by such nation, which has cost it too much against peace of this world by fighting war against extremism.

Prevailing democratic government should not replicate delinquencies made by dictator, he urged.

Obama sends Ramadan wishes

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday offered best wishes to Muslims in the United States and around the world as they observe the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

“All of us must remember that the world we want to build — and the changes that we want to make — must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities,” Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also issued a statement offering the traditional holiday greeting: “Ramadan Kareem.”

“Ramadan is a time for self-reflection and sharing. American Muslims make valuable contributions to our country every day and millions will honor this month with acts of service and giving back to their communities,” she said.

Both Clinton and Obama were set to host Iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast. Clinton was co-hosting an event with dozens of embassies in the US capital, while Obama was to receive guests for the meal at the White House.

Obama said the rituals of Ramadan “remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.”

“Here in the United States, Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country,” said the president.

“And today, I want to extend my best wishes to the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world — and your families and friends — as you welcome the beginning of Ramadan,” he said. “May God’s peace be upon you.”

Swat people desperately looking for aid

MINGORA: Around 800,000 people stranded in different areas of Swat district, including Kalam, Bahrain, Madian, Matta, Kabal and Samozai, are desperately looking for food and medicines as flash floods have swept away over 100 bridges, disconnecting entire area from rest of the country.

District Coordination Officer Asif Rehman told APP that local administration and Army were jointly carrying out relief operations in the flood hit areas. Aid will be distributed among 5000 families through helicopter service once the weather improves, he added.

So far 286 people have been killed and over 100 injured in the flood related incidents in various areas of the district. Besides, flood water swept away 52 villages and damaged crops scattered on one lakh acre area.

According to Naeem Akhtar, spokesman of civil administration, the revenue department has so far registered 120 deaths, destruction of 250 restaurants and 1526 damaged houses. He admitted that damages were on large scale and were beyond the capacity of provincial government.

Mohammad Ibrahim of Tehsil Matta said that floods have damaged infrastructure , which was built over 100 years ago, and swept away thousands of shops and restaurants.

The floods have also damaged two grid stations at Madyan and Khwazakela and partially damaged a hospital in Madman.

Residents of the areas said there was no electricity for the last 15 days which had disrupted all commercial and business activities across the district.

Local farmers say that fruits and vegetables worth millions of rupees are getting rotten as it is not possible to ship them to markets due to collapsed infrastructure.

Pakistan's Six million children 'at risk'

Six million children in flood-ravaged Pakistan are at risk of life-threatening diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, and pneumonia, aid agencies have said.

Stagnant flood plains in densely populated, poverty-stricken urban areas will become breeding grounds for cholera, mosquitos and malaria, doctors fear.

The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise £293 million for the country, with an estimated seven million people in need of emergency assistance, including food, clean water, shelter and medical care.

About 1,500 people have already been killed by the floods, which hit the country more than two weeks ago and spread south through thousands of small villages.

Mohammed Qazilbash, Save the Children's spokesman in Islamabad, said: "Outbreaks of cholera and malaria are a big concern. In southern Punjab and Sindh there are vast numbers of people living right along the water, some in makeshift houses with very poor hygiene and sanitation at the best of times.

"Children are drinking, washing in and going to the toilet in the same river water. If this sanitation crisis is not tackled now, in six months time, millions and millions of children will be suffering potentially deadly diarrhoea and other diseases."

In southern areas of Pakistan, the flatter, hotter terrain means water can stand for long periods, making the flood plains a breeding ground for mosquitos and malaria.

Meanwhile, doctors working in northern areas of Punjab and Swat Valley have reported sharp increases in patients suffering from water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea, food poisoning, vomiting and fever. Children living in the temporary camps set up for the millions of people displaced by the disaster have been hit by outbreaks of measles.

Mark Bulpitt, head of emergencies for World Vision UK, said: "As we continue to reach those most affected by this flood, we must also focus on the longer-term recovery, prioritising livelihoods and education to ensure more of Pakistan's children do not become victims of child labour.

Zardari visits Pakistan flood victims

SUKKUR, Pakistan — President Asif Ali Zardari sought to fend off Thursday public outcry over his response to Pakistan's catastrophic floods by visiting a hard-hit area for the first time and handing out aid.

Zardari has come under fire from victims, the political opposition and critics for last week failing to cut short a visit to Europe in order to deal personally with what is now the country's worst humanitarian crisis.

The president visited Sukkur, which lies close to the worst affected areas in the southern province of Sindh, where he was briefed about the damages, steps being taken, relief and rehabilitation efforts, officials said.

Pakistan's state television PTV broadcast silent footage of Zardari, who comes from Sindh, wearing a traditional cap and patting the head of an elderly women before visiting Sukkur barrage and viewing the water flow.

A local government official told AFP that he distributed relief goods among flood victims at a camp in a college, assuring survivors that the government was doing the maximum possible to assist them.

"Don't feel alone. We are here with you and will do everything to get you resettled as soon as possible," the official quoted Zardari as saying.

Pakistan's government says 14 million people face direct or indirect harm from the floods. The United Nations believes 1,600 people have died in the floods, while Pakistan has confirmed 1,243 deaths.

The Islamabad government has admitted to being overwhelmed, and hardline Islamic charities have conducted a highly visible aid effort on the ground.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Zardari defended his decision not to cut short his overseas tour by saying he had used his talks in London and Paris to drum up desperately needed foreign aid for the tragedy.

"I might have benefited personally from the political symbolism of being in the country at the time of natural disaster. But hungry people can't eat symbols. The situation demanded action and I acted to mobilise the world."

The United Nations has appealed for 460 million dollars in foreign aid and although water levels are receding in some areas, survivors of record floods are facing grim conditions in makeshift tent cities under unbearable heat.

"The water level is receding in Sindh and Swat rivers and the water tendency is falling at Tarbela dam in the northwest," Arif Mehmood, Pakistan's chief meteorologist, told AFP.

Another Pakistani river, the Chenab, is also going down, he said.

The United States, which has put Pakistan on the frontline of its war on Al-Qaeda, announced the deployment of an amphibious assault ship, taking the number of US helicopters available for the relief effort to 19.

The relief focus was switching to an estimated two million people who require shelter after fleeing flood-hit areas, as tents spring up along main roads and on the edge of major towns and cities.

"We estimate that at least two million require shelter and we've provided a quarter of that already," Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.

"Today the deliveries of tents and other shelter materials has started in Punjab and we're gearing up for Sindh."

In the south, a mass exodus is turning into a "huge humanitarian crisis", putting an extra burden on local economies and infrastructure, said Sindh government spokesman Jameel Soomro.

"We have a plan to shift flood victims to tent cities... More than 100,000 people have arrived in Sukkur from different flood-hit areas, which is more than five percent of the city's population," he said.

In Punjab, one of the worst affected areas was the town of Muzaffargarh, where administrator Farasat Iqbal said up to 400,000 people had been evacuated and rising waters posed a risk of flooding the town in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Doctor Shahid Iqbal at a technical college of the outskirts of Nowshehra, where more than 3,000 people were seeking shelter, said survivors were facing diarrhoea and skin infections including scabies.

Children were suffering in particular as a result of wading through or drinking water contaminated by ruptured sewerage systems, he told AFP.

Three-month-old baby Aisha lay on the floor, screeching in the intense heat, laced with the stench of raw sewage and buzzing with mosquitoes.

"She cries the whole night. I don't know what illness she has, but the doctors told me she will be alright," said her mother, Shakila.

Zardari visits Pakistan flood victims

SUKKUR, Pakistan — President Asif Ali Zardari sought to fend off Thursday public outcry over his response to Pakistan's catastrophic floods by visiting a hard-hit area for the first time and handing out aid.

Zardari has come under fire from victims, the political opposition and critics for last week failing to cut short a visit to Europe in order to deal personally with what is now the country's worst humanitarian crisis.

The president visited Sukkur, which lies close to the worst affected areas in the southern province of Sindh, where he was briefed about the damages, steps being taken, relief and rehabilitation efforts, officials said.

Pakistan's state television PTV broadcast silent footage of Zardari, who comes from Sindh, wearing a traditional cap and patting the head of an elderly women before visiting Sukkur barrage and viewing the water flow.

A local government official told AFP that he distributed relief goods among flood victims at a camp in a college, assuring survivors that the government was doing the maximum possible to assist them.

"Don't feel alone. We are here with you and will do everything to get you resettled as soon as possible," the official quoted Zardari as saying.

Pakistan's government says 14 million people face direct or indirect harm from the floods. The United Nations believes 1,600 people have died in the floods, while Pakistan has confirmed 1,243 deaths.

The Islamabad government has admitted to being overwhelmed, and hardline Islamic charities have conducted a highly visible aid effort on the ground.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Zardari defended his decision not to cut short his overseas tour by saying he had used his talks in London and Paris to drum up desperately needed foreign aid for the tragedy.

"I might have benefited personally from the political symbolism of being in the country at the time of natural disaster. But hungry people can't eat symbols. The situation demanded action and I acted to mobilise the world."

The United Nations has appealed for 460 million dollars in foreign aid and although water levels are receding in some areas, survivors of record floods are facing grim conditions in makeshift tent cities under unbearable heat.

"The water level is receding in Sindh and Swat rivers and the water tendency is falling at Tarbela dam in the northwest," Arif Mehmood, Pakistan's chief meteorologist, told AFP.

Another Pakistani river, the Chenab, is also going down, he said.

The United States, which has put Pakistan on the frontline of its war on Al-Qaeda, announced the deployment of an amphibious assault ship, taking the number of US helicopters available for the relief effort to 19.

The relief focus was switching to an estimated two million people who require shelter after fleeing flood-hit areas, as tents spring up along main roads and on the edge of major towns and cities.

"We estimate that at least two million require shelter and we've provided a quarter of that already," Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.

"Today the deliveries of tents and other shelter materials has started in Punjab and we're gearing up for Sindh."

In the south, a mass exodus is turning into a "huge humanitarian crisis", putting an extra burden on local economies and infrastructure, said Sindh government spokesman Jameel Soomro.

"We have a plan to shift flood victims to tent cities... More than 100,000 people have arrived in Sukkur from different flood-hit areas, which is more than five percent of the city's population," he said.

In Punjab, one of the worst affected areas was the town of Muzaffargarh, where administrator Farasat Iqbal said up to 400,000 people had been evacuated and rising waters posed a risk of flooding the town in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Doctor Shahid Iqbal at a technical college of the outskirts of Nowshehra, where more than 3,000 people were seeking shelter, said survivors were facing diarrhoea and skin infections including scabies.

Children were suffering in particular as a result of wading through or drinking water contaminated by ruptured sewerage systems, he told AFP.

Three-month-old baby Aisha lay on the floor, screeching in the intense heat, laced with the stench of raw sewage and buzzing with mosquitoes.

"She cries the whole night. I don't know what illness she has, but the doctors told me she will be alright," said her mother, Shakila.

Zardari slams foreign trip criticism, says he 'acted to mobilise the world'

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who has been under attack for taking a foreign trip while his country was struggling to cope with devastating floods, has defended his tour, saying that he was doing his best to help his troubled countrymen.

Zardari enraged his critics by going ahead with his visits to France (August 1-3) and Britain (August 4-8), even as the flood-related catastrophe was unfolding.

In an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, Zardari said that he had used his trip to mobilise foreign assistance for the flood victims.

"Some have criticised my decision, saying it represented aloofness, but I felt that I had to choose substance over symbolism," The Dawn quoted Zardari, as saying.

"As I return to Pakistan, I bring back tangible results that will help the flood victims in the short run and lay the foundations for national recovery in the long run."

"I might have benefited personally from the political symbolism of being in the country at the time of natural disaster. But hungry people can't eat symbols. The situation demanded action, and I acted to mobilise the world," he added.

He further said that following his meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, their government has pledged 24 million dollars in aid for the flood-affected people. ver 1,600 people have been killed and 15 million affected as raging floodwaters continue to wreak havoc in the country.

It first struck the western province of Baluchistan on July 22 before inundating the worst-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In addition to causing major human loses, it has destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, washed away crops and livestock.

More rain ushers fresh misery for Pakistan

Pakistan's longest river, the Indus, is expected to breach its banks in the north of the country Thursday, bringing fresh misery to a nation where torrential rains have snatched lives and livelihoods.

According to the country's meteorological department, a "very high to exceptionally high" flood level is expected near Chashma, in Punjab province.

From the Swat Valley in the north to Sindh province in the south, as many as 15 million Pakistanis have been affected by the nation's worst-ever floods.

By Thursday, the death toll had risen to 1,343, the Pakistan Disaster Authority said.

It said 1,588 people have been injured and 352,291 people have been rescued. More than 722,600 houses and 4,600 villages have been damaged or destroyed.Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the United Nations' humanitarian operation in Pakistan, told CNN that the cost to restore Pakistan's agriculture sector, including its infrastructure, will be steep.

"It's too early to give an exact number. The recovery cost will most likely be in the billions," he said.

Many Pakistanis now face severe food shortages, and aid agencies stepped up appeals for global assistance. The United Nations launched a flash appeal for $460 million in humanitarian assistance, and the United States pledged another $20 million on top of the $35 million already pledged.

The Pakistani military has 55 helicopters and 621 boats taking part in aid and rescue efforts.

But for many parts of southern Pakistan, the worst is yet to come.

If the Indus River does flood, it will spread the floodwaters even further, damaging more crops and infrastructure.

"The crop has been lost and it is a race against time to ensure the next sowing season can be met," said United Nations special envoy Jean-Maurice Ripert.

John Holmes, U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said the disaster is "one of the most challenging that any country has faced in recent years."

Although the death toll is lower, the 15 million people affected are more than those affected in the 2005 Pakistan earthquakes, the 2004 Indonesia tsunami and the January earthquake in Haiti combined.

Pregnant women told not to fast during holy Ramadan

Pregnant women who fast during Ramadan could be putting the health of their unborn baby at risk, according to a new study.

Fasting during the month is one of the five pillars of Islam, although pregnant women are exempt if it poses a risk to their health.
However, some Muslim women still choose to fast, despite the health implications.
Aanisa Butt, 32, fasted during both of her pregnancies.
''I wouldn't fast everyday, I would do one day of fasting followed by a day of rest. Doing alternate days helped me keep my energy levels up,'' she said. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a time when Muslims across the world fast from dawn until sunset.
''When Ramadan falls in the summer, it can be really difficult to stay without food and water the whole day and if you're pregnant it is even more hard,'' said Aanisa.
''But I wasn't worried about my health or my baby's. I think Allah gives you strength and he protects your unborn child.''
Although Aanisa gave birth to two healthy sons, if women fast for long hours during their pregnancy it can result in problems for their unborn child. A study by scientists in the United States, based on census data from the US, Iraq and Uganda, found that pregnant women who fast are likely to have smaller babies who are more prone to learning disabilities in adulthood.
The researchers from Columbia University found that this trend was most marked if mothers-to-be fasted early on in their pregnancy and during the summer when longer days meant they went more hours without food.

Religious leaders say pregnant women shouldn't attempt to fast as it puts the health of their unborn baby at risk. Exempt

Imam Madani Abdur Rahman, from London, says Islam does give pregnant women options.
Nuala Close Nurse Nuala Close says pregnant women should seek advice during Ramadan

''We have to assess the situation, if the doctor says fasting could cause problems for the mother or her baby, then women should not fast. Health must always come first," he added.

Pregnant women who request an exemption from fasting are expected to make up the days they have missed after the baby is born.

Nuala Close is a nurse at Barts and London Hospital. She says many women do not make use of this provision.

''If women are exempt from fasting they have to make it up at another time, like once they've finished breastfeeding or in the lighter hours.

''But what we are actually finding is that pregnant patients don't actually like to do this and so often they will try to fast during Ramadan as normal.''

For Aanisa, having to make up the days later was one of the main reasons she chose to fast in her pregnancy.

''I find it really difficult to make up the time afterwards especially because no one else in the family is fasting. So I try to do as many as I can during the month,'' she said.

Scholars say if pregnant women cannot fast after Ramadan for any reason, then they can give money to charity instead.

However, since fasting during the month is seen as an integral part of Muslim culture, many women may feel guilty if they do not observe Ramadan.

Health professionals warn that pregnant women should seek advice if they decide to fast.

''Where Ramadan now falls in August, that is a long time of daylight hours where people will be fasting, that will have a detrimental effect on pregnant women, said Ms Close.

''Pregnant women should discus this with their midwife because it can be very dangerous, not just for the women but also for the unborn child.''

Afghan Army doctors in Peshawar for flood relief

A team of 23 Afghan Army doctors with medical supplies arrived in Peshawar to carry out relief work for flood victims.
Afghan Army Brigadier Saleh Muhammad Shirazi is heading the relief effort, which will work at Pakistani Army camps set up for flood victims, media reported.

Pakistanis will be spending this Ramazan in relief camps

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis will be spending this Ramazan in relief camps instead of their homes that they had to abandon to survive the country’s worst floods in living memory.

According to the World Food Programme, an estimated four million people face food shortages and the United Nations says that six million Pakistanis need ‘survival’ aid. The international community has pledged tens of millions of dollars – but much more will be needed to set Pakistan back on track. Citizens have remained just as active in collecting funds and relief goods. In unaffected areas, Pakistanis have even started organising their own relief campaigns.

“There isn’t enough food and at the onset of Ramazan, we really want to make sure that the flood survivors have enough to eat. They have no homes and all the supply routes have been disrupted so the first priority is to make sure that food is available to them,” volunteer Shoaib Khalil told The Express Tribune.

In Nowshera, the worst hit city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, mobs of desperate people can be seen. For the citizens, the month of Ramazan, which challenges both spiritual and physical endurance makes its way, for locals it will be just one more test.

“I swear to God that other than this, I have not received anything else in the past ten days,” a survivor said, holding up two bags of wheat. “But still, I will give one bag to someone else and only take the other home.”

“We have nothing and it will remain this way during Ramazan too,” said another survivor. “Everybody here is very poor, most of our houses have been wiped out or damaged, and nobody comes here to give us any food,” he said.

KP govt condemns TTP for attack on Dr Gulalai

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtun-khwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Wednesday condemned the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for claiming responsibility for the attempt on life of Dr Gulalai, sister of Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, and said such attacks could not shatter the government’s resolve to fight terrorism. Reacting to the TTP statement, the minister said the TTP spokesman’s claim of avenging the death of the mother of Swat Taliban head Fazlullah in the army custody was totally baseless and making it an excuse for attacking women had no justification.

“Fazlullah’s mother was not under arrest or in custody but she was provided medical treatment which she had also appreciated. She died due to illness,” the minister contended. He claimed she had condemned her son’s activities before the media. “We don’t believe in harassing innocent people on the basis of relation with any miscreant,” he argued.

The minister said: “We never took action against any innocent relative of militants. We are not against personalities but wrong action of elements and their anti-state activities. We stick to our stand of not taking revenge from relatives of militants,” said Mian Iftikhar.

The minister recalled that when defunct Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad was trying to escape along with his family members including his daughter who is the wife of Fazlullah and the security forces had nabbed them, the government advised the security forces to release all members of the family, as they were not involved in anti-state activities.

“Sufi Muhammad was not arrested until he started issuing controversial statements though he was living in Peshawar along with his family. We also did not take action against the son of Muslim Khan, Swat Taliban spokesman, who was studying in a university in Peshawar as we don’t believe in punishing people who have committed no wrong,” the ANP leader said.

UN Humanitarian Official on Global Effort to Aid Pakistan Flood Victims