Massive floods across Pakistan | Thousands Killed

[alibaz]

UN calls for world to support new appeal

CHARSADDA: The head of the UN refugee agency on Thursday urged the world to do far more to help Pakistan recover from catastrophic floods that hit millions, on the eve of a major new UN appeal.

"My hope is that the international community will understand the need and fully respond to the dramatic situation," Antonio Guterres said in Charsadda, where he saw aid handed out to survivors.

Pakistan's worst floods in history have left 10 million people without shelter, and vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition. More than eight million are reliant on aid handouts for survival.

The United Nations is to launch a new appeal for funds in New York on Friday, although UN figures show that donors have met only about two-thirds of an initial appeal for 460 million dollars issued on August 11.

"All entities working in Pakistan, including the United Nations and government of Pakistan need much stronger support from the international community," said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"If we see Pakistan's generosity to Afghan refugees, I would say that the international community is not doing enough particularly in view of the level
of devastation."

Pakistan is home to 1.7 million Afghan refugees -- 1.5 million of whom live in areas affected by the country's worst humanitarian disaster, which has affected up to 21 million people overall and hit terrain the size of England.

"My house, crop and cattle were destroyed by floods. I cannot support my family without help now," local resident Shamroz Khan said.

People in the town have started rebuilding damaged houses.

Guterres ruled out any forced repatriation of Afghans, saying the floods destroyed 16 Afghan refugee villages in Pakistan and that 15 will be rebuilt.

He visited Azakhel, the largest Afghan refugee camp that the floods destroyed. It had a population of 22,000 people, who lost everything.

"The government of Pakistan has guaranteed that despite this tragedy Pakistan will not force these refugees to go back to Afghanistan," Guterres said after meeting elders from the devastated northwestern village.

"Some Afghan families wanted to go back and we will support their repatriation, but nobody will be forced to go back to Afghanistan."

Guterres acknowledged there were "doubts" about Azakhel being rebuilt because of its "dangerous location" prone to future flooding.

"UNHCR will do everything to support the people if this Afghan refugee camp is to be relocated," he said.

Village elders said their children wanted to return to Azakhel.

"We want to come back to the village. Our children want to come back because we have deep associations with it as we have been living here for the past 30 years," village representative Sharaft Hussain told Guterres.


UN calls for world to support new appeal - GEO.tv

 

[alibaz]

Army relief and rescue operations continue

KARACHI: In continuation to relief and rescue operations by Pakistan Army, 600 people have been evacuated from Boobuk, Bhan Saeed abad, Jhaangara and Sehwan.

This was announced in an ISPR press release issued here on Thursday.

It said that 23,000 victims were entertained in various relief camps whereas 26,472 people were provided cooked food and 188 tons of dry rations were distributed among the victims.

Army Medical Camps established in affected areas have treated 4,803 people.

As many as 24 truck loads of relief goods have also been sent from Karachi to flood affected areas during last 24 hours.

The non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and philanthropists are depositing the relief goods and other items with Army Relief Centres established in the city for flood-hit people.

Army relief and rescue operations continue - GEO.tv

 

[alibaz]

Barking bit**.

Weren't they suppose to do something during floods. Whole world is praising the efforts of PA, PN and PAF, people are contributing in kind and money with the services and few renowned social workers. But trust level they are enjoying, no one is willing to give them any money and even aid in kind now.

Khisiani billi Khamba nochay

 

[SpArK]

Donors want Pakistan to tax rich to pay for floods


KARACHI, Pakistan — Pakistan's plea for billions of dollars to recover from this summer's floods has sparked pressure on the country to reform its dysfunctional tax system, which collects very little money, even from the rich.


The country's biggest donor, the United States, has issued one of the strongest warnings, saying the world will only be able to fund a quarter of the tens of billions of dollars it will take to rebuild — and it will be difficult to get American taxpayers to help if Pakistanis aren't footing their share of the bill.


But many economists fear the threats are hollow and the U.S. and others will once again bail out Pakistan without insisting on necessary economic reforms because the nuclear-armed country is so important in the war against al-Qaida and the Taliban.


"Pakistan can say, 'If you don't help us, the economy crumbles, the Taliban takes over and there goes your war on terror,'" said Akbar Zaidi, an economist who recently published a report on Pakistan's tax system for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "They don't want to alienate the government, so they will let them off the hook."

Despite years of international pressure, Pakistan has one of the lowest effective tax rates in the world, equal to about 9 percent of the value of the country's economy, according to the Carnegie report. In contrast, the U.S. equivalent is more than three times as high at about 28 percent.

One of the reasons Pakistan's rate is so low is because many people avoid paying taxes. Fewer than 2 percent of the country's 175 million citizens pay any income tax, according to the report.


Also, some sectors of the economy like agriculture — a major money maker for the elite — are totally exempt from tax, and the rich have pushed to keep it that way.


"A small elite comprised of the military, land owners, and the rising urban upper and middle classes, is loath to give up any of its wealth (some of which is illegally accumulated)," said the report.




Ishrat Hussain, former head of the Pakistan central bank, estimated that better enforcement of current tax policies and the elimination of key exemptions should produce an effective tax rate of 15 percent — generating nearly $10 billion in additional revenue per year.


That money would go a long way toward repairing devastation from the floods, which affected more than 18 million people and damaged and destroyed over 1.8 million homes. It would also provide the money necessary to begin fixing Pakistan's crumbling school system and health infrastructure.


"This is a time we have to tell people that we have to all pitch in and mobilize our own resources," said Hussain. "Why should the international community come to your rescue if you are not doing your part of the bargain?"


He said donors should keep up the pressure on Pakistan, but advised against directly linking reconstruction money to tax reform, predicting the move could backfire in a country where animosity toward the West, and the U.S. in particular, is extremely high.
"It wouldn't be a very smart move because people here would consider this as an intrusion on their sovereignty, and the debate would then be muddied," said Hussain.



The U.S. and other countries have donated around $1 billion for emergency relief, and international financial institutions have provided about $2.5 billion in emergency loans. Donors are scheduled to meet in New York this weekend to discuss raising additional aid.


Washington has promised more money for reconstruction, but the U.S. special envoy to Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, warned during a visit to the country this week that the international community could only fund about 25 percent of the bill. He said the U.S. would not condition reconstruction money on tax reform, but cautioned that American generosity has its limits.


"I don't want to withhold money they need, but I think we have to be clear that the Congress is going to be reluctant to give money if the money is filling in a gap because people are not paying taxes," he said.


Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund held back more than $1 billion of funding because Pakistan had not met a number of economic criteria, including reforming its tax system. The money is part of a multibillion loan Pakistan took out in 2008 to stabilize its economy.


It's unclear if the IMF's tough stance will last. The organization has provided funding to Pakistan in the past when it didn't meet its loan criteria — a move that some Pakistani economists believe was driven by international pressure because of Pakistan's strategic importance.
Pakistan had promised the IMF it would introduce a new tax scheme in July — moving from a general sales tax to a value added tax — but ended up delaying it until the beginning of October because of disagreements between the central government and the provinces, especially Sindh province.


Kaiser Bengali, a senior adviser to the Sindh chief minister who is responsible for negotiating the tax deal with Islamabad, said it seems unlikely that the government will be able to reconcile its differences with the province by the revised deadline.
"I wouldn't do things simply because the donors are asking me to do it," said Bengali.


If Pakistan does not reform its tax system and the donors fail to bail the country out, it is unclear how the nation would come up with the money necessary for reconstruction. The government has proposed a one-time tax on urban property and agricultural land not affected by the floods, but it is uncertain whether it will be implemented and how much money it would produce.


Hussain, the former central bank chief, said that even if the one-time tax was implemented, he was worried the elite would simply use their influence to avoid paying anything as they have done in the past.

"The system has given power to the thieves to monitor themselves," he said.


Associated Press Writers Ashraf Khan in Karachi and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad contributed to this report.

 

[Machoman]

BS they should double and 3x tax on Zardari only. Suck very penny out of this country.

 

[trident2010]

Pak govt's corruption and terror threats hamper flood-aid flow


ISLAMABAD: The effects of the deluge that devastated one-fifth of Pakistan will be felt for a long time to come. Given the colossal damage, the international community is not doing enough, said the head of the UN refugee agency on the eve of a major new UN appeal. Antonio Guterres, top official of the UNHCR, urged the world to do far more to help Pakistan recover from catastrophic floods that hit 20.3 million people.

After the disaster struck, Pakistan's government being unable to cope with such a difficult situation, appealed to the international donors and the world community for help. Foreign donors were slow to respond to the catastrophe, due to its unfolding nature and, perhaps, to the relatively low death toll (more than 1600 as per UN estimate). The response was further slowed down when several media houses highlighted the corruption scandals of the Zardari-led government, urging the world at large not to trust the Pakistani authorities at the helm of affairs. Having unmatched reputation for corruption, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari also played a crucial role intensifying the problems of his government, when he paid an unpopular trip to Europe after the floods struck. Crumbling under pressure, Pakistan's leaders were forced to issue humiliating assurances that any donations they collect will not be stolen.

Pakistan's PM Yusuf Raza Gillani said that 80% of the international assistance would be spent by international organizations. However, he warned that half of the amount would go back to the coffers of international NGO's. Elaborating his point of view Gilani said, "the foreign aid workers would hire offices in expensive areas, draw salaries in dollars and require bullet-proof vehicles for use. Hence, a big chunk of the aid aimed to be spent on affected people will be wasted this way."

Several observers believe that the perception of government being corrupt is a fabricated one. They believe that it is the handiwork of those forces who want to derail the current democratic setup. "The government's corruption hype was fuelled by the security establishment of the country. And the establishment got support of some media groups. I think the government has tried its best to cope with the situation. It was all fabricated," says Kamran Shafi, political analyst.

The overall security situation across the country also came as a big hurdle in the way of swift response. Scores of western aid workers, who had to depart for Pakistan by mid-August to help the affected people refused to come, when the US authorities warned of possible terror attacks on aid workers.

Lacking basic facilities and expertise to cope with the situation of such a great magnitude, the government had no option except relying on the services of armed forces. Bringing boats and helicopters that the civil powers lacked, the army rescued tens of thousands of stranded people across the country and dispensed much of the government's aid. Over 70,000 troops have been directed to help the flood victims. The current disaster provided a good opportunity for the armed forces to restore its image among the people which was badly affected under Musharraf's military rule. Army relief trucks covered with banners, saying " Pakistani army and the people of Pakistan are together" drew a lot of respect from the masses as they surged through cities and towns of the country.

It was only this week that the government met with some success in improving its image. PM Yusuf Raza Gilani announced some immediate measures which include: Every flood-affected family will receive 20,000 Pakistani rupees ($234). With 20 million affected, that would total at least $4.68 billion; those whose homes were destroyed will receive an additional 80,000 rupees, ($935). That will cost another $1.76 billion; extremely at-risk families – such as those headed by women or the disabled – will also receive $58 a month for the next six months.

The World Bank and Asian Development Bank have also promised $3 billion in soft loans. America has promised to donate $250m and Saudi Arabia $106m. More pledges are expected next month at a meeting of mostly Western and Arab governments, known as the "Friends of Democratic Pakistan".



Pak govt's corruption and terror threats hamper flood-aid flow - The Times of India

 

[sparklingway]

For those still confused about or questioning the scale of the disaster, this is the biggest aid appeal from the UN in its 65 year history.

UN Launches $2 Billion Pakistan Appeal​

By ANITA SNOW, Associated press Writer | (AP)
Published: September 17, 2010

UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. says it's making the largest disaster appeal ever, asking the world's governments and humanitarian groups to raise a total of $2 billion for Pakistan's flood victims.

Previously, the largest appeal for disaster relief was the $1.5 billion in aid for victims of the devastating January earthquake in Haiti.

The $2 billion appeal announced Friday by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon includes the nearly $500 million the U.N. initially asked countries and organizations to donate after the onset of massive flooding nearly two months ago.

Since then, the flooding has continued to spread, affecting more than 20 million people across a region of at least 160,000 square kilometers (62,000 square miles) an area larger than England.

"We have all been struck by the enormous scale of the crisis," Ban said. "The human tragedy is immense and it is growing. The flood waters are (still) moving."

The floods killed more than 1,700 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 1.9 million homes over the summer.

Food, shelter and other emergency aid is still being supplied to displaced people in areas that remain under water. In regions where floodwaters have receded, aid is needed for early recovery efforts.

Crops, irrigation, drainage and storage facilities were devastated across the largely agricultural nation. Farmers who lost crops and who cannot plant again by November will probably remain dependent on aid well into 2012, the U.N. says.

Ban said children and pregnant women have been left particularly vulnerable by the crisis. "Pakistan is not facing just one humanitarian crisis, but many," Ban said. "All of this makes the Pakistan floods the worst disaster the United Nations has responded to in its 65-year history."

The U.N.'s new humanitarian chief, Undersecretary General Valerie Amos, said countries had already been generous this year, contributing more than $5 billion so far in response to various U.N. appeals for humanitarian relief.

"But more is now needed," Amos said. "We must do our part. We simply cannot stand by and watch the immense suffering in a disaster of this scale," she added.

The U.N. is seeking funding for food, health, education, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as the operating of camps for displaced people, the recovery of the country's farm sector, and rebuilding of communities.

Officials from the U.N. and its partner agencies, Pakistan, and other countries are holding a high-level meeting at the United Nations on Sunday to discuss the flood disaster.

 

[BATMAN]

I saw one telthon on european TV and retired ISI chief Durrani was there answering all the tough questions.
In side the studio presenters were mentioning Mr. Zardari as Mr. 10%.
What do you think after listening this people will donate?
Whole world know that politicians of Pakistan are busy distributing aid money among themselves while ignoring the designated institution NDMA!! this act itself speaks volumes of the intentions of govt.

Pakistanis themselve are sending all their aid through Pak army.

It is well known what state ministers and their children are doing in Pakistan.

 

[BATMAN]

Americans came to the rescue of corrupt regime!!!!
bravo USA whole population wish to roast this corrupt regime whom you are supporting!
Zardari went to UK and France on a fake state visit along with band of traitors, where he smoked millions of state dollars.
All what he achieved on his visit was a property deal in UK / France and protocol by shoes.

 

[ares]

Americans came to the rescue of corrupt regime!!!!
bravo USA whole population wish to roast this corrupt regime whom you are supporting!
Zardari went to UK and France on a fake state visit along with band of traitors, where he smoked millions of state dollars.
All what he achieved on his visit was a property deal in UK / France and protocol by shoes.

Is not this govt elected by people of Pakistan itself. How should the America help, if not through your govt?
If you are unhappy with your govt, then why not pass no-confidence motion and elect new one? or you do not like democracy itself, would prefer a dictatorship?

 

[NWO]

You love to make a fool of yourself ??

Is not this govt elected by people of Pakistan itself. How should the America help, if not through your govt?
If you are unhappy with your govt, then why not pass no-confidence motion and elect new one? or you do not like democracy itself, would prefer a dictatorship?

Take a chill pill, man. He was just saying that US shouldn't do anything to interfere. And by approving of him, they are interfering by giving support.

 

[ares]

Take a chill pill, man. He was just saying that US shouldn't do anything to interfere. And by approving of him, they are interfering by giving support.

Pls enlighten me, how is US interfering? Is giving a statement that "US supports democracy in Pakistan" an interference or helping Pakistan's govt with flood relief, an interference?

 

[GUNNER]

India gives Pakistan $20 mn for flood relief

India's permanent representative to the United Nations, Hardeep Singh Puri, has given a cheque for $20 million to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, as India's contribution towards the 'Pakistan Emergency Response Plan'.

The cheque was handed over to Ban in the presence of Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Abdullah Hussain Haroon Friday.

Puri recalled the messages of solidarity, sympathy and support from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna to their Pakistani counterparts in the immediate aftermath of the devastating floods that affected parts of Pakistan in August this year.

"Natural disasters do not respect national boundaries. This is a small but significant gesture from the highest levels of the Indian government conveying the message that the people of India stand by the people of Pakistan in their hour of need," he said.

This amount of $ 20 million is in addition to the amount of $ 5 million that the Government of India has already contributed to the World Food Programme for its relief efforts in Pakistan.

Later at a meeting for the launch of the 'Revised Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan', Puri noted that Pakistan has been severely affected by the massive floods and the humanitarian catastrophe continues to unfold.

"India is familiar with the consequences of natural disasters and therefore understands very well the trauma and the suffering that our Pakistani brethren are going through," he said.

"We cannot remain unconcerned with this grave humanitarian crisis of enormous magnitude in our immediate neighbourhood," Puri said. "As a member of the international community and more significantly as a close neighbour, India recognizes its responsibility to support Pakistan."

The envoy said he had no doubt that the people of Pakistan have the strength and resilience to overcome this natural disaster.

However, the magnitude of the tragedy makes it incumbent on the international community to pool its energies and resources and to assist Pakistan in its efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate the devastated region, Puri said.

 

[trident2010]

Pakistan floods renew heated debate on dam project


ISLAMABAD: This summer's floods in Pakistan have reopened a quarter-century-old debate on whether to build a large hydroelectric dam on the River Indus, a dispute that has split the nation along regional lines. Supporters say the water reservoir could have prevented much of the floods' devastation and boosted agricultural production along the river. Opponents say just the opposite.

The debate over the Kalabagh Dam shows how the worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history, affecting some 20 million people, has unearthed deep fissures in its society. There is a chronic mistrust among Pakistan's four provinces and the central government, and critics accuse wealthy landowners of naked self-interest in wanting to ensure the Indus keeps irrigating their crops.

Kalabagh is in eastern Punjab province, the country's most populous and prosperous region, where the glacier-fed River Indus moves from northwestern mountains to plains and nourishes millions of acres (hectares) of wheat, cotton and sugar cane crops. The dam was first proposed in 1984, but political sensitivities mean it has never passed the planning stage.

In the northwest, politicians and farmers fear the dam could mean more flooding and not less. They say if the dam's reservoir was full, surplus water would be diverted into some districts in the region. South of Punjab, where the Indus runs into the Arabian Sea, they fear the dam would mean drought and poor crops. Both regions ultimately think that it would give Punjab even more economic and political clout.

The governor of Punjab dismisses the arguments as ``nonsense.'' ``It is an emotional issue that they play up and say the 'Punjabis are stealing your water,''' said Salman Taseer, a vocal proponent of the dam. ``It is a storage dam, it is not diverting any water. The studies have been done. It is cheap to build, near the national grid and the studies have been done. Kalabagh is ideal in every way.''

This year's floods began six weeks ago in the northwest after exceptionally heavy monsoon rains. The deluge slowly worked its way down the Indus and its tributaries, washing over at least 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of farm land, and destroying or damaging more than 1.8 million homes.

Shams-ul-Mulk, a former chairman of Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority and a strong supporter of the dam, said even a ``common man'' could see that having the dam in place would have mitigated the floods.

The Indus already has two large dams on it. He said one of them, the Tarbela Dam, was able to control water flows of 238,000 cubic feet per second just days before the July 29 floods. The proposed Kalabagh Dam, which would lie further south, could handle another 300,000 cubic feet per second of water that would be gradually released down the country.

Meteorological official Riaz Khan said that at their peak, the floodwaters in southern Pakistan flowed at 1.15 million cubic feet per second.

``The floods wouldn't have been a monster'' with the dam, said Mulk, who is himself from the northwest.

No one disputes the electricity that would be supplied from the dam would benefit the whole country. Pakistan has for years struggled with electricity shortages, leading to outages for up to 16 hours a day in some areas and damaging industrial growth. The suffering is worst in summer, when the temperatures soar but power cuts mean fans and air conditioners won't work.

Studies show the dam would generate some 3,400 megawatts of electricity and could be built in under five years.

Still, few outside Punjab support it. Leaders in the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa say the dam will destroy farmlands in the Peshawar valley _ the main source of agriculture in the region _ as water from its reservoir would seep into surrounding land, raising the water table.

They also fear the dam would force incoming floodwaters to spread to areas beyond the already vulnerable district of Nowshera, which is susceptible because of its geography and was badly hit in this summer's deluge.

``We will never let it happen,'' said Bashir Bilour, a senior minister in the northwest province.

Mulk disagreed, saying the proposed Kalabagh dam's site is too far south of Nowshera district to worsen any flooding in the northwest.

Aurangzeb Khan, 57, who owns a farm on the outskirts of Peshawar city, opposes it. He said before the construction of the two dams in the province decades ago, his land used to yields fruits such as grapes and oranges.

``It's been years since I can recall them growing. More dams mean lesser or no crops at all'' because the land is too soaked with water, he said.

In southern Sindh province, there are fears Punjab will use the Kalabagh dam to hog water, meaning even less will reach their farmlands. That could also lead to greater salination. Waters from the Indus help hold back salt water flowing in from the Arabian Sea that inundates increasing amounts of the delta region.

``The dam means our lands will turn into deserts,'' said Khaliq Junejo, vice chairman of a Sindhi nationalist party.

Punjab's governor alleged the resistance in Sindh was being led by wealthy feudal landowners whose sole interest was personal profit.

``They are all occupying huge areas, that is one reason that they don't want the Kalabagh Dam,'' Taseer said.

Tahir Qureshi, an adviser with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said Pakistan could build multiple dams, but it first has to introduce an efficient water management scheme and upgrade its canal system, otherwise it risks drying out Sindh.

While the fierce debate over the dam is likely to rage on, its politics are so perilous it looks unlikely to be built soon. Two of Pakistan's military rulers who backed the project, Pervez Musharraf and Zia ul-Haq, were unable to push it through during their tenures.

The current civilian administration has avoided taking a clear stand. The ruling Pakistan People's Party would risk alienating its main support base in Sindh and coalition allies both there and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa if it pushed for the dam.

For now, President Asif Ali Zardari favors pursuing smaller, less controversial projects instead.

``Until there is national consensus on it, we should not insist on it and seek to build small and medium dams for which sites have already been identified at various locations in all provinces,'' his spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.


Pakistan floods renew heated debate on dam project - The Times of India

 

[Solomon2]

Flood victim torches himself outside PM house

MULTAN: An unemployed father-of-four who lost his home in Pakistan's devastating floods died Monday after setting fire to himself outside the prime minister's home, officials said. link