November 2005
Winning Hearts and Minds
Is the campaign of winning hearts and minds successful in Pakistan? Has US Government and its allies achieved in Pakistan what has failed miserably in Iraq and Afghanistan? This has to be seen yet..
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| Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg interacts with earthquake survivor children at a UNICEF Health Centre during a visit to this Gari Habibullah (AFP) | |
| 2nd Lt. Kristy Bischoff gives a balloon to a young earthquake survivor at the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Photo by Airman 1st Class Barry Loo. | 
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Donor’s Conference 2005: Will It Help?
On November 19, 2005, 300 delegates from 60 states, agencies and corporates are attending an International Donors’ Conference in Convention Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan to participate in fund raising attempt for the relief and rehabiliation of the earthquake victims.
Pakistani government is expecting that international community will extend maximum grants and soft loans to meet at least $3.5 billion reconstruction cost.
Major donors, including multilateral agencies, are expected to pledge contributions primarily in grants and soft loans that will set the tone for individual countries and aid agencies to come up with donations once the conference is over.
Evacuation of earthquake victims?
With cold, snow and blizzards coming to Kashmir and Northern Areas of Pakistan, a question is raised about the fate of hundreds of thousands of homeless, up in the mountains. It has been suggested earlier that they should be brought down to shelter camps but those people have refused due to various social and cultural reasons.
Domes Pakistan: Prefabricated Homes
Domes Pakistan, a joint venture concern from USA offers earthquake,weather proof and insulated prefabricated homes ready to be installed within weeks at very economical cost.
For details contact:
S.Akhsheed Hussain
Domes Pakistan
Phone: +92-42-5422648
Cell: +92300-8452403
Email: aki@brain.net.pk
FinLog Systems: Housing System for the Earhquake affected people
FinLog Systems offer housing system, toilets and shower cabins. They have pre-fabricated and mobile toilet, shower unit and building alternatives.
For details, contact:
Ediz Algur
Istanbul, Turkey
Phone: +90 532 332 58 00
Email: ediz@finlogsystems.com
Web Site: www.finlogsystems.com
Save Pakistan from ‘donor fatigue’
Karl F. Inderfurth, a former assistant secretary of State for South Asian affairs, David Fabrycky, a professor and graduate research assistant at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, and Stephen P. Cohen, a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution have compiled a report listing the reasons for donor fatigue in support of Pakistan Earthquake relief and rehabiliation.
Time is running out for tens of thousands of survivors of the 7.6 earthquake that devastated parts of Pakistan on Oct. 8, claiming more than 73,000 lives and leaving 3 million homeless. Winter is fast approaching. Experts believe 1 million people are at risk of hypothermia. Two hundred thousand villagers in more remote areas may soon be cut off by snow. A “second wave” of deaths from cold, hunger, and disease is feared.
BBC Urdu taken off Pakistan radio
Pakistan’s government has penalised three broadcast partners of the BBC’s Urdu service for broadcasting special coverage of the Kashmir earthquake.
The stations were accused of breaking regulations by re-broadcasting material from a foreign news organisation.
Police seized broadcasting equipment and closed the offices of Karachi-based Mast FM, and ordered two satellite TV stations to stop using BBC broadcasts.
BBC programmes will still be available in Pakistan on medium and short wave.
Police in Karachi entered the offices of Mast FM with officials from the Pakistani Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).
Technorati Tags: BBC, Mast FM, PEMRAPregnant women at risk for miscarriages, even death
The UN estimates 40,000 pregnant women were among the 4 million people affected by the Oct 8 earthquake. Health officials say the temblor may have triggered miscarriage and premature labour, and could worsen Pakistan’s already dismal statistics on infant mortality. At the best of times, Pakistan’s health care system is barely adequate. The earthquake has heightened the problems by destroying most of the medical clinics and hospitals in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir.
“The primary health care system is all broken down,” said Shahida Fazil of the UN Population Fund. “Even before, it was a very fragile system and accessibility was a problem. Now, there is nothing.”
Technorati Tags: UN Population FundBalakot after the earthquake
Atiqa Odho depressed by Earthquake destruction
Earthquake After Shocks
Allied Bank after Earthquake
Caltex Pertrol Pump
Hotel California
Relief Goods
Photos submitted by Omar Hassan
Project Lifeline
The mission of Project Lifeline is to provide clean water as the source of a sustainable community. Project Lifeline helps rebuild communities that are suffering from an inadequate supply of water and poor sanitation caused by war, poverty and natural disaster. They claim that their designs provide clean water tailored to the needs of the specific village or community thereby empowering long-range planning, healthier life, gray-water irrigation and neighborhood development.
Project Lifeline can be extremely helpfull in the earthquake affected areas as their project entails a mobile water filteration and medical unit that can also provide a housing facility for the homeless. Since these units are insolated with solar energy, they provide protection from severe winter and summer weather conditions.
Technorati Tags: Project Lifeline