U.N. HELICOPTERS involved in earthquake relief operations will shortly be grounded as also food supplies to survivors shall be drastically cut if cash-strapped world body does not receive funds from donors immediately. The U.N. Relief Coordinator in Pakistan, Mr. Vandemoortele, has warned that there will be no second chance for the millions of survivors facing death due to hunger, disease and exposure. The world body has received so far only U.S.$ 100 million and it immediately needs at least U.S. $ 250 million to sustain its operations in the earth quake devastated area. Mr. Vandemoortele who was briefing media on Friday at Islamabad also expressed his dismay over the slow pace of international response. All those who have witnessed widespread destruction in Azad Kashmir and adjoining areas of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province are unanimous that the calamity which struck these areas on October 8 was more devastating than Tsunami. While Federal Government's official figures put the death toll at over 54,000 and critical injuries to around 74,000, the data released by NWFP and Azad Kashmir Governments indicate that well over 80,000 persons perished in the catastrophe. The number of injured, some of whom are still stranded in hilltop villages and inaccessible areas ,exceeds one hundred thousand. In fact, some 22,000 critically injured survivors were airlifted from the quake zone and choppers continue to transport a large number of the critically injured on a daily basis.
The Government of Pakistan, under the instructions of President Pervez Musharraf, is giving final touches to a comprehensive reconstruction plan for presentation to the donors conference to which among others U.S. President George W. Bush and Saudi King Addullah Bin Abdel Aziz will be invited .It is felt that extensive coverage to the monumental tragedy has not been made in the international media. In the case of Tsunami havoc, major channels of the West had given coverage to the disaster on almost hourly basis for a number of months which sensitized the global community to extend enormous help to the victims. The havoc caused by the terrible earthquake of October 8 which flattened towns after towns and tens of thousands of hamlets and villages in a wide area was not adequately projected in world media. It is intriguing that assessment of the damage has been made by visits to the devastated areas by senior representatives of rich nations but very few seem to have responded in the manner warranted by the monumental task of rescue, relief and rehabilitation. One only hopes that the rich nations would discharge their humanitarian obligations in rushing assistance to the millions of survivors. Mr. Vandemoortele is right when he says that tomorrow will be too late.
While the Pakistan Army, NGOs, official agencies, volunteers and foreign Governments' teams are doing a commendable job, millions still await any meaningful assistance .Their miseries are being further compounded by the advancing cold winter of the Himalayas. The rich countries will hopefully increase
their help on an emergency basis to help avert a much dreaded second wave of deaths.

War on Aids

WE ARE losing the war against Aids. Even those who have grown accustomed to regulations warnings against the spectre of Aids would be alarmed by the disturbing picture painted by the United Nations this week. The world body has launched an unprecedented campaign to save and help millions of Aids-affected children around the world, especially in Africa.
Aids has emerged as the greatest threat to the young. Every minute a child dies of an Aids-related illness around the world. According to UN statistics, over 15 million children have lost at least one parent to Aids. The Unicef fears 18 million children will have lost their parents to Aids by 2010 in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Millions of children today are battling with Aids but only a small fraction of the billions of dollars — $6.1 billion in 2004 — dedicated to fighting the disease actually goes to help them. While HIV/Aids affects millions of children all over the world, Africa accounts for more than 85 per cent of children under 15 living with Aids.
These are most alarming statistics and demand serious attention and action by the world community. This is not something that will remain confined to the poor, wretched countries in Africa and Asia. In a globalised world, nothing especially deadly diseases like Aids can be contained within geographical boundaries. The threat is universal and demands universal and united response from the international community.
The five-year long UN campaign, Unite for Children, Unite Against Aids, aimed at providing treatment, protection and support for Aid-affected kids, should be backed by effective action and resources by both the developed and developing world. It’s really hard to believe that in spite of the worldwide campaign against Aids over the past two decades and pious commitments by world leaders, as many as 95 per cent of the Aids-hit children do not get any medical treatment. Either the world is spending too little to eliminate the disease or its methods against the killer are just not working. Where have all those precious resources committed to the Aids war gone if they haven’t been spent on fighting the disease?
We need to find answers to these questions if we have to deal effectively with the deadly epidemic. The UN, which leads the global drive against Aids, may have to re-examine and possibly rework its approach and methods to deal with the threat. But the world body can do little, if it is not adequately supported by the international community, particularly its richer members. The world just cannot afford to lose the war on Aids.

— Khaleej Times