US Congressmen call for more aid to quake-hit areas

WASHINGTON—Some 34 members of the U.S. Congress Friday asked President George Bush to grant the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Pakistan and to urgently send more helicopters to Pakistan for help in rendering relief work, sources said. In a signed letter dated 10/28/05, the bi-partisan members of Congress have urged President Bush to “immediately add Pakistan to the list of countries designated under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and to temporarily suspend the deportation proceedings of Pakistanis from the United States”.
The letter also asks President Bush to send more helicopters to Pakistan. “[We] insist that you utilize United States military and civilian resources to provide additional helicopters to Pakistan earthquake relief efforts”. Last week, a bi-partisan bill, HR4073, was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Al Green to grant Pakistanis the Temporary Protected Status.
TPS allows aliens who do not legally qualify as refugees but are nonetheless fleeing or reluctant to return to potentially dangerous situations to temporarily remain in the United States, says an NCPA release. The letter reads: “In the past, our government has granted TPS to nationals of other countries in the aftermath of foreign natural disasters. For example, in October and November of 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed more than 9,000 people in Central America and TPS was granted the next month to over 86,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans living in the United States at the time”.
“Granting TPS to Pakistan nationals is consistent with the interests of the United States and it is the right thing to do,” the members of Congress convey to President Bush. But, the members also ask the U.S. President to put the homeland security issues first while making a decision on the TPS. “We urge you to direct the Department of Homeland Security to now contribute to the relief effort with our patience toward Pakistani nationals currently in the US and grant them TPS,” the letter adds.
Asking President Bush to send more helicopters to Pakistan, the letter says: “We understand that there are currently 381 US military personnel and 12 helicopters supporting relief operations in Pakistan. The Department of Defense has reported that 13 additional helicopters should arrive in Pakistan in the next few days. We are proud that our nation has already provided this assistance, more can and needs to be done without delay”. “The United States must continue to do as much as possible to aid Pakistan. Time is of the essence because winter is rapidly approaching,” the letter continues.
Last week, a White House official told an official of the National Council of Pakistani Americans that the United States has committed a total of 33 helicopters, which according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, were spared from several US operations around the world. Several Pakistani American organizations have welcomed President Bush’s immediate response to earthquake disaster in Pakistan. But, as the enormity of the devastation unfolded in the passing days, the groups demanded more US aid to save the survivors of the Oct 8th quake from extreme weather conditions.—Agencies