Pakistan refusing Indian help because it would hurt their dignity

Out of the rubble, an opportunity

Then there's the opportunity. The hardest-hit region is Kashmir, a divided territory claimed by both Pakistan and India. Over the last 15 years, more than 65,000 people have died in fighting across the Line of Control that separates the Pakistani- and Indian-administered areas of the Himalayan region.

Despite ongoing tensions there, Indian-Pakistani relations are stronger today than at any time since the violent partition of the two countries in 1947. Yet the military government in Islamabad has so far been reluctant to seize the opportunity for even warmer relations offered by Indian offers of aid for earthquake victims on the Pakistani side of the divide.

The earthquake killed Indians as well, particularly in India's Jammu and Kashmir state. More than 1,300 are believed dead. Still, India has offered Pakistan everything from tents and mattresses to army helicopters. While Pakistan has accepted some of the aid, its military government is loath to accept anything from India they fear is substantial enough to undermine Pakistan's dignity and inflame nationalists and religious radicals.

In short, Pakistan has refused to accept desperately needed helicopters from India, citing political "sensitivities," even as huge numbers of Pakistanis in remote areas of the country wait for help and rescuers race the clock to provide it. America, grateful for Musharraf's support in its campaign against terrorism, has stepped into the breach with eight U.S. helicopters. But the Pakistani military is missing the chance to welcome cooperation across one of the world's most dangerous frontiers.

Of course, the Pakistani military knows that, if it allows Indian troops to cross the Line of Control to provide relief, there is a risk they might provide the bulk of their supplies to Indians living inside Pakistani-controlled territory. If so, Musharraf would face sharp criticism from across his country - and even from within the Pakistani military itself. Still, given the scale of the devastation and Islamabad's inability to cope with it, the risk might be worth taking.

EDITORIAL: Earthquake: ‘images’ and reality

Meanwhile, the government itself is not sure if it can accept India’s help for fear of losing its image further. This is certainly a defensive reaction to what its opponents are getting to ready to do. There is bureaucratic nitpicking in the decision not to let Indian rescue personnel enter our areas of disaster, especially Azad Kashmir, which is disputed with India! It is again the imagery that the government dreads. Imagine an Indian soldier, who has been killing Kashmiri Muslims, pulling our women and children out of collapsed homes! But such thinking cannot be achieved without forgetting the fact that every time the British rescuers pulled victims out of the Margalla Towers wreck, the people standing around clapped and raised the cry of “Allah Akbar”!

The biggest irony to follow our reluctance to accept the Indian offer came in the shape of the statement of the leader of Kashmir’s victims. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairperson of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), made a tearful appeal to India and Pakistan “not to let politics interfere with helping earthquake victims in the disputed region, and urged them to launch joint relief efforts”. He added, “This tragedy has not respected the ceasefire line. We have seen that both India and Pakistan have been hesitant in accepting each other’s relief. Let’s not play politics over this”.

Border stand-off blocking aid

Dan McDougall in Uri
Thursday October 13, 2005

Indian military rescue teams expressed anger last night at being forced to watch helplessly from the other side of the border as tens of thousands of Pakistanis fought for their lives only miles from their positions along the Kashmiri line of control.

In the Indian border town of Uri, which lies two miles from the isolated Pakistani town of Bagh, Indian air force pilots could only look on as thousands of their fellow Kashmiris suffered without assistance. One air force navigator described the situation in Bagh and neighbouring towns along the border as desperate.

"We know they are cut off and their geographical position on the Pakistani side means that aid is still not getting through to them. It's gut wrenching, you can almost reach out and touch them," he said.

"But as things stand we can only fly along the border and look down the valley. Bagh is barely four kilometres from Uri where Indian aid is starting to arrive in trucks and military transporters but none of this desperately needed aid can be pushed on over the border. It is a terrible situation. As a human being you want to help those fighting for their lives within sight of you, but it is impossible."

An Indian army colonel, Hemant Juneja, admitted that his rescue teams were frustrated. "Some of the worst affected areas in Pakistan are within touching distance for us and we can't do anything about it," he said. "It would make sense for us to move aid over the border from here but it is unlikely to happen."