Aftershocks Recur: OIC sets-up Islamic Fund for Pakistan
By Mumtaz Hamid Rao - PakistanTimes.net Editor & Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: With an outright pledge to extend optimal help to the Quake-devastated people in Pakistan, the Organization of Islamic Countries [OIC] Sunday decided to set-up a Special Fund to save the fading people in the frosty terrain with locales in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir, at all cost.

Taking instantaneous cognizance on the plight of the affected populace, the OIC said that it would set up the Fund of Islamic Countries for Pakistani quake victims without any delay. 

Meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri here, the Secretary-General of the Organization set off an urgent appeal to the foreign ministers of Islamic countries participating in the Geneva donors conference for maximum funds for the Pakistani quake survivors.

OIC is already engaged pondering over establishing fund in the Islamic countries for Pakistani quake victims, he said.

Musharraf for unremitting aid Flow

And, the President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf said Sunday that Pakistan still needs more support and assistance due to disaster by of a wider scale.

The President said this during his meeting with Secretary General of OIC Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoghu and President Islamic Development Bank Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali and stressed for the continuation of relief efforts and aid in form of hospitals, schools, restoration of communication systems, engineering and medical personnel.

He emphasize for setting up a funding system by OIC so it could be utilized whenever any of the Muslim country suffers natural calamity or catastrophe.

President Musharraf thanked the assistance and support received from Islamic countries at this critical time. The OIC has motivated its members to donate generously, he remarked.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz earlier revealed that out of the total aid Pakistan had received, 70 per cent is from the OIC member’s countries.

Package Assist of $ 251.6

The President IDB Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali expressing condolence on the loss of lives in the earthquake announced package of assistance worth dollars 251.6 million, which included grants and soft loans.

He said IDB is with Pakistan in this difficult moment and providing full support and assistance in its efforts of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Strong Shocks Shake Quake Zone

Meanwhile, a magnitude 6 earthquake rocked Pakistan on Sunday, 15 days after a 7.6 intensity quake killed almost over 53,000 people with thousands injured and identical number of people missing in the northern vicinities of the country as well as in Azad Kashmir.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Website that the 6 magnitude quake struck at 15:04 GMT, with an epicentre near the town of Mingaora, in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

The quake was felt in various cities including the capital, Islamabad. A Pakistani meteorologist said the quake had a magnitude of 5.9 and the epicentre was in the same area as the October-8 earthquake in Azad Kashmir, adjacent to NWFP.

"We're calling it an aftershock," said the Pakistan's met expert, Mohammad Hanif. Pakistan has been hit by numerous aftershocks since the October-8 quake, which specialists say is a good sign as they release pressure building up underground.

Another report says that the earthquake measuring 5.9 quivered on Sunday night again those villages, towns and cities of Pakistan that were terribly hit by a devastating quake of October-8 which had caused a huge loss of life and infrastructure ever experienced by this part of the world in a century.

The previous one had surfaced in 1905 with intensity of 7.8 on the Richter scale. This was followed by the one which shattered Quetta, the metropolis of Pakistan's Balochistan province in 1935. The mountainous cities by Sunday’s quake sent tremors to multiple areas including Peshawar, Mansehra, Basham and Gilgat, in the northern Area.

With the latest quake jolts the people who had hardly begun to recover from the pain of the earthquake of October’s first week, are now experiencing increased panic.

Recap

As reported by 'PakistanTimes.net' as Breaking News on Sunday evening, an aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 rattled Pakistan's quake zone on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

The quake, the latest of hundreds of aftershocks since Pakistan's strongest 7.6-magnitude temblor, was centred about 140 kilometres [85 miles] north of Islamabad in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir, says the United States Geological Survey in Golden, Colo.

Sunday's earthquake was of strong intensity, which jolted Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad and its suburbs once again.

Met experts in Islamabad say that the magnitude of the tremor has been recorded as 6.00 on the Richter scale. The new wave of the quake took place at 20:04 PST [15:04 GMT] with its epicentre almost 65 Kms away from Islamabad in the north-east direction.

The shocks, lasting almost 10 to 15 seconds made people frightened who ran out of their homes with kin and loved-ones, taking place beneath open skies. Some reports suggest that Sunday's jolt which takes the overall number of aftershocks to over 750 [after the main Quake of October-8] were also felt in some vicinities of northern Pakistan, including Peshawar as well as in Azad Kashmir.

Karachi's Coastal Areas

Earthquake also jolted coastal areas of Karachi on Sunday. The low intensity tremor were felt at 17:28 PST [12:28 GMT] mainly in Clifton, block 5 and near Bilawal House area. Panic-ridden residents made frequent calls to news originating offices to share info about the quake.

The jolts were felt for a few seconds. No loss of life or property has been reported from any-where in Pakistan or Azad Kashmir till going of this story onto the web.

Plight of People

To recap the awful plight of Quake-victims in the mountainous areas of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, as was reported by Pakistan’s first independent daily E-newspaper, ‘PakistanTimes.net’ in its’ edition on Saturday, Oct-23, Click here; http://pakistantimes.net/2005/10/23/top.htm●