House Activity on Earthquake in Pakistan

HRES 561 IH

Commending the outstanding efforts by members of the United States Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development in response to the earthquake in South Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005.

Mr. BURTON of Indiana (for himself, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California, Mr. POE, Mr. MCCAUL of Texas, and Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

Commending the outstanding efforts by members of the United States Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development in response to the earthquake in South Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005.

Whereas on October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan;

Whereas the epicenter of the earthquake was located near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and approximately 60 miles north-northeast of Islamabad, with aftershocks and landslides continuing to affect the area;

Whereas the most affected areas are the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Northern Punjab, Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and Indian-administered Kashmir;

Whereas over 75,000 people have died, almost 70,000 are injured and approximately 2.9 million people are homeless as a result of the earthquake, with 17,000 of the dead being children according to the Executive Director of the United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF);

Whereas the United States has pledged a total of $156,000,000: $50,000,000 for humanitarian relief, $50,000,000 for reconstruction, and $56,000,000 to support Department of Defense relief operations;

Whereas the total amount of humanitarian assistance committed to Pakistan by the United States Agency for International Development is over $40,000,000;

Whereas the Department of Defense has deployed approximately 875 members of the Armed Forces and 31 helicopters to aid in the earthquake relief efforts;

Whereas since October 8, 2005, United States helicopters have flown 885 missions, evacuated 3,400 people, and delivered almost 5.6 million pounds of supplies;

Whereas the delivery of humanitarian assistance is constricted by the mountainous area, cold weather, and damaged or collapsed infrastructure;

Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during her October 12, 2005, visit to Pakistan, said the United States would support Pakistan over the long-term in the Pakistani Government`s efforts to provide assistance to the victims of the earthquake and rebuild parts of the country devastated by the earthquake;

Whereas the cost of rebuilding the affected areas could be in excess of $1,000,000,000; and

Whereas the recovery and reconstruction of the devastated areas will require the concerted leadership of the United States working with the governments of the affected countries and the international community: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) commends the members of the United States Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development for taking swift action to assist the victims of the earthquake in South Asia that occurred on October 8, 2005;

(2) commends the ongoing international relief effort that includes the work of individual countries, numerous international organizations, and various relief and nongovernmental entities;

(3) commends the Governments of Pakistan and India for their cooperation in the common cause of saving lives and providing humanitarian relief to people on both sides of the Line of Control;

(4) encourages further cooperation between Pakistan and India on relief operations and efforts to fortify and expand peace and stability in the region as they cope with the impact of the earthquake over the next several months and seek to rehabilitate the lives of those affected;

(5) urges the United States and the world community to reaffirm their commitment to additional generous support for relief and long-term reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the earthquake; and

(6) urges continued attention by international donors and relief agencies to the needs of vulnerable populations in the stricken countries, particularly the thousands of children who have been left parentless and homeless by this disaster.

END
Co-Sponsors are:

CONCERN OVER THE KASHMIR EARTHQUAKE -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 17, 2005)

SPEECH OF

HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

OF MICHIGAN
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2005

• Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on behalf of the earthquake which occurred in Kashmir. On October 8th, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit Pakistan, India, Afghanistan. So far, Over 80,000 have perished and three million are homeless. Over half of those who lost their lives were school aged children who were attending school. It is evident a generation of Pakistani`s no longer exist. I am concerned that tens of thousands will also soon perish from weather, disease, and malnutrition.

• Our President, who campaigned as a compassionate conservative, has been wholly inadequate in his response to the crisis in Pakistan. The United Nations has asked for $550 million in emergency aid. Although, we have given only $40 million while our generous citizens have given more than $50 million in relief aid. To date, we have only pledged $150 million for reconstruction when the World Bank estimates Pakistan needs $5.2 Billion. Our government can do much better.

• Last week, the President instructed 5 Fortune 500 CEOs to fundraise for the disaster. This should help. However, we need to show our allies that the U.S. will help them in their time of need. If we are serious about the welfare of the Muslim world and our ally, Pakistan; then we will pledge significantly in the upcoming donor conference this weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan. We proved our great generosity after Tsunami; we need to show it again.

Below is a 25 Oct statement from Sen. Biden regarding assistance to Pakistan

Statement by Senator Joseph R. Biden
On Relief Assistance to Pakistan
On the Floor of the U.S. Senate
October 25, 2005

Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, the people of Kashmir are no strangers to hardship. Their beautiful, tragic land has been the arena of full-scale warfare between India and Pakistan , a long-running insurgency marked by exceptional brutality and penetration by terrorist groups in league with al-Qaida.

On October 8, the people of Kashmir suffered the most devastating blow yet: A massive earthquake killed about as many Kashmiris in just a few minutes as all the bullets and bombs of massed armies were able to kill there over the previous half-century. And unless we act now, the casualty count will climb even higher.

At latest count, the quake`s death toll is somewhere between 55,000 and 80,000. An estimated 3 million people are now homeless. As the survivors spend day after miserable day with little food or water, little medical care, little protection from the bitterly cold winter temperatures that have already hampered relief efforts, the number of the dead will certainly rise.
Residents of the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir were hit hard: 1,400 have died, a number greater than the death toll of Katrina. But the worst devastation has been felt in the area administered by Pakistan , which has borne the brunt of the disaster.
For Pakistan , the earthquake was at least 40 Katrinas, all rolled into one.

The capitol of Pakistani Kashmir has been largely destroyed. Relief efforts will cost billions of dollars, and repairs to the very most basic infrastructure will cost billions more.

American helicopter pilots and other military personnel have performed heroically in the rescue operation. The first 72 hours after a disaster of this magnitude are vital, since this is the window in which trapped survivors have a realistic chance of being brought out alive. As of last week, October 17, 442 U.S. personnel and 11 helicopters were involved in the effort, and the U.S. military had evacuated 2,500 survivors. I am proud of our service men and women, and I wholeheartedly support President Bush`s decision to deploy our military assets to this mission of mercy.

I would like to see far more of our choppers devoted to this vital effort: With only 30 percent of the affected villages reachable by road, the single greatest need is for every utility helicopter that can be rushed to the scene; we`ve got Chinooks, Blackhawks, and other suitable craft right across the border in Afghanistan, and I hope the administration will immediately shift more of these assets to the short-term mission of saving lives.

I also support the President`s pledge of financial aid for the reconstruction effort--indeed, I rise today to urge President Bush to send more aid. This is no time for half-measures.

If there is one thing we all should have learned from Katrina and the Southeast Asian tsunami, it is that an effective, rapid, well-funded response is necessary to prevent a terrible tragedy from spiraling into an uncontrolled disaster.
As of today, October 24, the total amount of earthquake aid committed by the administration has been about $27 million. President Bush has pledged ``up to`` $50 million, and Secretary Rice has hinted that the total figure might be higher than this, but so far--2 weeks after the tragedy--these are still vague abstractions. The costs for tsunami relief proved far higher than the initial estimates--or the initial U.S. pledge. It is a safe bet that the needs for this tragedy will also prove much greater than initial estimates. It is far too early to cap our contribution.

The U.N. has sought $312 million to meet immediate needs but has found the world community willing to pledge barely a quarter of this amount--and the White House`s response has been to promise less than 4 percent of this modest sum, per USAID fact-sheet of 10/21: $10.8 million to U.N. flash appeal. Mr. President, we need to do much more, to do it much faster--and we need the administration to start telling us some answers:

How much money will we actually spend? And where will it come from? Does the administration plan to shift funds from existing accounts for Pakistan , in which case the President`s pledge would look like a bait-and-switch? Would the funds come from existing disaster accounts, in which case every dollar sent to Kashmir would potentially be a dollar taken from Darfur, Guatemala, or Niger?
With so many pressing needs here in the United States, some may ask why send any aid overseas. Let`s take care of our own people, some may say, leave other nations to take care of themselves.

But this is a false choice. We can take care of our own people and fulfill our moral duty to our fellow human beings elsewhere in the world.

When we were struck by the tragedy of Katrina, 90 nations offered us assistance--including a pledge of $1 million from Pakistan . Aiding the victims of the Kashmiri earthquake is the right thing to do, and it is also in our vital national interest. As we have seen in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami this year, disaster relief is one of the most effective--and cost-effective--tools in our diplomatic or political arsenal.

Other nations recognize the twinned moral and political need for generous humanitarian response. Some 30 countries have sent relief aid to Pakistan , countries including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, France, Spain, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Iran, Jordan, Syria and Afghanistan. Several, including Britain and Turkey, sent specialized search-and-rescue teams to pull survivors out of the rubble.

Others have already established mobile field hospitals that are saving hundreds--maybe thousands--of lives on a daily basis. Even Pakistan`s longtime rival India sent planeloads of tents, medicine, and other supplies.

The U.S. has been generous, but so too have other countries. If the administration does indeed follow through on President Bush`s $50 million promise, that would be half the amount pledged by Kuwait, half the amount pledged by the United Arab Emirates. Last weekend, Saudi Arabia announced an aid package of $133 million. We are not the only country involved in this relief effort and our contribution should reflect our Nation`s true generosity of spirit.

It is not just nations that are joining the effort: private individuals and groups have opened their hearts and wallets. Here in this country, NGOs like Mercy Corps, CARE, the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and the Red Cross have collected many thousands of dollars.

In one development that builds upon an encouraging warming of ties between Pakistan and Israel, President Musharraf has specifically welcomed the contributions of American Jewish charities.

But there are other organizations whose support is more troubling: extremist groups have been in the forefront of disaster relief. There is a desperate need for more assistance--and that void is being filled by groups hostile to American interests.
Jamaat ul-Dawa, an affiliate of the terrorist group Lashkar-e Taiba, has been operating a major field hospital complete with x-ray facilities and an operating theater--a facility so capable that it has been treating casualties of the Pakistani military itself.
More than a week after the earthquake, the U.S. had still not set up a mobile field hospital, despite the proximity of resources in Afghanistan and the Middle East; I hope that by now such a facility is in operation. We have the finest military medical personnel in the world, and they are eager to save as many lives as they can.

Why has the administration been unable to accomplish a vital humanitarian task that is currently being carried out by a terrorist affiliate?
And Jamaat ul-Dawa isn`t the only extremist group filling this need. The AI-Khidmat Foundation, the charity branch of hardline Islamist party Jamaat-e Islami, has organized relief convoys, medical facilities and camps sheltering survivors.
The Al-Rasheed trust, a group whose U.S. assets have been frozen on the suspicion that it channeled funds to al-Qaida is highly visible in a variety of relief efforts.

There`s nothing new about extremist groups performing social services. Hezbollah, Hamas, the Tamil Tigers, and a variety of other groups on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list have long bolstered their base of support by providing social welfare programs--especially where the government has been either unable or unwilling to meet its citizens` most basic needs.

The extremists know that such programs build goodwill among the populace. They have learned a lesson already known to every U.S. military officer: You can`t win a war with bombs alone, you have to win hearts and minds.

Our military professionals know this, but it sometimes seems as if the civilian leadership in the White House has forgotten the lesson. We had an opportunity to demonstrate our friendship to the Pakistani people, to the Kashmiris on both sides of the line of control, to Muslims throughout the globe, and instead we have failed to match our commitment with our superpower status. Every day we let the extremists fill the void is another opportunity wasted.

The Asian tsunami provides a shining example of the need for rapid action, and what we can accomplish when we do things right.
The initial response from the White House was disappointing: for the first week after the tragedy, the administration lagged behind other nations, including small countries with far inferior resources than we possess.

But once the administration decided to match America`s contribution with our superpower status, we leapt to the forefront of the relief effort. When the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group and other naval assets arrived on the scene, they immediately established us the leader of the global response.

The sailors, marines and other service members did an absolutely superb job: They performed an act of public diplomacy more powerful than any dollars-and-sense reckoning could calculate.

They showed that the U.S. military is not merely a fearsome adversary but also a powerful friend.
This effort had an immediate impact: In Indonesia, the world`s most populous Muslim nation, popular attitudes towards the United States profoundly improved, almost overnight. Before George Bush took office, 75 percent of Indonesians had a favorable impression of the United States; by 2003, that number had fallen to 15 percent.

But in the aftermath of the tsunami, Indonesians saw Americans as friends rather than foes. In a survey sponsored by the nonpartisan group Terror Free Tomorrow, 65 percent of respondents had a more favorable view of the United States after the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

This public attitude is directly reflected in Indonesian views of the war on terror. In the same poll, support for Osama bin Laden dropped from 58 percent prior to the tsunami to 23 percent afterward. For the first time in any major poll, a plurality, 40 percent, supported the U.S.-led fight against terrorism.

And this isn`t merely a matter of poll numbers: Indonesian-based extremist groups tried to use their relief operations in the tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh as a tool for recruitment, and due in large part to the strong U.S. response these groups utterly failed to make headway. When they tried to preach anti-American sentiments, the people of Aceh shut them down cold: The survivors of the tsunami knew better because they had seen American sailors and marines saving lives.
The lesson is clear: Our humanitarian duty and our national security interests here are in complete accord. When we use our military and financial strength to save lives, we help drain the swamp of terrorism.

We accomplished a tremendous feat in the tsunami recovery effort. For the price of just a few days` operating expenses in Iraq, we bought an incalculable amount of goodwill among the 210 million Muslims in Indonesia, and improved our standing among many other Muslims worldwide.

Today, we have the chance to replicate our success. We can do in Pakistan what we did in Indonesia: prove that America is not engaged in a crusade against Islam.
We can demonstrate--with deeds, not empty words--that we are allies rather than adversaries. We can show that we, and not the extremists or the terrorists, are the best friends that the people of Muslim nations could want to have.
We can do this, but we can`t do it on the cheap. We can`t do it with just a dozen helicopters and $27 million and a promise that eventually we may contribute half as much as Kuwait.

Mr. President, I urge this Chamber to do more. And I urge the administration to immediately match our contribution with the vital need at hand: With Pakistan reeling from the worst natural disaster in its history, we can`t afford to let our response be too little and too late.

Today, Mr. President, our moral duty and our national security interest are one.

Mourning the loss of life caused by the earthquake that occurred on October 8, 2005, in Pakistan and India, expressing the condolences of the American people to the families of the victims, and urging assistance to those affected;  

Whereas on October 8, 2005, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale occurred in Pakistan and India, centered on the city of Muzaffarabad;  

Whereas the earthquake continuing aftershocks have caused more than 50,000 deaths, resulted in serious injuries to additional tens of thousands of people, and left between 2.5 and 3 million homeless as winter in the affected mountainous region approaches; 

Whereas millions of people throughout the affected region currently lack clean water, food, proper sanitation, basic healthcare, adequate shelter, and other necessities, thereby increasing the risk of additional suffering and death; and 

Whereas the United State and donors from at least 30 other countries have, to date, pledged several hundred million dollars in emergency and long-term reconstruction assistance, and have begun to deliver humanitarian supplies to survivors of the earthquake: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, The House of Representatives—

• (1)    mourns the tragic loss of life and horrendous suffereing caused by the earthquake that occurred on October 8, 2005, in Pakistan and India;
• (2)    expresses the deepest condolences of the American people to the families, communities, and governments of tens of thousands of individuals who have lost their lives in this earthquake;
• (3)    welcomes and commends the prompt international humanitarian response to the earthquake by the governments of many countries, the United Nations and other international organizations and nongovernmental organizations;
• (4)    expresses gratitude and respect for the courageous and committed work of all individuals providing aid, relief and assistance, including the United States civilian and military personnel, who are working to save lives and provide relief in the devastated areas; and
• (5)    supports the actions to assist the victims taken by the President and the Government of the United States to provide all appropriate assistance to the governments and people of the affected region.

Congressman Major Owens:

URGING HELP FOR PAKISTAN -- (House of Representatives - October 17, 2005)

[Page: H8823]

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   The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens) is recognized for 5 minutes.

   Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the nation of Pakistan is experiencing the greatest natural disaster of all time. There is no recorded disaster with the dimensions that the earthquake in Pakistan has produced. Forty thousand at least are already dead. Forty thousand at least are dead already, and with the freezing weather coming and the inaccessibility of the people in the mountains, another 40,000 could easily die, being frozen to death or starved because they cannot be reached. Millions are homeless.

   Now is the time for America to come to the aid of this nation in great distress. These are people, first of all; and for humanitarian reasons, we certainly should come to their aid. They are also citizens of Pakistan, a major ally of the United States, a major ally which has done a great deal in the fight against terrorism.

   I know disaster fatigue has set in with a lot of Americans and certainly our media. We had the tsunami, an overwhelming disaster. We had Katrina, Rita. In Central America they had Hurricane Stan.

   Unfortunately, the media has reached the point of exhaustion too early. Not enough is being said about the great tragedy in Pakistan because I think they just do not want to deal with another great disaster with the kind of coverage it needs. It does not have it.

   When we add up all these disasters, the tsunami, Katrina, Rita, and Pakistan, the tragic numbers should not overwhelm us. We should not throw up our hands and say it is just too much, we cannot deal with it. It is the most massive disaster in history, the Pakistani earthquake; but yet 40,000, though it may seem like a lot, and in the case of Katrina we do not know whether it is going to be 10,000 or not, and in the case of the tsunami, if we add them all up, still relative to the population of the world, it is a very small number of people.

   We have almost 6 billion people in the world. Surely 6 billion people in the world and almost 200 nations in the world can come to the aid of people who have experienced these disasters this year, can come to the aid of those in Katrina, those in the tsunami, and those in Pakistan. Surely we should not get weary of being weary of disasters so early. We must go to the aid of Pakistan and not write it off because we have had enough disasters. We need more attention paid to this.

   When we look at numbers, we lost 600,000 people in the Civil War in America. 600,000. We lost 400,000 or 500,000 in World War II. The Russians lost 18 million people in World War II. Those are numbers which can really overwhelm us. Surely we have dealt with problems on that scale. In World War II we mobilized, and in terms of men and materiel and the effort to win World War II, it was overwhelming.

   But it would not take even one-tenth of that effort to go to the aid of Pakistan at this point and deal with getting the practical things that they need. They need helicopters because those

mountains cannot be reached any other way. They have got to have helicopters to transport whatever they are going to transport. They need it, and they need it right away. The people are freezing in the mountains. They need food. The U.S. must lead the way.

   I do not want to get into any discussion of competition, what nation is doing what and are we doing less than any other nations. I do not think that is the kind of discussion we ought to have. We ought to just understand we should come to the aid of Pakistan to the extent that we can. We are the greatest. We are the most resourceful. We are the richest Nation that ever existed on the face of the Earth. We should not hesitate to lead on this matter. We should step out there and not yield leadership and wait for someone else.

   We have made past mistakes with Pakistan. Pakistan was our ally during the Cold War, and yet we treated them very poorly, and we did not take care of the needs of Pakistan once the war in Afghanistan was over and they had helped us to win the war against the Russians in Afghanistan originally. Now Pakistan has come to our aid in the war against terrorism. The Government of Pakistan teeters on the brink of rebellion because of the fact that large numbers of the Muslim population do not approve of the close friendship of Pakistan with the United States, the alliance with the United States against terrorism.

   Let us come to the aid of our friends and make up for past errors. And here is a time when they have this great calamity that we can act and wipe out any harsh feelings about the past. Now is the time to act. For the future, as long as we can see it, I assure the Members that the Pakistani people will be grateful for what we have done. We ought to seal the alliance and make certain that they understand that we are their friends in every way possible. We do not want to just use them to fight the war on terrorism. We do not want to just use them to hunt for Osama bin Laden. We do not want to just use them in a critical time when we are threatened by terrorism. We care about them; and when they need help, we will be there.

   Practical help is needed right now. We need cargo planes. At Kennedy Airport they have cargo-loads of material to go to Pakistan. They have no planes to send them there. They need the practical help. We need helicopters in Pakistan right now. Across the border in Afghanistan, we have hundreds of helicopters. We should give up the hunt for Osama bin Laden for a little while if necessary, and those helicopters should go to Pakistan. They need food. They need tents. They need attention from the whole world.

   We need our caucus here, Members of Congress. We have a Pakistan Caucus. The Pakistan Caucus needs to meet as soon as possible. I call on the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), who are co-chairs, to call to meet as soon as possible. And let us, as Members of Congress, see what we can do to come to the aid of our friends, to come to the aid of millions of people who are in great distress and they look to the United States for leadership. We should follow that leadership. God expects us to provide leadership to help the people of Pakistan.