India sends quake aid to Pakistan

India is sending a plane-load of relief supply to Pakistan

India has announced it will begin sending relief aid to quake-hit Pakistan on Tuesday.

Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran said India would send blankets, tents, medical supplies and food as part of the first relief consignment.

Observers expect the move to strengthen peace moves between the neighbours, who have fought three wars since 1947.

India's announcement ended speculation that Pakistan had declined India's offer of help.

Relief supplies

"The prime minister has directed that a consignment of these items should be put together on a very urgent basis and delivered to Pakistan at the earliest," said Mr Saran.

He was speaking after Pakistan's High Commissioner in India, Aziz Ahmed Khan, met Manmohan Singh, and discussed the relief supplies.

India would send a planeload of aid to Pakistan on Tuesday evening, Mr Saran said.

INTERNATIONAL AID US: $50m World Bank: $20m Asian Development Bank: $10m EU: $3.6m Australia: $380,000 UK: $177,000 and 60-strong team France: 40 doctors, medical supplies, sniffer dogs, 20 rescue workers China: $6.2m, 49 rescuers, dogs, 17 tons of equipment Japan: 50 rescue workers Turkey: five teams of rescuers and 11 tonnes of aid Russia: 30 rescuers, sniffer dogs, special equipment Germany: $60,000

However, Pakistan has rejected an Indian offer of helicopters for rescue operations, reports say.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan's foreign secretary met heads of missions of all friendly countries in Islamabad, and gave them details of the relief supplies required.

A Pakistani foreign ministry spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam, said Pakistan hoped the Indian aid would come soon.

"Our high commissioner in India has informed Indian authorities of what we need for the victims of earthquake," she told the Associated Press news agency.

Shipment

However, the spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that Pakistan would not accept joint relief efforts in Kashmir.

The Indian move may further strengthen relations

Manmohan Singh was one of the first leaders to offer his country's help to Pakistan following Saturday's earthquake.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf also made a similar offer for the victims of the quake in Indian-administered Kashmir, reports say.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said he was "fairly confident" this was the first time that India had sent such an aid shipment to Pakistan since the 1980s.

Pakistan sent two planeloads of relief materials to India to help the victims of an earthquake in the western state of Gujarat more than four years ago.