India offers Pakistan $25m in aid

Many survivors need shelter and food before winter hits

India has offered long-time rival Pakistan $25m (£14m) in aid following the 8 October earthquake that killed more than 55,000 people.

The rare donation, Delhi's largest to Pakistan since the 1960s, was made at a UN donor conference on Wednesday.

The pledge was part of $580m (£327m) promised by donors following a UN warning of an impending catastrophe.

The UN says with winter looming, more than 3m people in mountain villages lack food and shelter.

Line of Control

Indian foreign ministry spokesman, Navtej Sarna, said in Delhi: "The government of Pakistan will be welcome to use this contribution for rebuilding homes and rehabilitating people, reconstructing the infrastructure and restoring essential services."

Map of earthquake zone

India previously passed three consignments of relief material to Pakistan but an offer to send helicopters into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir was turned down because of "military sensitivities".

The nations have fought two wars over Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety.

Almost half of the money pledged... won't save a single one of the thousands of lives currently hanging in the balance Oxfam Dangers facing survivors

This is one of the biggest aid pledges India has made to Pakistan.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says India has been keen to be seen to contribute to the relief effort.

However, our correspondent says that both sides have yet to agree on how to open the Line of Control, the de facto border in Kashmir.

Such a move would greatly ease relief efforts. Talks between Indian and Pakistani officials are expected on Saturday.

Pakistan says more than 54,000 people died in the quake in its northern region and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. More than 1,300 died in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

India's pledge followed a warning from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said a "winter without pity" was looming.

Relief workers say they face a race against time to provide shelter and food stocks for hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

"All humanitarian organisations are acutely aware that our window of opportunity for action is closing with the onset of the severe winter," UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland said in Geneva.

On Thursday, UN data revealed only two percent of $95m needed for shelter and non-food supplies had been received and only four percent of $58m for food.

Oxfam criticism

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Thursday his country was "eternally grateful" with the additional pledges made in Geneva and the aid previously given.

HOW TO DONATE Unicef www.unicef.org.uk UNHCR www.unhcr.ch Disasters Emergency Committee (UK) www.dec.org.uk World Food Programme www.wfp.org Kashmir International Relief Fund www.kirf.org Red Cross/ Red Crescent www.ifrc.org IOM www.iom.int

"We are very encouraged. Naturally we hope the process will continue. It is a major human tragedy we are dealing with," he said.

Also on Thursday, Iraq said it was sending several hundred soldiers from its new army - an engineering battalion - to help relief work.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said the financial cost of the quake will be more than $5bn.

Before the Geneva conference, charity Oxfam suggested some Western countries had given less than their "fair share" to the UN appeal.

Afterwards it said much of the new funding was "too little, too late", with only three weeks of good weather left to get aid into affected regions before winter hits.

"It appears that almost half of the money pledged is for longer-term reconstruction work which, although vital, won't save a single one of the thousands of lives currently hanging in the balance," Oxfam said in a statement.

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