East Of The Potomac
the horrible situation in Pakistan, where tens of thousands have died, and tens of thousands more, including children, still have not received any aid.
Let’s look at the facts:
50,000 dead, maybe more, many of whom were children, who were in school at the moment the quake hit.
10,000 more children are facing imminent death due to injury, infection, disease, starvation, dehydration, exposure to the sub-zero temperatures at night. 120,000 children are at risk.
These figures are conservative. And aid money has not been coming.
Almost two weeks after the quake, less than 14 per cent of the UN’s emergency appeal for £180 million has been received.
Unicef, the UN children’s organisation, yesterday estimated that 10,000 children will die in weeks. The figure was described as “conservative” by a UN field worker.
Although the official death count remains at 49,739, local authorities put it at almost 80,000.
And once again, it is not only simple humanity that cries out for a concerted effort to help. Sheer self-interest points to making the rescue of the abject in Pakistan a major international priority. Guaranteed: if the rest of the world wont help, Osama will.