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Islamic charity to build temporary homes in Pakistan
An Islamic charity accused of terrorist links by the United States has pledged to build 1,000 temporary homes for survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, a move likely to expand the group's influence in the impoverished region.
- AP
- Published: 08:57 November 1, 2008
Wam: An Islamic charity accused of terrorist links by the United States has pledged to build 1,000 temporary homes for survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, a move likely to expand the group's influence in the impoverished region.
Authorities said Friday that the death toll would likely top 300 from the 6.4-magnitude quake that hit the mountainous area early on Wednesday, destroying 3,000 houses
and leaving some 15,000 people homeless.
The affected area of Baluchistan province is inhabited mainly by Pashtuns, the same ethnic group from which the Taliban draws most of its strength. The region has not seen the level of militant activity common in other districts along the Afghan border.
"In Kashmir and Afghanistan, we fought against the enemy, but here we are trying to help quake survivors in the name of God and humanity," said Abdul Rauf, a member of Jamaat-ud-Dawa as he sat in a camp in the hard-hit village of Wam. "We have no other motive."
Jamaat-ud-Dawa was designated a terrorist group by the US government in 2006 because of links to Muslim separatists fighting in India's portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. It denies involvement in militancy.
Pakistani authorities have vowed to help all those affected, but the suffering of survivors was still apparent on Friday.
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