UN chief appeals for aid to flood-hit Pakistan (Night Lead)

ISLAMABAD - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday his visit to Pakistan will help bring the world’s focus on the humanitarian crisis in the country that has resulted from one-third of its area being flood-affected.

Addressing a joint press conference with President Asif Ali Zardari after visiting the flood-hit areas, he termed the flooding the biggest disaster that he had seen anywhere in the world.

“We have appealed for an initial $460 million from the world to meet the demands in the first 90 days,” he said hoping that the response would be quick and generous.

The focus, at present, was on humanitarian assistance, recue and relief efforts, he stressed, adding the affected people needed shelter, food and safe drinking water.

Expressing solidarity with Pakistani people in this time of need, he also announced another $10 million aid.

The UN chief said the magnitude of the disaster was much more than the quake in northern Pakistan in 2005 and the tsunami. “The devastation I have witnessed is hard to forget,” he recalled and assured all possible help in rehabilitation of life and rebuilding lost infrastructure.

The meeting of UN members next month in New York to discuss progress on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and another gathering in Brussels Oct 15, will be used to advocate for further assistance for Pakistan, Ban said, and urged the global powers to do their utmost in this hour of crisis.

President Zaradri, on the occasion, said the government was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the nation and would leave no stone unturned to tackle the emergency situation.

He said the region had never seen such flooding before and huge resources were required to combat the disaster. He thanked Ban for visiting the country and appealing to the world for assistance.

Earlier, the UN chief visited flood-hit areas in south Punjab and Sindh. Ban had earlier also held meetings with President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after arriving at the Chaklala airbase Sunday.

The UN chief was briefed on the crisis caused by flash floods that have left more than 1,500 dead and over 20 million homeless so far across Pakistan.