UNITED NATIONS: President Asif Ali Zardari appealed for global aid for the hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting against Taliban militants.
‘We're appealing to the world, myself and the UN secretary general to draw attention on the human catastrophe that is taking place,’ he told reporters after conferring with UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
‘They civilians are losing their crops, they're losing their earnings, their livelihood and their homes, so we want the world to help us,’ he added.
‘The secretary general has been kind enough to accept our appeal to him and he is going to appeal to the world with us jointly to help Pakistan.’
Ban meanwhile told reporters that in his meeting with Zardari, he expressed his ‘deep concern’ about the humanitarian situation in northwestern Pakistan where commandos are stepping up a punishing offensive against militants that has now displaced more than half a million people.
Tens of thousands of terrified civilians have been streaming out of three battle-torn northwest districts each day, with the UN refugee agency saying that 501,496 stranded people had registered with authorities since May 2.
‘I expressed my deep concern and I expect President Zardari to take all necessary care to protect the civilian population,’ the UN boss said.
‘The UN is ready to stand by to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.’ Ban said he asked the Pakistani leader ‘to facilitate the smooth delivery of humanitarian assistance and the protection of humanitarian workers,’ adding ‘it is a very serious situation.’
A UN statement said Ban ‘supported the fight against extremism and expressed confidence and trust in the leadership of President Zardari.’
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