TFPK01: India Sitrep Oct. 14, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 007984

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AEMR KISL PTER PGOV EAID PBTS PK IN
SUBJECT: TFPK01: India Sitrep Oct. 14, 2005

REF: NEW DEHLI 7880


1. (U) The following is the final India sitrep of events
related to the October 8 earthquake.


2. (U) Death toll: Contradicting October 13 media reports of
1400 dead, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the
Government of India (GOI) reports 1178 civilians and 85
Security Forces are dead in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as of
October 13.


3. (U) Injured: As of late October 13, PIB reports 5886
civilians injured and 16 Security Forces missing and
presumed injured or dead.


4. (U) Homeless: PIB reports 32,335 buildings destroyed,
significantly less than media reports. According to the
October 13 "Indian Express," 42,000 houses have been
destroyed and 73,450 partially damaged, affecting more than
150,000 people.


5. (U) Indian relief efforts for Pakistan: According to
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna, India sent
82 tons of relief materials by train to Pakistan late
October 13. These materials included 5,000 blankets, 370
tents, five tons of plastic sheets and 12 tons of medicine.


6. (U) USAID/OFDA: USAID's OFDA officer, in J&K since
October 12, reported that relief efforts have not reached
many villages. Organized distribution of relief supplies is
a problem; boxes of clothing and supplies were discarded on
the road. Travel is slow, military check points are
prevalent, and some roads are blocked by debris. Tremors
were felt during the nights of October 13 and 14.


7. (U) USAID/New Delhi: Mission Director and Acting Mission
Disaster Relief Officer met with J&K Commissioner in Delhi,
Parvez Dewan, on October 13. Dewan listed priority relief
items, including individual and smaller family sized tents,
tarpaulins, locally procured building materials, fortified
biscuits, and technical assistance in earthquake resistance
construction. Water sanitation is also a concern, though
Dewan felt that chlorine tablets and bleach would soon be
provided through government channels. Dewan noted J&K has
received enough blankets and bottled water; the area's
primary need is construction materials, as construction must
commence immediately before the coldest winter temperatures
hamper the setting of cement. USAID will pursue these
requirements with NGO partners and existing Indian programs.


8. (U) Military cooperation in J&K: Pakistani Military
officials deny reports that Indian Security Forces on the
Line of Control (LoC) helped Pakistani Security Forces
rebuild a bunker collapsed in Pakistan-controlled territory
on October 13. On October 14, "The Hindu" quoted a Srinagar-
based Army officer who reportedly clarified the earlier
story, claiming, "Indian soldiers gave the (Pakistani)
personnel some implements, with which they dug up earth,
looking for survivors. They retrieved some weapons and
returned the tools."


9. (U) Indian relief efforts in J&K: PIB on October 13
reported relief operations by the military, Health Ministry
and civil authorities have been streamlined at the Srinagar
airport to reach the most badly affected areas of Baramulla,
Poonch, Kupwara and Srinagar. The military reports the
rescue of 556 people and delivery of 468 tons of supplies by
402 sorties flown by 12 helicopters and 32 aircraft


10. (U) International aid and NGOs: The International
Committee for the Red Cross announced October 14 it was
providing 50,000 blankets, 10,000 kitchen sets and 500 tents
to the J&K branch of the Indian Red Cross Society.
According to a BBC report of October 14, Indian
representatives of Oxfam and the International Federation
for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have noted
unsolicited donations for the J&K earthquake fall much below
the immediate response to the December 26, 2004 Asian
tsunami and the Gujarat earthquake of 2000.

SIPDIS


11. (U) Terrorism: An AFP media report of October 14
indicates a female suicide bomber struck a major highway
connecting Srinagar and Jammu moments before an army convoy
passed; she may have been transporting explosives and
ignited accidentally, or wired to ignite herself. AFP also
reported Indian troops killed five more terrorists in gun
battles in Poonch on October 13.

12. (U) Politics: Reuters (October 14) quoted Yasin Malik,
head of the separatist Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front,
who contended the GOI had missed a "golden opportunity" to
show its human face, and alleged most aid effort in J&K is
homegrown. Moulvi Abbas Anasari of the All Parties Hurriyat
Conference (APHC) told Poloff, "You (U.S.) are doing so much
for Pakistan, why not this side? No one has gone beyond Uri
and Tangdhar. You can do this through Red Cross/UNHCR."


13. (U) Infrastructure: In a telephone conversation with
Political Specialist, APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
stated the magnitude of the disaster is so great
professionals must handle relief work with the GOI's help.
Moulvi Abbas Anasari of APHC requested the USG encourage
India and Pakistan to reopen telephone connections that
would allow those affected to speak to relatives on opposite
sides of the Line of Control (LoC). According to NDTV
(October 14),54 Indians were across the LoC when the
earthquake struck October 8; of those, 7 have returned home
via the Wagah-Attari border.

BLAKE