Concern Grows for Pakistani Victims

Britain and Indonesia offered new support for Pakistan’s earthquake survivors Thursday, and the head of the U.N. refugee agency said he was concerned about the fate of more than 40,000 people expected to flee their mountain villages as the frigid Himalayan winter descends.

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, urged local officials and the international aid community to urgently prepare for the arrival of thousands of people fleeing harsh conditions, and said the world must ensure that villagers who choose to remain in the ruins of their homes get the help they need.

“We are doing our best to ensure that everybody, even in the most remote locations, gets enough support to face the winter and to get through the winter without tragedy,” he said.

Britain on Thursday announced an additional $43 million in humanitarian relief and said Prime Minister Tony Blair would chair round-table talks on aiding Pakistan to be attended by representatives from the U.N., North Atlantic Treaty Organization, aid agencies and the private sector. The relief pledge supplements the $56 million Britain has already provided.

Guterres met with Sikandar Hayat Khan, the top official in the Pakistani-held portion of Kashmir, then flew over the earthquake zone.

Khan said the government expected more than 40,000 people from towns and villages above 5,000 feet to descend to Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, when the weather worsens. Officials say they are hastily building more camps to accommodate them.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered support for the recovery effort as he met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to discuss economic cooperation and sharing intelligence to fight terrorism.

Yudhoyono, who was on a two-day visit, was given a red-carpet welcome as he arrived for talks with Musharraf in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, the state news agency reported. He expressed “profound condolences, sympathy and solidarity” over the death and destruction caused by the Oct. 8 quake, said a joint statement the Foreign Ministry issued after the meeting.

Pakistan and Indonesia are two of the Islamic world’s most populous nations.