Flood-hit Kashmir urges international aid

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly has called on the international community to pressure New Delhi into opening the Line of Control (LoC) to allow aid deliveries into flood-hit areas of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Press TV reports.

In a resolution presented by the assembly, lawmakers urged international help, saying that the people in the flood-affected areas are in need of water, food, and medical care.

The resolution said it was the duty of the United Nations, the European Union, and other international aid agencies to make efforts to help the people of Kashmir.

AJK Finance Minister Chaudhry Latif Akbar said copies of the resolution will be sent to the foreign embassies and other international agencies in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Since September 3, over 80 percent of Srinagar has been devastated. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and many others have been displaced.

Tens of villages have been inundated and over 150,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for higher ground.

Health experts have warned that stagnant waters in the aftermath of the devastating floods could create conditions for serious disease outbreaks in the Himalayan region.

Doctors say they have already witnessed cases of diarrhea, skin allergies and fungus, and worry that a crisis could be looming with countless bloated livestock carcasses floating across the waterlogged region.

People in the Indian-controlled Kashmir have criticized New Delhi’s handling of rescue operations.

Islamabad and New Delhi have fought two wars over Kashmir since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The archrivals lay claim over the whole region but control parts of it.

SZH/KA/SS