UstaadKhan Blogs

Flood survivors in Pakistan are not only facing the threat of serious illness with a lack of doctors and medication, but food shortages as well, as the water has also washed away crops and submerged hundreds of thousands of hectares of fertile farm land.

The United Nations has so far received less than half of the $459 million in immediate aid funding it appealed for last week. Another $43 million has been promised. On Tuesday the World Bank announced it would redirect $900 million of its existing loans to Pakistan to assist in the flood recovery effort.

Canada has pledged up to $33 million.

Meanwhile, thousands of people await medical assistance, emergency shelter and food supplies and anger continues to grow over the government’s perceived sluggish response to the crisis. Aid agencies and the British government have complained the international community hasn’t stepped up to provide the money needed to help those in desperate need of basic life-saving necessities, including clean drinking water, food, emergency shelter and medicine.

The torrential downpours and the subsequent flooding has so far killed approximately 1,600 people and left as many as 20 million people in need of immediate assistance. The nation’s northwestern Sway Valley region has been hit particularly hard, where water has washed away entire villages and destroyed bridges and other key infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. Large swaths of the Punjab and Sindh provinces are also submerged.

Authorities warned Tuesday that the Indus River could burst its banks again.

Water-borne illness poses a great threat and the UN said cases of diarrhea are rising, increasing the risk of malnutrition.

Looting and protests over food shortages have also been reported in Punjab. The water washed away approximately 700,000 hectares of wheat, sugar cane and rice crops. Fruit crops have also been destroyed. Food prices have spiked since the flooding began more than three weeks ago.

The Canadian Red Cross is asking for funding to help flood victims in Pakistan.

It is estimated that six million people are in need of immediate assistance, including food, medicine, nutrition and clean drinking water, with a high epidemic risk.

Pregnant women, children and the elderly are most vulnerable.

Jan Brunschot, the Chatham branch’s community service co-ordinator for disaster management, said that some local donations have been coming in.

“We’re having trouble really pinpointing the extent of the damage, because we can’t get to some of the people,” she said on Friday.

On Monday, the Red Cross deployed a new field clinic. These clinics provide immediate curative, preventive and community health care.

Those wishing to donate may give online, call 1-800- 418-1111, or contact the local Canadian Red Cross office at 519-352-2510.

Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked “Pakistan Floods 2010″ and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.

Donate $5 by texting REDCROSS to 30333. A onetime donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider.

Assalamoalikum,

I am writing this email with great sorrow and anguish in my heart.
There seems to be no end to the floods, bringing misery, death and
destruction to millions in Pakistan. It has become extremely difficult
to see  women, children, men struggling to keep alive, and the worse
thing is that there seems to be no end in sight.

For some time now, I had my suspicions that Pakistan was/is under a
great calamity from Allah SWT. There has been one calamity after
another, and the earth has been shaking nearly every week (if not
every day ) in Pakistan.

My suspicions were confirmed when I came to know that Mufti Taqi
Usmaani also told a congregation to recite Surah Shams (Surah 91)
excessively to avoid azaab from Allah (SWT). Maulana sahib in his
bayan (24th May 2009), said that one of his respected elders saw
Prophet(SAW) in his dream. Prophet(SAW) told him that Pakistan may
soon be  under azaab from Allah(SWT), and in order to avoid the azaab,
the people of Pakistan should recite Surah Shams 70,000 times.

I have found the bayan. It can be found here
http://www.deeneislam.com/ur/horiz/sotiyat/mufti_taqi_usmani/288_M_M_TAQI_ZIKR_E_KASEER_HAR_JA_AUR_HAR_WAQT_HO_24_05_2009.wma.
He talks about the dream at around 34 mins into the bayan. In his next
speech, he presents the tafseer of Surah Shams. It can be found here
http://www.deeneislam.com/ur/horiz/sotiyat/mufti_taqi_usmani/Tafseer-Surah-Shams-(27-05-2009).wma

Tomorrow is the start of Ramadam, indeed a  blessed month specially to
seek Allah Karim’s mercy. I request that we recite Surah Shams
excessively and include it in our daily supplications.
The condition is Pakistan is very dire.

For those who are not familier with Mufti Taqi Usmaani, he is a
leading fiqh scholar, son of Mufti Shafi Usmaani, and is the current
head of Dar-ul-Uloom Karachi. Among other things, he is also
considered a world authority on Islamic finance. I have personally
benefited from his lectures immensely and recommend him highly.

Assalamoalikum, and as always remember me in your duaas.
Abdul Hannan Ahsan.

Pakistan must stop helping the Taliban if Afghanistan is to ever see peace, said a former Canadian and United Nations diplomat.

Christopher Alexander who spent six years working in Afghanistan — first as Canada’s ambassador, and then as a UN envoy — says the Taliban would have folded up shop by now were it not for the support given to the insurgency group by Pakistan’s military establishment, especially the Directorate for Inter-Service Intelligence.

Alexander made the explosive comments Monday before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence.

The former diplomat and now declared candidate for the Conservative Party said the world needs to be open and frank about Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan’s ongoing struggle.

Pakistan has several seats on local military councils that plan the insurgency throughout Afghanistan, said Alexander.

“These networks, whose leadership, fundraising, training, bomb-making, supply and planning centres are based overwhelming on the territory of Pakistan, constitute the primary threat to peace and security in Afghanistan today.”

As for the Taliban’s role in recent peace talks with the Karzai government, Alexander said: “The Taliban doesn’t want peace. They don’t want a piece of the pie; they want to blow up the pie.”

By disarming the Muslim countries one by one, the neo-conservative US policy serves the Israeli objective of ‘securing’ its expanding borders, which at present is confined to building settlements (land theft) in the occupied territories. When this episode is forgotten, Israel will try to occupy another piece of land using the pretext of security, no doubt the world will be told, Israel was compelled to act in self-defence; thus, creeping towards its ultimate dream of creating Ertez (greater) Israel that runs from the Nile, to the Euphrates. The latest attempts to intimidate nuclear-free Iran by nuclear Israel, reflects that long term Israeli ambition.

Here are the facts:

*       Iran has not attacked any of its neighbours over the last 60 years, unlike belligerent Israel. 

*       Iran is a signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) treaty, and has no nuclear weapons. (more…)