It is not asking for alms. During natural calamities and manmade disasters people of Jammu and Kashmir have the right to get aid from the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and other international organizations, on more than one count. The United Nations is mandated to provide relief, support and assistance when there is a disaster or a human catastrophe. It is expected to make a difference by providing assistance for health, hygiene, education and shelter to sufferers of natural disasters, floods and earthquakes. For coordinating this assistance, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee is the key player. This committee brings together all major humanitarian agencies both within and outside the UN system.
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It has not been a fair game. Minus some publicity stunts during the rescue operations and bigoted television anchors shabbily using hideous ‘Shylockian’ methods for exploiting the calamity for political advantages and changing the people’s narrative, so far neither Srinagar nor New Delhi governments have been on the ground. It were the young brave hearts of Kashmir that rescued hundreds of thousands marooned people. They provided them relief and organized temporary shelters. Surprisingly, refusing international assistance to Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister offered assistance to Pakistan for its flood victims. Interestingly, he renewed this officer in his maiden speech in UN General Assembly. In 2005 earthquake New Delhi had adopted same attitude and it had been beautifully summed up by Michael Krepon, President of Washington-based Henry L Stimson centre: “New Delhi has adopted an enlightened approach to helping Pakistan during this tragedy, and a backward approach to accepting foreign humanitarian assistance on its side of the Kashmir divide.”
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