Pakistan facing a 'slow-motion tsunami'

By Washington correspondent Craig McMurtrie An emergency session of the United Nations has been told Pakistan is facing potential political and economic instability in the wake of catastrophic flooding. The stark warning came from Pakistan's foreign minister but was echoed by US officials including the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. Ms Clinton announced a boost of US aid funding, but the Americans also criticised Pakistan's regional allies, including China, for not doing their part. Weeks after the disaster first hit, the UN convened with a graphic video showing the extent of the inundation. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon says the rains that continue to swamp Pakistan are a "slow-motion tsunami". The special session was called because of concerns that the flow of international aid is not matching the scale of the catastrophe, one that Mr Ban says is affecting more people than Pakistan's 2005 earthquake, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the Haiti earthquake combined. "At least 160,000 square kilometres of land is underwater, an area larger than more than half of the countries of the world," he said. Lifting a US promise of $90 million in aid to $150 million, Ms Clinton warned against international donor fatigue after what she called an unrelenting stream of disasters this year. "Experts predict that the flooding will not recede until mid-September and if the monsoon rains continue the devastation will spread to new areas driving yet more people from homes," she said. "So we know we face a humanitarian disaster of monumental proportions and it is creating economic and security problems." US officials are worried about the danger of instability in the nuclear capable country if more is not done, a point underlined by Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. "The food security of the sixth most populous country in the world is at risk," he said. "The possible threat of food riots and related violence cannot be ruled out." He also reminded those listening of Pakistan's importance in the battle against extremism. "The massive upheaval caused by the floods and economic losses suffered by the millions of Pakistanis must be addressed urgently," he said. "If we fail it could undermine the hard-won gains made by the government in our difficult and painful war against terrorism. "We cannot allow this catastrophe to become an opportunity for the terrorists." Britain, the EU and others followed America's lead, upping their contributions at the donor's conference. But with billions expected to be needed for reconstruction, it is just a start. The US and its allies have been annoyed by the slow response from Pakistan's regional allies, with ambassador Richard Holbrooke taking a swipe at China. "Other countries maybe more highly rated on popularity scales than Pakistan like, for example, China, but we do the most and I don't know where those other countries are," he said. The Obama administration has also launched a special fund for Pakistan, but so far it is not generating anywhere near the outpouring of public support seen for Haiti's earthquake victims earlier in the year. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/20/2989046.htm?section=justin