11 October 2005 Warning issued if travelling to Pakistan
Relatives looking for loved ones caught up in the recent South Asian earthquake will be able to quickly obtain emergency visas to Pakistan.
Emergency visa centres have been set up at desks of the Pakistan International Airways, flying out of Manchester and Heathrow. The visas are also available from the Pakistan High Commission offices in London.
A report in the Guardian claimed that many Britons have found relatives, or themselves, caught up in the disaster. Much of the British Pakistani community originates from the disputed Kashmir region, which was badly hit by the 7.5 richter earthquake.
Sajid Akram, who had gone to bring his wife back from Kashmir, told the paper: "It was terrifying. The ground was shaking and I didn't know what it was for five or six seconds.
"The roads were split wide open and the towers of the mosques had fallen down. There were aftershocks every 40 minutes or so after the quake."
Major British charities are in discussions today with the Disasters Emergency Committee to set up a joint fund-raising effort. Other NGOs, such as Islamic Relief and Oxfam, have already begun campaigns.
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