Howard gave details of the extra relief as he met Australian troops helping survivors in Dhani, a village near the devastated Pakistani Kashmir city of Muzaffarabad.

"I am pleased to announced that Australia will provide a further 50 million (Australian) dollars (37 million US) for victims of the calamitous October 8 earthquake in Pakistan, to provide relief for the winter and for reconstruction in the longer term," Howard told reporters.

Australia has already donated 10.4 million US dollars for quake aid since the disaster, which killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and left more than three million others homeless.

Key US ally Howard said one fifth of the new funds would go towards emergency relief for quake victims and the remaining 40 million would go towards reconstruction.

Australia had also deployed a 120-strong military medical team to treat survivors at an additional cost of up to 20 million Australian dollars, he added.

"In Australia's fresh assistance which I am announcing today, we will be coordinating with the other donors to ensure it addresses the needs of those most affected by the earthquake," the Australian premier added.

Howard said he welcomed the outcome of last weekend's international donors' conference in Islamabad, at which Pakistan received pledges of more than 5.8 billion dollars.

The Australian leader flew home late Wednesday. He held talks with President Pervez Musharraf, an ally in the US-led "war on terror" and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday.

Hectic relief and rehabilitation efforts continue in quake-hit areas before the onset of the harsh Himalayan winter. Army helicopters are flying scores of sorties daily to deliver tents, blankets and rations.

The Church of England's most senior cleric, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was also in Pakistan on Wednesday and he hailed the earthquake aid efforts by by the mainly Muslim country and by the international community.

Rowan Williams visited a camp on the outskirts of Islamabad.

"I am deeply impressed, both by the efficiency and by the speed with which the whole community has responded to the crisis in relation to the earthquake," Williams told reporters.

"And I am most impressed by the way in which the talents and skills of those affected by the disaster are being creatively used in these camps," Williams added.

"These people are not being left to be victims, they are being helped, trained and given back their dignity and their freedom."

Pakistani officials said the archbishop met Musharraf on Tuesday and was due to hold talks with Aziz later Wednesday.

Williams' visit comes just over a week after a Muslim mob in eastern Pakistan torched churches over allegations that a Christian had desecrated the Koran, the Islamic holy book.

The churchman said he was confident Pakistan could overcome its religious divisions and added that it was a country with a "great possibility".

"I know that there have been recent and very sharp tensions, but I am convinced that there is great willingness at leadership levels to engage constructively, positively with the agenda of relations between the great faiths of the world," he said.

The archbishop is due to visit the Islamic University of Islamabad and meet Muslim students, scholars and leaders before he leaves on November 29.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
News From Across The Stans

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News