Bhopal's Archbishop: "Same people's zeal for the tsunami was not seen in the case of the earthquake in Kashmir". Religious Leaders would support a committee set up to collect funds and materials for relief work.
Jabalpur (AsiaNews/Ucan) - Christian, Hindu and Muslim religious representatives have joined Oct. 23 in Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh state, in central India in an effort to send more aid to earthquake victims in Kashmir, saying world have responded coldly to the victims of the earthquake.
Archbishop Pascal Topno of Bhopal said that they set up a committee to collect funds and materials for relief work in Kashmir. Archbishop added its prime objective is to "sensitize" people about the need to be more generous toward the quake victims of Kashmir. Msgr. Topno said people responded spontaneously when the tsunami hit the southern Indian coast on Dec. 26, 2004, but the "same zeal was not seen" in the case of the earthquake in Kashmir.
Abdul Jabbar, a Muslim and a committee member, said fellow Indians did not show their "love and solidarity with the victims" of Kashmir, even after repeated appeals by both the president and prime minister. "This was the right time to tell the people of Kashmir that they are an integral part of India through (our) deeds," he told.
Ramchandra Bhargav, a Hindu member of the committee, said newspapers and social organizations had responded poorly to the "cry for help" from the quake victims of Kashmir.
Indian newspapers and television channels often become conduits for collecting relief funds from their audiences. But the response of the media this time has been "nothing remarkable or encouraging," he said.
"Our efforts are not just providing relief materials alone but telling them from our heart that they are part of our lives and we are with them," he said.