WAM, Pakistan — An Islamic charity accused of terrorism links by the United States pledged Friday to build 1,000 temporary homes for survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, a move likely to expand the group’s influence in the impoverished region.
Authorities said the death toll probably would top 300 from the 6.4-magnitude quake that hit the mountainous area Wednesday, destroying 3,000 houses and leaving about 15,000 people homeless.
The affected area of Baluchistan province is inhabited mainly by Pashtuns, the same ethnic group from which the Taliban draws most of its strength. The region has not seen the level of militant activity common in other districts along the Afghan border.
“In Kashmir and Afghanistan, we fought against the enemy, but here we are trying to help quake survivors in the name of God and humanity,” said Abdul Rauf, a member of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, as he sat in the hard-hit village of Wam. “We have no other motive.”
Jamaat-ud-Dawa was designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government in 2006 because of links to Muslim separatists fighting in India’s portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. It denies involvement in militancy.
The U.S. said Friday it would give an initial $1 million in assistance. The Associated Press
