Pakistani ambassador thanks LDS Church leaders for flood relief

SALT LAKE CITY — Husain Haqqani, ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, came to Salt Lake City and LDS Church headquarters as a man on a mission.

He first thanked The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members for the recent humanitarian aid sent to help his country's 20 million people affected by massive flooding caused by heavy late-summer monsoon rains.

"It is something we appreciate, value and cherish," Haqqani said.

He also used the Tuesday morning news conference at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to appeal to the American public to recognize Pakistan's "humongous" ongoing humanitarian needs and continue to contribute to a nation that's a partner in the global anti-terrorism effort.

"We are a nation that on one hand is fighting for the end of terror and on the other having to fight this natural disaster," he said, reminding those present of Pakistan's role as "a country on the front line fighting terrorism ... and making sure that another 9/11 doesn't happen again."

To put the flood's impact in perspective, Haqqani used three other noteworthy natural disasters — the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan and this year's Haiti earthquake.

"The fatalities are low," he said of Pakistan's death toll of several thousand from the flooding, "but the number of people affected is much greater."

In fact, he added, more people are affected now than all three aforementioned disasters combined. The 20 million equals a quarter of the population of Pakistan, the world's sixth most-populated nation, and includes 8 million children in need of food, shelter and immunizations as well as another nearly 1 million expectant mothers.

At one point, a fifth of all Pakistan was submerged under floodwaters.

"We are very grateful that the LDS Church is among the groups that has not waited to show up in Pakistan," said Haqqani, who met earlier in the morning with LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson and the First Presidency.

He said he expressed appreciation to the church for its donations to date and offered suggestions of future aid and support, such as field hospitals. The First Presidency acknowledged the needs and promised to consider ongoing assistance, he added.