US aid chief forced out of Pak by extremists

Indian-American US aid chief Dr Rajiv Shah created a stir when he visited a flood victims' camp in Pakistan on Wednesday where some supplies had been distributed days earlier by militant groups who are trying to compete for hearts and minds via much-needed aid.

Dr Shah, administrator for the US Agency for International Development, told journalists in Washington on Friday that he had to leave a relief camp in flood-hit Pakistan in a hurry after being threatened by extremist elements present there.

Dr Shah was the topmost US official to visit Pakistan this week in the aftermath of the devastating flood that has engulfed more than one-fifth of the country, affecting over 20 million people and leaving at least 1,500 dead. He said the incident happened during his visit to a site in Sukur where the World Food Programme was distributing relief material and was talking to women standing in line.

"I really did want to listen to the people standing in line and learn about how we, together with our partners, can mount the most effective response on their behalf. I had hoped to spend more time talking to the people in line.

But within a few minutes of being there, our diplomatic security detail informed me that there were some suspicious individuals in the area and we needed to leave. So we tried to make as graceful and appropriate an exit as possible," Shah said.

"I understand that in this situation and perhaps in others, the TTP (Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and others have actually been threatening aid relief workers and international aid relief workers," he noted.