NEW DELHI, Oct 13: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed on Thursday to his compatriots to contribute towards quake relief efforts in Azad Kashmir and Indian-held Kashmir, a spokesman said.

“People across the Indian subcontinent have felt the pain and anguish of those who have lost their loved ones and their livelihoods in the earthquake that ravaged Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control and parts of Pakistan,” Mr Singh’s media advisor Sanjaya Baru quoted him as saying.

“Neither nature’s fury nor human compassion recognise political boundaries. It is in our culture to help one’s own and one’s neighbours in an hour of need,” the premier said.

On Tuesday, the prime minister pledged almost $150 million to help rebuild as he toured occupied Kashmir. —AFP