WASHINGTON, Nov 24: Karen Hughes, the woman handpicked by President Bush to boost America’s image in the Islamic world, played a key role in increasing US assistance to the earthquake victims from $180 million to $510 million, officials said.

Officials at the White House and the State Department say that Ms Hughes, the Bush administration’s undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, was ‘deeply moved’ by what she saw in the quake-hit areas.

“The devastation was much larger than what she had expected,” said one official. “She also realized that there was a real risk of another disaster if aid did not reach the affected areas before the winter sets in.”

Later, while talking about what she saw in Pakistan, Ms Hughes said: “The devastation is incredible … as winter is approaching and heavy snows will soon make already difficult operations even more demanding.”

When a questioner asked her what the US should expect in return for helping the victims, she said: “This is a humanitarian mission, and we are providing help because the people of Pakistan need it.”

Soon after returning from Pakistan about two weeks ago, Ms Hughes had a long meeting with President Bush, sharing with him what she saw in the quake-hit areas. “It’s after this meeting that the president decided to more than double the US assistance to the earthquake survivors,” said an official.

On Tuesday, President Bush added to the US aid commitment when he ordered the secretary of state to transfer $5 million from the US Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund to Pakistan.

In a letter to the secretary, he said: “I … determine that it is important to the (US) national interest that up to $5 million be made available from the fund to meet unexpected urgent humanitarian needs of refugees and other victims of the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.

“These funds may be used, as appropriate, to provide contributions to international, governmental and nongovernmental organizations,” he said.