A girl holds a piece of bread provided by the army at a hospital near the Line of Control in Kashmir. (Reuters)

Srinagar, Oct. 11: The Prime Minister today declared the earthquake as a national disaster and promised to try and open new communication links between the two Kashmirs so that relatives could contact one another.

Manmohan Singh also announced a fresh, Rs 500-crore package of central aid to ensure “complete rehabilitation” of victims. The Centre had earlier sanctioned Rs 142 crore.

The Prime Minister told a news conference, after a visit to quake-hit Tangdhar town, that he would talk to Islamabad to see if phone links can be restored between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“(The) human aspect should dominate everything. As soon as I return (to Delhi), I shall take up the matter of restoring telephone link between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar so that the people who have travelled from here to Muzaffarabad on the 19th Karwan-e-Aman (peace) bus could gather information about their near and dear (ones),” Singh said.

The phone links were snapped in the mid-1990s because of security compulsions after militancy erupted in Kashmir.

Asked if the Centre would allow PoK victims’ relatives here to use the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road ? which is open only to the peace bus now ? Singh said: “It is a humanitarian issue and no political consideration would be allowed to override it. At present, as all of you know, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road is in total disuse (because of landslides), but such locals are welcome to use other routes available for the purpose.”

He said about 1,300 civilians have died in the state, 4,500 people are injured and 32,000 houses damaged. But the destruction has been far worse in Pakistan.

“More than 30,000 people have fallen victim? more than 1 lakh people have been rendered homeless in Pakistan and PoK.”

He said India has offered relief for those earthquake-hit areas in PoK that are better accessible from the Indian side of the LoC.

“It depends on Pakistan’s sensitivities,” Singh said borrowing a word the Pakistan President had used recently. “We have to respect (them). If they agree to this, there will be positive response from our side.”

Singh said the Centre and the state government would draw up a plan for quake orphans and widows, and senior citizens hit by the tragedy.

He promised that “tented accommodation will be provided for immediate shelter” to the homeless.