Transcript by Yumna Moosa

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 has devastated Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. Photographs thereafter show houses that are reduced to rubble, with Afghanistan facing a death toll of around 1500 people. Speaking to Ali M Latifi, the renowned journalist tells Radio Islam that there’s been a number of troubles which has affected local and foreign aid in the process of rescue and recovery. The first problem noted being the heavy rains, hail and fog which prevented helicopters and ambulances from reaching citizens in need. Latifi said “Given the time of the earthquake, how quickly the weather changed, and the immediate aftermath, it’s taken a long time to give people the help they need.”

The second problem is the restrictions placed on Afghanistan by the UN which implements strict limits on who is able to financially aid the country. He said that “They (the Taliban) have their hands tied in terms of partnering with outside nations.”

Afghanistan is known to be prone to seismic activities, and corruption in the country has left the government unable to financially support those affected by the disaster. Closing, the journalist related that, “The government can’t do it all, no private donor can do it all. NGO’s cant do it on their own. Foreign countries can’t do it either. What needs to happen is for all of them to work together, in conjunction.”