US branding of Pakistan aid 'putting lives at risk'

AMERICAN demands that US-funded aid is labelled with a red, white and blue logo are putting aid workers' lives at risk in Pakistan, according to charities helping millions of people affected by devastating floods.

Aid organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision, are writing to officials in Washington to rethink their use of labels that read "From the American People" before lives are lost to Western-hating militants.

Charities have come under increasing pressure from the US Agency for International Aid (USAid) after Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to the region, complained the US was not getting sufficient credit for the $362 million it has so far given to relief efforts.

But some charities claim privately they would rather give up millions of dollars in funding than risk the safety of their staff.

A letter drafted by 11 major charities warns that they could be accused of promoting a political agenda in a country where al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters have targeted Westerners in the past. "We feel that US branding in Pakistan will likely draw both increased criminal and extremist attention to us and those publicly associated with our work," states the letter, which also warns of "fatal consequences" if the policy is not dropped.

Although US officials say the aid is to save lives, few doubt its role in presenting a more benign face of the Obama administration - even as CIA drones strike into Pakistan's lawless tribal areas. The directive allows waivers in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber-Pakhtunkwa - the areas worst affected by insurgents - but has angered charity staff who believe other areas also carry risks.

Thousands of Pakistanis have taken part in anti-American demonstrations in recent weeks. Tensions have grown following a Nato attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers, a surge in drone attacks and the imprisonment of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist, on terrorism charges in the US.