By Bryan Kay

MEMBERS OF Dundee’s Asian communities are anxiously attempting to contact family members who may have been caught up in the earthquake which struck Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Families have so far been unable to get through to loved ones due to communication problems.

Bashir Chohan, who is coordinating fund-raising efforts at Dundee Central Mosque, is among those frantically trying to make contact with relatives who live on the Indian side of Kashmir.

He said, “I am someone who has family back there but we don’t know if they are okay because we cannot make contact with them. They are on the Indian side of Kashmir and we are quite anxious to get through to them.

“I don’t know about others but I will be going around to find out who may be in the same position, and of course we will help people who do.”

Kashif Rashid, of the Tayside Cultural and Islamic Society in Victoria Road and the Dundee University Islamic Society, added, “There are several people who are struggling to get through to their relatives. It’s a worrying time. All we can do is hope for the best.”

Yesterday afternoon Dundee City Council joined the Asian community to unite in grief as a mark of respect for the estimated 30,000 people who died in the earthquake.

Lord Provost John Letford backed the community and pledged the city council would help them in whatever way it could. He was quick to contact them to discuss what could be done to help the aid effort, and met Dundee Pakistani Society general secretary Mohammad Mirza yesterday morning to open a book of condolence.

Flags are flying at half-mast at City Chambers, and plans have been set in motion to hold an inter-faith two-minute silence in City Square on Thursday.

Details have yet to be finalised, but Mr Letford said he hoped the city would join together as a mark of respect.

Mr Mirza said the community started collecting immediately and estimated that they could eventually send a five-figure sum to the region.

And it emerged later yesterday that Central Mosque alone had raised £8000 in the first two nights after the disaster.

Mr Chohan pledged that anyone directly affected by the tragedy or who may have lost loved ones would be supported.

Meanwhile, a priest at Central Mosque last night told of his sadness after hearing that three members of his family had died in the earthquake that hit Pakistan, writes Rob McLaren.

Noor-Ul Islam (44) is originally from the district of Mansehra in Pakistan, which was badly hit by the quake, and still has several family members living there.

His brother contacted him from Pakistan and said three members of his family died in the disaster, but Mr Islam fears there may be more bad news to come.

Mr Islam, who has been a priest at the mosque for seven years, said, “A cousin of my father’s and a cousin and niece of my mother’s died in the earthquake, but I have many members of family in the Manshera region that I do not know (if they) survived the disaster. We are very sad about the news of our relatives’ deaths. My wife Saima has been crying.

“I haven’t been able to contact several members of my family in Pakistan. I have been unable to get through to them.

“We have about 25 relatives in the district of Mansehra, which was affected by the earthquake. I don’t know whether they are dead or alive. I feel helpless. All we can do is wait for more news.”