Outrage after Pakistan sends beef masala as relief material to quake-hit Nepal

Kathmandu: Already battling with the widespread devastation of the earthquake, Nepal is upset with Pakistan over packets of "beef masala" that they sent as part of the relief material. According to a report in United Kingdom's "Daily Mail", Pakistan sent beef meat as a part of its relief material.

Nepal has a majority of Hindu population of which most consider cows as sacred. Several Hindu nations observe a blanket ban on slaughtering the animal. Till it became a republic, Nepal was World's only Hindu nation. The move by Pakistan has the potential to create a diplomatic problem between the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries.

According to the media report, Indian doctors at Kathmandu's Bir Hospital said that packets of 'beef masala' were sent by Pakistan on Tuesday as part of relief aid to the temblor survivors. These doctors - drawn from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) - are members of a 34-member medical team sent to Nepal for treating the survivors.

"When we reached the airport to collect the food items from Pakistan, we found packets of ready-to-eat meals, including packets of 'beef masala'. There were other food items too," Dr Balwinder Singh said. The doctors were forced to have food from a hotel.

"We did not touch the Pakistani aid," Dr Singh said. "Most of the local people are not aware of the contents. When they understand, they avoid it," said another doctor on the condition of anonymity.

He added: "Pakistan has hurt Nepal's religious sentiments by supplying the masala. Shockingly, it did not care about the sensitivity of the matter."

This incident has led to a lot of outrage in the social media and other online platforms.

The reports quotes a top Nepal government official saying, "The matter has been conveyed to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and the intelligence chief. We are also starting an internal inquiry to verify the facts. If the report is correct, we will raise the matter at the diplomatic level with Pakistan. India, being our key partner, will also be informed of the developments."