This is something new. In the past year we stopped looking at armies as an exclusively fighting force and began to regard them as singularly capable rescue forces. It began with the American army during the Tsunami and Katrina and it is going on with the Indian and Pakistani armies during this earthquack.

This is especially noteworthy as both South Asian armies suffered major casualties during the quack. Moreover, it was strange to hear news reporters noting that luckily the hard hit area is a major conflict zone, so there will be plenty of available troops and equipment.

Who knows, the disaster, of this"Judgement day" as a local called it, may help strengthen ongoing the Indian/Pakistani peace process and bring a new level of trust to the relations between the armies and the local population.

In any case, there is something satisfying in seeing institutions organized and equiped to inflict great harm being used to limit such harm.