A tent city is being built near Muzaffarabad to provide shelter to 500,000 people rendered homeless by the quake that flattened entire villages in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The government is setting up the tent city with the support of the United Nations, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf [Images] said on Saturday.

Plummeting temperatures have necessitated the need for tents for quake survivors living in the open.

Musharraf assured the government would utilise all national resources to carry out the challenging task of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Army headquarters in the affected areas have been instructed to carry out relief activities in consort with Federal Relief Commission, he said.

Musharraf said he has been in touch with world leaders and several countries have assured him of their support and solidarity in the hour of difficulty.