WAM (Pakistan) - AN ISLAMIC charity accused of terrorist links by the United States has pledged to build 1,000 temporary homes for survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, a move likely to expand the group's influence in the impoverished region.

Authorities said on Friday that the death toll would likely top 300 from the 6.4 magnitude quake that hit the mountainous area early on Wednesday, destroying 3,000 houses and leaving some 15,000 people homeless.

The affected area of Baluchistan province is inhabited mainly by Pashtuns, the same ethnic group from which the Taleban draws most of its strength. The region has not seen the level of militant activity common in other districts along the Afghan border.

'In Kashmir and Afghanistan, we fought against the enemy, but here we are trying to help quake survivors in the name of God and humanity,' said Mr Abdul Rauf, a member of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. 'We have no other motive.'

Jamaat-ud-Dawa was designated a terrorist group by the US government in 2006 because of links to Muslim separatists fighting in India's portion of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. It denies involvement in militancy.

Mr Mahdi Hassan, a political commentator, said he believed the Islamic groups had humanitarian motives, noting foreign aid workers were not harmed or harassed after a 2005 quake.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa and other hard-line groups aided survivors of that quake, which killed 80,000 people in Kashmir and northern Pakistan, saving lives as well as winning friends.

'These jihadi people were active in Kashmir, and they are not the type of people who support 'Talebanisation',' Mr Hassan said.

'This time too they are involved in relief and rehabilitation work. They should not be discouraged while doing a good job.' -- AP