Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said the funds pledged for Pakistan at this week’s donors’ conference in Geneva showed that the world trusted the Government of Pakistan despite the propaganda levelled against it by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside several federal ministers, he vowed that the government would not abandon people affected by the floods until their rehabilitation had been completed. “At the conference, pledges worth $9.7 billion were announced for Pakistan’s flood victims,” he said, congratulating the ministers and their teams for the effort they had put in to ensure its success.
“The Islamic Development Bank promised $4.2 billion; World Bank $2 billion; Saudi Arabia $1 billion; Asian Infrastructure Development Bank $1 billion; Asian Development Bank; $500 million; USAID $100 million; China $100 million; Italy €23 million; Japan $77 million; Qatar $25 million; U.K. £36 million; and France £380 million,” he said, stressing that the “ball is now in our court” and authorities must work transparently to ensure every single penny is spent on rehabilitating flood-hit areas.
Noting that the presence of representatives of all provinces at the conference had sent the world a message of “unity,” he said the perception created by “some people”—a reference to the PTI—that the country had been isolated internationally had been busted. He also thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his continuous assistance to Pakistan and generous support.
To a question on the conditions of the funds pledged at the conference, the prime minister said IDB’s terms would be “soft” and referred to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who said around 90 percent of the pledged amounts were project loans. This, he said, did not include the $1 billion pledged by Saudi Arabia, as he was unsure if this was a project loan.
National concerns
Responding to a question on a nationwide wheat shortage, Sharif stressed that wheat stocks were sufficient to meet the country’s needs, but mismanagement had triggered a crisis. “We were not sitting idle,” he said. “This is a provincial matter and they should answer for this,” he said, recalling that he had responded immediately to similar situations during his time as chief minister of Punjab.
To a question on PTI’s allegations that provinces under its control had not been helped by Islamabad in recovering from floods, he said this was untrue and the government’s response had targeted relief for the worst-hit areas. “Sindh was the most affected province from the floods, then Balochistan,” he said, adding there had been no flooding in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minster Taimur Jhagra spoke at the donors’ conference, he added.
On the deteriorating law and order situation in KP, Sharif said the National Security Committee (NSC) had discussed the issue in detail last week. “It is the responsibility of both the federal and provincial governments to restore peace,” he said.
He also said that he would visit the U.A.E. tomorrow and hoped the visit would help expand bilateral relations between the two countries.
Addressing the press conference, the finance minister said the government aimed to complete reconstruction of flood-ravaged regions within three years. He said federal and provincial governments alike would contribute to the rebuilding from their development budgets. To a question on the country’s economic situation, he said he had conducted a detailed meeting with the International Monetary Fund on the sidelines of the donors’ conference. Reiterating that Pakistan was not at risk of default, he maintained that all external debt obligations would be paid on time.
Foreign minister
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, meanwhile, praised the prime minister for the success of his foreign policy, saying that the government had accomplished two goals with the conference. “There is no I in team,” he said, adding that the required target for funds needed from the international community had been surpassed.
Emphasizing that the government had achieved two goals in one shot at the conference, he said the global community’s support had proven that Pakistan was not isolated and the world’s willingness to invest in the country also rubbished perceptions about the economy.
It is now time, he said, for focus to shift toward the welfare of flood-hit communities. Lamenting that the focus of the cameras had shifted, he said this did not mean the affected people were not still in urgent need of aid. “We still need support on humanitarian grounds. A cold wave is expected in flood-hit areas where people are living under the sky,” he said, appealing the public to help them.