Pakistan unsure about India’s offer for flood aid
By IANSFriday, August 13, 2010
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is unsure about how to respond to a $5 million aid offered by India to help overcome its flood crisis that left over 1,600 people dead, a media report said Saturday.
India’s offer for flood relief was made by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Dawn reported.
Krishna described the offer as a “gesture of solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their hour of need”, a statement issued by the Indian High Commission here said Friday.
Sources in the Pakistan foreign ministry said India’s offer was being considered.
“We have not rejected the offer outright and a decision would be made soon,” a senior official said.
Pakistan is grappling with its worst ever floods that left over 1,600 people dead and affected over 14 million people. A media report put the total economic loss due to floods at around $2.92 billion (Rs.250 billion).
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Islamabad Saturday to assess relief and rescue work in the flood-hit country.
