PM offers olive branch to Imran to cope with flood crisis

    Shehbaz says every penny of aid will be spent in a transparent manner

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday offered an olive branch to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to deal with the catastrophic flood situation in the country and revive economy.

    He was responding to a question during an interaction with the representatives of the foreign media in Islamabad.

    “I had proposed a charter of democracy during my speech in parliament,” he said, adding that his proposal was not taken seriously. “But I’m willing to talk to him (Imran) once again,” he maintained.

    The prime minister urged the international community to extend maximum support for relief and rehabilitation of the flood-stricken people, stressing that every penny would be spent transparently. “I want to give my solemn pledge and commitment that every penny would be spent in a transparent manner. Every penny will reach the needy. There will be no wastage at all,” he assured the people of Pakistan as well as the donors.

    He said the country was facing the worst floods in its history that had killed over a 1,000 people, including 300 children, besides displacing more than a million. He recalled the international community’s generous support following the 2010 floods and expected a same response in the wake of the ongoing catastrophic situation. “Though the friendly countries had started sending relief supplies, much more needed to be done to overcome the situation,” he said.

    Shehbaz said that the federal and provincial governments, National Disaster Management Authority (NDM), provincial disaster management authorities and the Pakistan Army were in action for rescue and relief of the flood victims.

    He said the authorities concerned were also actively engaged in the repair of road infrastructure as the flash floods had damaged thousands kilometer stretch of roads across the country.

    He said the damaged road infrastructure had led to impediments in the supply of basic necessities to the flood-hit population. To another question, the PM said the country had received three to four times more rains this year and added that the government would redirect its development spending for the rehabilitation of the people.