No significant pledges and disbursements have been made in response to President Asif Ali Zardari's 9 September appeal to the world community to help the flood-affected people of Sindh. According to details provided by Foreign Office spokesperson Tahmina Janjua on Thursday, China was the leading country with a pledge of $4.7 million relief assistance, out of which $50,000 have been disbursed so far.
The spokesperson said that Japan has pledged $450,000 relief assistance for the flood victims. Iran has announced two planes loaded with relief goods, which are yet to be received. The United States, which was among the major countries that provided relief assistance to Pakistan during last year's devastating floods, is yet to announce any aid assistance. "We don't yet have a dollar amount to announce," the US Embassy acting spokesperson Siobhan Oat-Judge told Business Recorder.
However, Foreign Office spokesperson while referring to a US Embassy press release issued on Tuesday said the US has assisted 50,000 flood-hit families in terms of food supplies, safe drinking water, shelter, sanitation, hygiene supplies and basic health care. "We appreciate messages of sympathy and solidarity with the people of Pakistan that we have received from the international community and the assistance being provided," Janjua told a weekly press briefing, adding that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) with the UN are undertaking a needs assessment.
She said the foreign ministry has undertaken to reach out to the international community, both bilateral friends and partners as well as multilateral organisations, following the appeal by the President and the Prime Minister.
She said that a briefing in this regard was also given to diplomatic community on Monday. Moreover, she said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar also had interaction with heads of missions on Wednesday night and asked them to request their capitals to provide assistance to the flood-hit areas where more than five million people have been affected.
Meanwhile, the federal government has asked the Sindh government for assessment of damages caused by flood in the province Sources in the finance ministry told Business Recorder that some funds are likely to be diverted from the Prime Minister and President Discretionary Funds to relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction purposes.
They said the federal government is making an assessment and would create fiscal space to provide financial help to the provincial government for flood victims. An official said Rs 7 billion was earmarked in the budget of the NDMA for emergency relief operation and the amount is being used to provide initial relief in the form of food, tents, and medicines and is expected to be sufficient for the month of September.
When contacted, spokesman of Awami National Party, Zahid Khan said Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa government is dispatching relief goods for flood victims in Sindh and some party leaders are also individually involved in relief activities. "I myself dispatched 30 trucks of relief goods for flood affected people in Sindh." Similarly, he said other ANP leaders based in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and Karachi have also set up relief camps in interior Sindh for flood victims.
The Punjab government has also dispatched relief goods for flood victims and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also visited Sindh to express solidarity with the flood-affected people and distributed goods. Siddiq-ul Farooq dispelled the impression that the visit Pakistan Muslim League (N) Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was more politically motivated than to help the flood victims. He said the leaders of PML-N visited the flood-hit areas to express solidarity with them and convey to them that they are standing by at this critical time.