FM Bilawal urges the govt & IMF to provide ‘relief’ to flood-hit people similar to the one given countrywide during pandemic days in 2020


KARACHI, Feb 08 (SABAH): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday demanded world institutions and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not to burden the country’s flood-affected people with inflation.

While addressing a donor conference for Sindh’s flood-stricken population in Karachi, the foreign minister said: “A natural calamity like the floods was doomsday before the judgment day for us.”

Bilawal Bhutto urged the federal government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — currently in the midst of negotiations to revive a stalled lifeline — to consider the plight of the flood affectees and ensure they are “protected” from economic difficulties.

Unveiling a post-flood rebuilding project in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sindh on Wednesday, the foreign minister urged the government and the international lender to provide “relief” to flood-hit people similar to the one given countrywide during the pandemic days in 2020.

He stressed that it was also the responsibility of international organisations including the IMF “to suggest reforms for our betterment but flood affectees must also be provided protection so that they can come out of the current situation”.

The foreign minister said the country faced unprecedented damage in the wake of floods as 33 million people were affected while five million acres of standing crops were destroyed.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy but this flood broke our back,” he said while referring to the impact of the calamity.

He said Pakistan was thankful to the countries who pledged “more than our expectations” at the Geneva conference while the United Nations secretary general deserved equal accolades for his support in this regard.

“Dignitaries including the UN officials or our prime ministers had a foremost demand of rebuilding of homes whenever they visited the flood-hit areas,” he recalled, adding the process was difficult and will take time “but intend to build homes from scratch”.

“Of this, World Bank has contributed $500 million and the Sindh government has arranged for another $250 million, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given another $250 million,” he said.

He said the provincial government also had plans to give ownership rights to the occupants of reconstructed houses in a bid to empower them economically.

“We promise that in two to three years, we will complete this whole process and we will reach people to rebuild their homes, not only for repair purposes but also give ownership rights,” he underlined.

The foreign minister said he would request the federal government to implement a similar model in other flood-hit provinces for the earliest recovery.

Releasing funds for the construction of flood victims, the minister said that “we are not just building houses, but we are also making the flood victims the property owners”.

He revealed that on the directions of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the houses will be allotted to the women of each household.

It should be noted that the funds were immediately transferred to eight districts upon release.

The first installment is Rs75,000 and the affectees are able to withdraw the amount from banks.

The conference was jointly organized by the Sindh government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to discuss the rehabilitation of flood-affected areas of the province.

The funds will be initially utilized in eight flood affected districts of the province including Larkana, Sukkur, Dadu, Hyderabad, Thatta, Shaheed Benazirabad, Umerkot and Tando Allahyar.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Shah informed, on the occasion, that around two point one million houses had been damaged in floods in the province.

The Sindh administration, meanwhile, has signed an agreement to reconstruct these homes under a public-private partnership.

Chief Executive Officer Housing Khalid Shaikh and Sindh Rural Support Programme’s Hadi Bux signed the agreement.

More than 1,700 people were killed and 8 million displaced by last year’s flooding, which also destroyed about a million homes and businesses across the country of 220 million people, according to disaster management officials.

About 5 million people — mainly in Sindh and the southwestern province of Balochistan — are still exposed to floodwater months after monsoon rains and melting glaciers caused the disaster.