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Manmohan Singh 'urges' Gilani to accept aid
Singh said India "had already made an offer of assistance and was ready to do more to assist in the relief effort."
Manmohan Singh rang Yousuf Raza Gilani "to express his sense of sorrow and to condole the deaths resulting from the huge floods." PHOTO: AFP
The Indian Prime Minister called his Pakistani counterpart on Thursday to express solidarity over the country’s devastating floods and to urge him to accept an offer of aid.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rang Pakistan’s Yousuf Raza Gilani “to express his sense of sorrow and to condole the deaths resulting from the huge floods,” Singh’s office said in a statement.
He also said India “had already made an offer of assistance and was ready to do more to assist in the relief effort.”
“In such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion and extend every possible help to the people of Pakistan affected by the tragedy,” Singh said.
India offered five million dollars last week in aid after Pakistan endured its worst floods in 80 years, but Islamabad is yet to decide whether to accept the gesture.
The United States has urged Pakistan not to let political rivalry stand in the way of helping its citizens in flood-ravaged regions.
“You have a country that’s willing to help, and we expect that Pakistan will accept,” a US State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying in local media in reference to the Indian offer of assistance.
Reader Comments (24)
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I think this is not the time to play politics and we should accept the money from India as a goodwill gesture. Regardless of we feel about India, we should appreciate this gesture and strive to pay back India whenever we can.
If we end up playing politics and for some odd reason do not accept this money, Zardari should pay $5 million from his own accounts. A little extra zakaat during Ramadan, Zardari?Recommend
Thank you Mr. Prime Minister.
You can use the amount of aid to uplift the condition of a common man of India, who is living below poverty line.Recommend
oho ho….Recommend
Accept it accept it accept it !!!Recommend
@syed mateen
Beggars are not chosers.Recommend
This is just the right time to strengthen Regional Corporation. I believe we must accept the aid however in an organized way so that it’s only the aid that comes in and not the risk to our nuclear arsenal and national security. We are going through really rough waters. Our infrastructure lies amid rumbles. Economically we have gone several years back and it would take time to re built. The hungry and the starving people are the easiest to be manipulated. Already the banned organizations are active in rescue and relief operations. Education and health care incentives are barely provided. Man power deployed for security has been diverted to rescue and relief operations. Pakistan must accept aid and all the regional powers must corporate. A destabilized Pakistan either economically or politically would cause a destabilized region. The SARRC and the SCO must therefore come to our rescue and relief. Recommend
@ Syed A. Mateen: talk about being arrogant ! It’s not about the ‘amount’ it’s about the gesture. Maybe if you think about the situation where even Afghanistan is giving us aid now, you’d be a bit more humbled. Recommend
shame on the gutless and clueless Pakistan establishment. the poor teaming millions are in dire need and US/EU/Australian aid is pouring in. what is wrong with Indian aid and doctors extending the much needed assistance???Recommend
Ufortuanately the establisment in pakistan can not decide other than this due to the “un-avoidable” reasons known to every one.Recommend
Why on earth is India’s PM asking Pakistani PM to accept the money? Its true India’s foreign reserves touch 1 Trillion Dollars. But, every cent counts. Why are we giving it to a country whose Govt is literally playing with the lives of its flood affected people? If Pakistani govt doesn’t care then why should India’s PM?
Mr.Singh, you are a wonderful man and an intellectual. Please do not stoop to their level. You have made an offer that not even Pakistan’s closest ally could match, which is also the 2nd most economically powerful country in the world. We are lucky to have good, kindhearted Prime Ministers. Some countries are blessed by Allah.Recommend
India should give aid to the UN. We are bad neighbours. We trust outsiders more than someone next door. Recommend
never accept do not become a lapdop for bharat. they will use this in the future against you!Recommend
Could this story GET any stupider? Money good. Money buy food. Hungry people eat food. Pskistan happy.Recommend
hahahaha…….Pakistan will definatly accept ………begger can not be Chooser. and i hope pakistani will do less currption…..because it is hundred per cent sure that they will do currption but we can expect less if possible.. if they done 60% currption it will be enough.Recommend
right now deeply need international aid so Pakistan should accept offers even for Israel cause without aid Pakistani people gonna suffer .Recommend
Thank you India. :)
To those saying we shouldn’t accept the aid..please go out and check out the devastation. Ego and arrogance should not stand in the way of saving lives of our brothers and sisters.Recommend
People are dying of disease and famine but our hypocritic middle class is still stuck in the old anti india rhetoric. We are a failed state, a global hub of terrorism, with millions lying half naked on the streets, begging for food with police beating them with sticks. But we still live in a delusion of granduer and think of ourselves as a citadel of Islam which is under threat from Zionists/CIA/RAW. We should come out of this state of denial and help these poor. Countries are made for the welfare of the people, not for some pseudo ideology which was concocted in the Zia era. Such ideological jibberish didnt satisfy the Bengalis and they parted ways, same is happening in Balochistan but we still label it is a conspiracy. 1/3rd of the army is deployed inside the country to control insurgencies and we still think that the problem lies outside.Recommend
tkank q Pm gilani for rejecting the indian aid.we too need money in india for our hungry people.Recommend
Can’t believe they’re wasting time thinking about this. It would be incredibly warped to see aid as anything other than aid. If we weren’t so completely brainwashed by jingoism, anti-India rhetoric, and self-righteousness, we might just be able to appreciate the gesture. Recommend
Foreign reserves of India are slightly less than 300 billion dollars. Recommend
At last it is good that pak ovt. accepted the aid, this is need of hour for providing relief o thsose who are in bad condition. We are also facing floods and land slides in LEH, can imagin what will be the real condition of basic faclities.Politics must remain for politicians and for people they are alike either of pakistan or india.Recommend
@ Faraz – my sentiments exactly and you penned them very well!Recommend
This aid is not for all those people who are using internet and staying in good houses, place. This is for those who are really facing difficult times. It is stupidity of Pakistan who is believing others than neighbors. Indian can send food, relief aid, immediately through wagah boarder and it can reach immediately to people. UN aid will route to New York, USA will put their stamp on it then it will come Pakistan. Then pakistan will say thank you USA.Recommend
i think today the main problem of Pakistan is NOT THE ACCEPTION OF AID but its more about ITS UTILIZATION in proper places……thats wot our authoritative people leaders doesn’t underestand……….or may be dun want to understand.Recommend