NEW YORK: Pakistan has suffered a gigantic loss due to the scourge of terrorism and unprecedented flooding and needs billion of dollars to sustain itself, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday.
He was addressing a high level session at the United Nations (UN) on 2010 Millennium Development Goals.
UN Millennium Development Goals envisage guiding principles for international promotion, he said, adding that Pakistan had underlined seven principles to act upon for achieving sustainable development. He maintained that although the recent floods had badly affected this effort, the country has still been striving to meet the targets that it had set for itself.
Even before the flooding, the security situation arising out of the war on terror had badly affected the economy.
He said that the government has been working on striking a balance in its policies to invigorate the potential of the country.
He also mentioned the government’s Benazir Income Support Fund initiative, through which, he said, they had been catering to the needs of three million downtrodden people.
The government had also been working on education, particularly of females and treading on the path to empower them finically he underscored.
The rural sector also takes high priority on the agenda he maintained. He apprised the participants that Pakistan had prepared reports on three millennium goals and fourth has also been presented in the last month.
Meanwhile, Shah Mahmood Qureshi also had a detailed discussion with United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the assistance provided by the international community, rehabilitation of flood victims and medium term projects.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2010.
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