Federal government pocketed $400 million loan meant for flood victims: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stated that the federal government has kept the $400 million loan he obtained from the World Bank and is instead providing him with rupees.

Speaking at an event in Quetta, he said that the federal share should be given to Sindh and Balochistan as they are being treated unfairly.

Whether it's the $400 million World Bank loan or ongoing World Bank projects in Sindh, or the European Union's announced aid of €700 million, Bilawal stated that he collected all this funding as Pakistan's foreign minister and made appeals for help to the world alongside the Prime Minister.

He mentioned that housing and road restoration projects are ongoing in Sindh with the cooperation of the World Bank.

Bilawal stated that the housing project is his initiative, aimed at providing shelter to the homeless and making them landowners, with work already underway. He said the money is not being handed over to any federal or provincial bureaucrat; the provincial Department of Planning and Development is safeguarding it.

He emphasized that they have outsourced the project to ensure transparency. The project is funded by the World Bank, the Sindh government, and the federal government, with additional funds secured.

He questioned why all these promises could not be fulfilled for Balochistan, calling it an injustice to the province.

Bilawal stated that the $400 million loan he obtained from the World Bank has been kept by the federal government, which is instead providing him with rupees, claiming it will be used for projects. He criticized the federal government for not constructing a single house over the past years and urged that the flood victims be reached with the funds.

He called for both the provincial and federal governments to seriously address the issue of flood victims, urging the federal government to make agreements with their outsourced companies and NGOs to construct houses that would withstand future floods.

He lamented the injustice being done to the flood victims in Balochistan and demanded prompt assistance and fulfillment of promises.

He added that if the provincial and federal governments collectively contribute to the aid for flood victims and demonstrate this internationally, he is ready to secure further funding from global financial institutions, but such collaboration is lacking.

He insisted that the provincial and federal governments take the issue of flood victims seriously, with the federal government working with outsourced companies and NGOs to build resilient homes, and emphasized the need to end the discrimination against Balochistan's flood victims.

He warned that if the government’s handling of aid remains poor, international organizations will consider past behavior when providing assistance in future disasters. He called for Balochistan's funds to be included in aid and for an end to the unfair treatment of its flood victims.