“We have very clear instructions from the prime minister [to not seek external assistance],” Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said during her weekly press briefing.
She said, “Pakistan has neither made nor intends to make a request for international assistance. It has been made very clear that all expenditure related to temporarily displaced Pakistanis will be met from our own resources.”
She hoped that following the end of the operation, the IDPs would return to their homes, adding that “our own resources will be mobilised to settle them to restore their normal life.”
In response to a question about communication with the foreign world regarding the operation in North Waziristan, Alsam said that the operation is an “internal matter” and that there has been “no specific communication about the operation.”
However, she did say that Pakistan has “regular contact and conversation with Beijing and Moscow”, adding that Pakistan has received a “positive reaction” to the “focused and comprehensive operation to eliminate terrorism”.
Aslam also said that the number of people who have sought refuge in Afghanistan following the operation is still unclear. She said that following the operation, as the area is being cleared people have begun to return, adding that the number of those who have returned is about 14,000.
Indo-Pak Relations
Aslam, during the briefing, said that a meeting with the Pakistan and Indian foreign secretaries would take place in the “not very distant future”. She reminded the attendees of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitiation to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend the former’s inaugural ceremony.
The meeting, she said, was directed during the meeting of the two prime ministers to “look at how the process of dialogue is to be taken forward.”
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They don't want foreign assistance because they know donations will be substantial and they would come to KP Govt. and not Punjab
What a dumb government we have!
They take Coalition Support Fund for operations, billions of $$$ as loans from IMF, and other such assistance, but when it comes to poor IDPs, they have such empty declarations.
Shame on Federal Govt!
It is NOT helping IDPs adequately and it is also not letting those who want to help do so!
And you wonder why you have no credibility? Your near bankrupt - can't afford to buy fuel for your own power plants - spend endless meeting trying to negotiate with IMF - and today's front page indicates you need to borrow $10.8 billion to meet expenses. I doubt the IDP's appreciate your chest thumping - they probably would appreciate food, shelter and clean water - even if it's from foreigners.