Dr Abdul Wahid Soomro (MNA Pakistan Peoples Party)

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure complete transparency in spending funds received from international donors by activating the National Oversight Disaster Management Council, Auditor General’s Office and Public Accounts Committee.
About 80 per cent of international donors have committed humanitarian aid for flood victims through NGOs or UN agencies which the government says will not serve the purpose because up to 40 per cent of funds would have to be used in consultation with these agencies.

During a meeting with World Bank Vice President Isable Gurerrero who had called on him at the PM House on Wednesday, the prime minister said Pakistan was facing the biggest human and economic crisis of its history.

The country, he said, was simultaneously fighting a war against terrorism as the frontline state in the interest of international peace and prosperity and despite enormous challenges it was committed to economic reforms, improved governance and democracy.

Reassuring the world community of transparent spending of flood relief funds, Mr Gilani said: “A National Oversight Disaster Management Council has been formed which will have credible names to ensure transparency and just distribution of assistance both in kind and cash.”

Besides, he said, all information would be available on the website.

Ms Isable Guerrero said the bank was already providing $1 billion for flood-related activities and expressed the hope that more aid and financial support would be provided after consultation with board members.

She said the board of World Bank comprising 185 members was greatly concerned over the situation arising out of the floods and all of them were considerate towards helping Pakistan in this time of need.

She specifically referred to forthcoming conferences, including UN General Assembly session on floods in Pakistan on Sept 19 in New York, Asia-Europe Summit on Oct 4 in Brussels, FODP ministerial-level meeting in October and Pakistan Development Forum in Islamabad in November, as important platforms for mobilising economic support for Pakistan.

She also expressed the hope that Pakistan would be able to use these opportunities aptly through the highest-level representation.

The prime minister requested the World Bank to play a leading role in informing international donors about difficulties being faced by flood-affected people and said a delay in rehabilitation of the flood-hit people could impact socio-economic and political environment and undermine government’s efforts to curb the menace of terrorism.

The prime minister said that Pakistan had, through reprioritising the budget, freezing expenditure to last year’s level, diverting some of the development funds, increasing the tax base and adopting austerity in all government departments, taken measures to pool additional funds from its own resources to cope with the unprecedented situation.
@Sources