Pak Govt. accused of exploiting flood relief efforts for establishing many “Benazirabads”

ISLAMABAD - Opposition parties in Pakistan have accused the government of exploiting flood relief efforts to name the new towns established for the flood victims as “Benazirabad”.

Chairing a meeting to review the devastation caused by the floods, President Asaf Ali Zardari said the government is considering establishing ten or more new towns in different parts of the country for the flood victims, and each of them would be named Benazirabad.

Zardari’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said officials had approached the Asian Development Bank for a loan for construction, which would be done by using both public and private money.

The Government of Pakistan is planning to build ten or more new towns, with a capacity of housing 10,000 people each.

Siddiq ul-Farooq, a spokesman for the opposition PM-N, said: “It’s a national catastrophe so an apolitical approach is needed. President Zardari should rise above political considerations and should not be using political personalities’ names for political gain.”

Babar, however countered that the name, “Benazirabad” was just one of the options and had not been finalised. (ANI)