Zardari to pitch “trade, not aid” slogan to world to rescue flood-hit Pakistan

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD - Pakistan president Asaf Ali Zardari has called for “trade, not aid”, to deal with the devastation caused by floods in the country.

“We will press forward with this slogan and take our case to the world,” the Daily Times quoted him as saying.

In a meeting attended by businessmen and industrialists at Bilawal House, Karachi, the president emphasized that the best way of helping Pakistan in this crisis would be to lift the ban on trade with the European Union and the US markets.

Zardari also acknowledged that the government would not be able to undertake rehabilitation and reconstruction work without help from the international community, as the scale of disaster was huge.

“The world needs to do more,” he said.

The president also urged the business community of Karachi to be generous in making contributions towards flood relief funds.

In a separate meeting with journalists, Zardari promised to bring in greater transparency in matters related to foreign aid. He said that all the details, including the inflow and the utilization of aid would be put up on a website.

“In my opinion all the information should be open to you on a website so that you can see it. My daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari had raised Rs 130 million and the detail of this amount and its utilisation is on the website,” he said.

The president also commended the army for their contribution in the relief efforts and said that it had been a joint effort of the government and the military. (ANI)