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Pakistan asks donors to write off $55bn loans
[Pak Daily Times] Interior Minister Rehman Malik, on Sunday, asked the donor community to write off Pakistain's $55 billion foreign debt as it has already sustained losses worth $140 billion in its war against terrorism. Addressing the Pakistain Development Forum (PDF), Malik said that Pakistain was committed to combating terrorism and asked the international community to assist the country in its war against terrorism. Briefing the forum, the minister said Pakistain had sustained losses worth $140 billion in its war against terror, adding that the international community should realise that this war was being fought to protect the world from the ravages of terrorism and to promote global peace. He stressed on the world community to fulfil its ethical and moral obligations by assisting Pakistain. "Those who cannot fulfil their obligations have no right to say 'do more' either," he declared. The minister also reminded that safety and security in Pakistain and Afghanistan was linked to international peace and harmony and both the South Asian countries should be strengthened economically. Inaugurating the forum, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafiz Sheikh said that Pakistain was passing through a difficult phase as the national economy was faced with a number of challenges. He said although the government was utilising all available resources to expedite and sustain the development process and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the recent floods and the ongoing war on terrorism had dented the economy. Posted by: Fred 2010-11-15 |
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