The German government has decided to suspend all financial assistance to the NWFP due to the latest changes in the province after the adoption of the Sharia Bill by the Frontier Assembly.
Sources said the decision was taken after the NWFP government imposed restrictions on a shelter home being constructed by the German government for homeless women in the province. They said that although the relations between Pakistan and Germany were improving, the recent political developments in the Frontier were affecting ties but added that projects undertaken by the Germans in other parts of the country would continue.
| Only the places with the heaviest infestation of loons are effected... |
Sources said foreign investors were reluctant to invest in Pakistan due to the lack of legal security for their investment. They said trade relations between the two countries were improving, especially after President Pervez Musharrafâs recent visit and added that there was still a lot of scope for improvement. Meanwhile, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government in the NWFP said it would address all the concerns of the German government and added that it was interested in foreign assistance.
| Glenn Reynolds reminded us, oh, a couple years ago almost, of the principle that the stereotypical turban is an arrogant, insufferable sonofabitch until you slap him, at which point he'll kiss your hand. MMA seems to be acting true to form... |
NWFP Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai said, âWe welcome foreign assistance and respect the role of foreign donor agencies in the development of our province.â He told Daily Times that a group of MMA members of the provincial assembly had held talks on development schemes in the province with various donor agencies in Islamabad last week. Mr Daudzai said the German government had suspended financial assistance due to the misperceptions it had about the MMA. âA very negative image is presented in the media, particularly in the West,â he claimed. The minister offered full cooperation to address the German governmentâs reservations and hoped Bonn would review its decision.
| "It is all lies, effendi! We're really not like they say!" |
German NGO GTZ and Aurat Foundation had launched the Rs 10 million Mera Ghar project for destitute women in Peshawar. However, the NGO developed differences with the MMA government and ultimately cut off all contact with the provincial government last month. |