Anisa expects int’l aid to cross $7b
By Asad Cheema

ISLAMABAD—Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli on Monday expressed the hope that international aid for earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation will cross $7 billion mark.
Taking part in debate on earthquake in the Senate, she said fears were expressed that Pakistan might not be able to mobilize the estimated funds but everybody was proved wrong.
She said instead of $5.2 billion, $5.827 billion were pledged by the international community at the Donors' Conference which is testimony to government's successful foreign policy. "This shows the popularity of President Musharraf. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also used his personal contacts to muster the international support," she added.
"This goes on to proof that Pakistan is a responsible country." She said the government has been unduly criticized that most of the aid has come in the shape of loans.
"This is not going to affect our financial discipline. These are very soft term loans due over a longer period of time," Anisa said. "The aid for tsunami and Katrina was also in the form of loans," she added.
"The international community stands engaged with Pakistan on long term basis." She said she would suggest the government to change the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) into Emergency Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority so that it is geared up to meet any national emergency situation. The minister also refuted the allegations that parliament has been rendered futile by not taking it into confidence in the reconstruction and rehabilitation work. "The prime minister has offered to form a parliament's committee to monitor all the activities relating to earthquake relief activities," she said. She said the devastating earthquake affected 9 districts and 25 Tehsils and some 4,000 villages spread over 30,000 square kilometers and no one was ready for such a large scale disaster.
"However by the evening of October 8, some 709 wounded persons were evacuated to hospitals in Islamabad and by next day thousands of army troops had moved to the affected areas," she said.