Pakistan: PM Shehbaz Sharif approves Rs 25 billion aid for flood victims

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 19 : Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved to provide Rs 25 billion aid for flood victims, to address the reservations of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Geo News reported.

Sources said that the amount allocated by Pakistan's PM is expected to contribute to the debt-driven budget and will be spent rehabilitating the flood victims.

The Prime Minister committed to set aside the said funds during a meeting with the party's leaders last week, as per Geo News.

Senior politicians Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Syed Khurshid Shah, Qamar uz Zaman Kaira, Syed Murad Ali Shah, and Nisar Khuro were also part of the PPP delegation.

During the meeting, a statement from the PM's office mentioned that the PPP leadership appreciated Shehbaz Sharif for measures for public welfare in the budget despite the difficult economic conditions.

Whereas, a day later, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, slammed his coalition partners and demanded that an amount should be allocated for flood victims, or his party won't support the government's budget, which has to be passed this month.

In a rally held in Swat on Saturday, Foreign Minister Bilawal also complained to the Prime Minister about not being able to fulfil his promises in the budget.

Reacting to the foreign minister's statement, Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Minister Ahsan Iqbal suggested that the matter should be discussed in the cabinet and should be avoided opening a new front, according to Geo News.

The minister also said that the coalition partners were consulted on every stage of preparation of the federal budget and its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting. Moreover, he also mentioned that the 2023-23 federal budget was tabled in the National Assembly with the consent of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Premier Shehbaz will chair a meeting today (Monday) to address the further issues faced by PPP. The meeting will also be attended by FM as well as ministers and experts related to the financial affairs of both parties, as per Geo News.

Pakistan Peoples Party senior leader Nafisa Shah said the coalition partners had unanimously agreed that flood affectees would be provided relief and rehabilitated. "Bilawal spoke about providing relief to the flood victims, who are, to date, still without homes," she said, according to Geo News.