President for greater transparency of foreign aid

President Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday that all details regarding the inflow of foreign aid for flood victims, its utilisation and distribution should be placed on the website to ensure a greater transparency. He was talking to leading anchorpersons and editors of newspapers at Bilawal House here. Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chief Ministers Advisor on Information Jameel Soomro, Presidents Spokeperson Farhatullah Babar, Press Secretary to the President, Taimur Azmat were also present on the occasion. He said that the government should utilise modern technology to bring in a total transparency in the use of foreign aid. The President lauded the role of Pakistans armed forces in rescue and flood relief efforts and said it is a collective effort of the government and the armed forces of Pakistan. President Zardari said this joint effort coupled with precautionary measures have helped in reducing human casualties in such a vast devastation in the presence of meagre resources. The governments first priority was to save peoples lives and we have done it, he observed. He said 50 percent of Pakistan has been destroyed by the tragedy as right bank of Indus in Punjab and left bank in Sindh has been inundated by the floods. The President said that he has been using his office to convince the world to help Pakistan in this hour of tragedy and China, Turkey, USA, IMF, World Bank have come forward in a big way. To a question on the formation of commission on floods, he said he has no objection to this proposal neither has the government. What will be the parameters and who will be arbitrators has to be decided by the government, he added. Responding to a question on the construction of dams, the President said that the dams will be constructed only after achieving consensus among provinces. He said that China has agreed to build dams in Pakistan. Referring to 18th Amendment, he said that 80 percent of PPPs manifesto has been fulfilled after its passage into a law. This is a political highway of future, he observed.